News archive

A lorry explodes on the E4 motorway, there is a fire at the Hovet arena, someone takes hostages at Tom Titts, there's an explosion at Arlanda - it all happens at the same time and the medical services in Region Stockholm have to deal with a large number of injured patients at once. Fortunately, it was all just an exercise. The exercise, which is part of the TKS course, now aims to be developed into a national course concept.

Thursday 21 March KI President Annika Östman Wernerson, Vice- President Martin Bergö and University Director Veronika Sundström, met with representatives from MBB to talk about the departments’ activities and on how we can strengthen our dialogue and cooperation going forward.

The Committee for Doctoral Education have revised the requirements for a PhD compilation thesis to be defended at KI. The new requirements allow the inclusion of more types of papers to be included in a PhD compilation thesis, while still requiring that at least two have been accepted for publication at the time the application for dissertation is sent in to the Dissertation Committee of KI. A new requirement that a description of how the PhD learning outcomes have been met, is also added.

Angelique has a background in KI, where she obtained her medical degree, her path has been paved through many years of clinical service at Karolinska University Hospital and she is a specialist in both gynecology & obstetrics and gyneoncology.

The American Society of Clinical Investigation, ASCI, has appointed Göran K. Hansson as an honorary member at the society's annual conference in Chicago.

The deadline for incoming fee-paying students to apply for accommodation from KI Housing is June 16.

Dr Joseph Kabatende is a Health Products and Regulatory Systems Specialist working for the WHO. He completed his PhD in 2023 from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden after defending his doctoral thesis entitled “Pharmacovigilance of Mass Drug Administration for Control of Schistosomiasis and Soil Transmitted Helminths in Rwanda".

This qualitative study aimed to investigate the implementation of, and satisfaction with, a telephone-based peer support program for new fathers.

A new handbook on interprofessional learning (IPL) is now available for healthcare professionals. The handbook can be used for guidance, both in daily work and in meetings with students.

On 12 April, the internal investigation into the freezer failure during the Christmas holidays in 2023 was presented in the Neo building at Karolinska Institutet. The investigation has been led by KI's head of security and it points to clear technical as well as organisational shortcomings. Taken together, a chain of these shortcomings caused the breakdown that led to the destruction of research material and the loss of years of research work. The inquiry recommends a number of measures.

Researchers’ Grand Prix is a competition that challenges researchers to present their research in the most comprehensible, captivating and inspiring way – in just four minutes. The competition will be held during the event "Forskarfredag" organized by Vetenskapens hus on September 27th.

Three researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded the prestigious ERC Advanced Grant. ERC grants are the preeminent European grants for individual principal investigators. The researchers will each receive EUR 2.5 million over a five-year period.

Tips from KI Grants Office regarding current calls

For 2 years the Translational Seed Funding Grant 2023 will support the collaborative project between the Schulte lab at Fyfa and the research team of Prof Matthias Löhr at CLINTEC.

On April 22-24 IMM, together with the Swedish Chemicals Agency, will host an international meeting within the EU project PARC.

SJ will make a system change in its booking flow, and this affects several other operators and systems

When the QS World University Ranking by Subject for 2024 is published, KI retains its leading position among the world's and Europe's universities. Among other things, KI maintains its position as the EU's leading medical university.

Call for applications for the Santander International Exchange Grants

The Karolinska Stem Cell Organoids (KISCO) facility recently moved from Bionut to Labmed. The KISCO facility focuses on services related to human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC).

Researchers from the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet have found that low influence and opportunities for development at work (job control) and heavy physical workload are important explanatory factors for educational disparities in all-cause and heart disease mortality.

Drugs known as GLP-1 analogues have become increasingly popular to treat diabetes and obesity, but there have been concerns that they might increase the risk of thyroid cancer. Now an extensive Scandinavian study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has found no evidence of such a link. The study is published in The BMJ.

In the largest epidemiologic study to date of the risk of giving birth to a child with autism, ADHD or intellectual disability following acetaminophen use during pregnancy, researchers found no association. The study is now published in JAMA.

For heart attack patients, treating only the coronary artery that caused the infarction works just as well as preventive balloon dilation of the other coronary arteries, according to a new large study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and others. The results are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Swedish Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard and Minister for Education Mats Persson visited Karolinska Institutet on 8 April to present a forthcoming investigation about the opportunities for foreign citizens to work and study in Sweden. KI welcomes the investigation, whose mission is in line with previously expressed views by the university, however KI emphasizes that changes are urgent.

Hi María Latorre Leal, doctoral student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On April 26 you will defend your thesis "The role of oxysterols in neurodegeneration : implications for cognitive function, maternal effects, and sex-specific differences". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Niklas Björkström's research group at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) has conducted a study that provides new knowledge about how the immune system in the uterus works. This knowledge contributes to a better understanding of how pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia occur.

Half of all patients discharged from hospital after a heart attack are treated with beta-blockers unnecessarily. This is according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"I am convinced that this will influence future practice," says Tomas Jernberg, Professor at Karolinska Institutet and lead researcher of the study.

