News archive

Karolinska Institutet awards grants from a large number of foundations and from donations. The foundations & donations award research and travel grants.

Newborns who are placed skin-to-skin with their mother directly after birth show better health outcomes, according to an updated review of extensive research. The contact supports the infant’s basic bodily functions and increases the likelihood of breastfeeding – yet it is still not standard practice in all healthcare systems.

A total of seven researchers at NVS will share 33.2 million SEK in research grants from the Swedish Research Council in the latest calls for proposals.

On November 17-18, Akademiska Hus will test the circuit breakers in ANA Futura. This will cause short power outages in the lab- and office building.

Maja Fjaestad, former State Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and until now working at the European Commission's AI Office in Brussels, will become Senior Advisor to the President at Karolinska Institutet. The position is newly established and aims to strengthen KI's position as an active and driving social actor.

In the Swedish Research Council's latest call, SEK 17,4 million was awarded to 4 researchers at the Department of Laboratory Medicine for the years 2025-2031.

In the Swedish Research Council's latest call, research grants of SEK 41 950 000 was awarded to eight researchers at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery. We congratulate:

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women, with around 9,600 new cases diagnosed each year in Sweden. The breast cancer can spread to other parts of the body, and the first spread is usually to the lymph nodes that run from the breast to the armpit on the same side. Knowing whether the cancer has spread to these lymph nodes is crucial, as it helps determine the most appropriate treatment.

Dr. Ping Chen at the Department of Laboratory Medicine receives a project grant for her research in endocrinology and metabolism from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The grant may contribute to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease over time in people living with the fatty liver disease MASLD.

In the Swedish Research Council's latest call, SEK 62 500 000 was awarded to 12 researchers at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) for the years 2025-2031.

The 5th Annual KI–SciLifeLab Symposium is organized by the SciLifeLab Committee at KI and aims to bring together members of the SciLifeLab community at KI. Anyone interested in our work and program is also very welcome to join.

The Swedish Research Council has decided on a number of calls for proposals in medicine and health for 2025. A total of just over SEK 1.2 billion will be awarded for the years 2025–2031. KI will receive just over SEK 526 million for 102 grants. KI is also being awarded four grants in natural and engineering sciences, and humanities and social sciences, totalling approximately SEK 18.7 million.

The OECD has published a new guidance document aimed at improving the utility and regulatory uptake of research data in risk assessments of chemicals. The duidance provides practical considerations and recommendations for both risk assessors and researchers.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) announces three positions as scientific ombudsmen (vetenskapliga ombud), starting 1 January 2026. The assignment is an important part of KI’s efforts to promote good research practice, research ethics, and responsible research conduct.

Hi Francesca Eroli, doctoral student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On November 7 november you will defend your thesis ”Toward precision medicine : sex-specific effects of multi-drug therapies in mouse models of aging and Alzheimer's pathology” What is the main focus of the thesis?

Thanks to a generous joint donation from the Lundblad and Thelin families, Karolinska Institutet (KI) has launched a strategic initiative in AI education and training, titled Advances in Artificial Intelligence – AI@KI.

Magnus Boman is an AI professor at the Department of Medicine, Solna, at KI, and part of the AI@KI project – a strategic project initiated by KI's rector with the goal of collecting and describing all activities at KI related to artificial intelligence (AI). In addition, since 2023, Magnus has been involved in AI issues at MedTechLabs and as an advisor within Clinicum for research methodology involving machine learning.

Kathrin Wode, postdoctoral researcher at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics, has been awarded a prestigious prize at the World Congress “3rd World Congress on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine” in Rio de Janeiro.

It is exciting to announce that NVS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IDAC for academic exchange and to further strengthen the academic ties between the two institutions. The MoU was signed on August 11th, 2025, by Professor Maria Ankarcrona, Head of Department, NVS and Professor Kozo Tanaka, Director of IDAC.

Four distinct subgroups of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been identified in an international study published in Nature Medicine by researchers from Karolinska Institutet, among others. The results open up for more tailored treatments for the millions of women living with the disease worldwide.

Around 200 AI enthusiasts – from SMEs, healthcare providers, academia, decision-makers, and service providers for AI development - gathered last week at KI to discuss different aspects of implementing AI in healthcare.

Procurement and services must, as far as possible be called off against KI:s framework agreements.

Work is currently underway to develop KI's operational planning in order to facilitate dialogue and follow-up at various levels within the organisation. With the President's decision on guidelines for 2026, this planning is being initiated in various parts of KI's operations.

Professor Mona Ståhle has been awarded the Sven Hellerström Medal by the Swedish Society of Medicine for her significant contributions to dermatological research. The award committee highlights how, over four decades, she has been a visionary leader at Karolinska Institutet, particularly in psoriasis research, and has educated an entire generation of clinician-scientists in Sweden

Chronic hypoparathyroidism is a rare disease that occurs when the body does not produce enough parathyroid hormone (PTH). In a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Wafa Kamal, doctoral student at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, examines how the disease affects patients' lives in the long term.

A new doctoral thesis by Giorgi Beridze, recently published at Karolinska Institutet, sheds light on the relationship between