A recent study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine published in the Journal of Affective Disorders shows worrying trends in common mental illness among social workers in Sweden.

KI researcher, author and science writer Emma Frans has been awarded the 2024 Popular Science Prize from Natur & Kultur. She receives the award for her broad and lively communication of research and science. The prize money is SEK 250,000.

Welcome to Mu Nie's doctoral thesis defence at Karolinska Institutet on April 23.

People suffering from post-COVID have been discouraged from exercising because early observations suggested it could be harmful. In a study published in JAMA Network Open, researchers from Karolinska Institutet show that post-COVIDdoes not mean that exercise must be strictly avoided.

The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund (Barncancerfonden) has decided to grant funding to eight research positions at KI for paediatric oncology research over the next two to six years. The goal is, among other things, to improve current treatment methods with the help of precision medicine that is based on the characteristics of the cancer and the individual child's genetics.

It is possible to leave most of the lymph nodes in the armpit, even if one or two of them have metastases larger than two millimetres. This is shown in a trial enrolling women from five countries, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results open up for gentler surgery for patients with breast cancer.

We congratulate Paolo Parini at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) who has received a project grant from Vetenskapsrådet.

To see the changes you advocate for, the ability to make a difference in students’ lives and meeting new people. These are the things that KI student Manojj Dhinakaran likes most about being a student representative.

Global health challenges are the focal point of two collaborative projects coordinated by KI: WISDOM and Changemaker. Under its pillar II "Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness" programme, Horizon Europe has awarded the projects a total grant of EUR 14 million, of which KI controls the equivalent of just over EUR 3 million.

In a new study published in Molecular Oncology, researchers have discovered a novel mechanism to enhance the body’s immune response to tumors. The study is a result of collaboration between Sprint Bioscience, Karolinska institutet, the Luxembourg Institute of Health and Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, and was included as a manuscript in Yasmin Yu’s PhD thesis at the Department of Oncology-Pathology in 2021.

Radboud University in collaboration with NeurotechEU invites KI students and PhDs to a summer school in “Neurotechnologies in Cellular and Systems Neuroscience”

On Thursday, 28 March, the Sune Bergström auditorium at Karolinska University Hospital was filled with Ukrainian paramedics, when the hospital, together with the Centre for Health Crises at Karolinska Institutet, arranged a visit dedicated to the exchange of experiences, discussions, and guided tours.

In January 2024, a delegation from the Institute for Quantitative Biosciences at the University of Tokyo had the privilege of visiting Karolinska Institutet. During this short but invaluable experience, they engaged with the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology's administrative staff, gaining insights into the administrative procedures and organizational structure.

With the progress in treatment for most cancer types, there is a growing interest to understand the overall impact of a cancer diagnosis throughout the remaining lifespan. In addition to conventional survival probabilities, estimating Life Expectancy following cancer diagnosis and Loss in Life Expectancy for cancer patients in comparison to if they did not have cancer provides valuable insights into the societal burden of cancer.

As part of the integration of BioNut into MedH the administration of MedH will move to floor 8 in Neo where they will join the administration of BioNut. The move will take place on 9 April.

The human mouth is a bustling ecosystem teeming with microscopic life. While we often associate oral health with brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups, there’s more to the story. A recent review article published in Periodontology 2000 by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, collaborating with researchers in South Korea, Sri Lanka and Australia, delves into the intricate world of oral microbes and their potential impact on oral pathologies, including cancer development.

Follow-up and treatment of children with cancer is significantly improved when inherited genetic causes are also investigated, according to a new Swedish study. The results of the research study involving some 50 researchers and clinicians from across Sweden have been published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

The guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy in obese women have long been questioned. New research from Karolinska Institutet supports the idea of lowering or removing the current recommendation of a weight gain of at least 5 kg. The results are published in The Lancet.

Type 1 diabetes, a chronic condition affecting millions of young individuals globally, is not exclusive to childhood. As much as half of all cases are diagnosed during adulthood, and there is a need to understand factors contributing to the development of type 1 diabetes in adults. A new study at Karolinska Institutet now provides new insights into the development of the disease in adults. The results are presented in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

Women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) have a higher risk of perinatal depression. Conversely, women with perinatal depression have a higher risk of developing premenstrual disorders. This is shown in a study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with JLP Health and others, have identified how the tick-borne Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus enters our cells. The results are published in Nature Microbiology and are an important step in the development of drugs against the deadly disease.

Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University in Uganda have been working together for over 20 years. In 2021 they established a Centre based on their strong partnership to bring people together, recognize their health challenges and mobilize actions towards well-being. Today the Centre provides tools, resources and training programs for researchers, students, professionals and policy makers globally.

This is a summary of the information meeting that Maria Eriksdotter, head of the Integration project and the former Dean of KI South, held together with Petter Höglund, the departmental head of MedH, and Agneta Wallin Levinovitz, project manager, on 26 March on Zoom addressing all staff at BioNut and MedH.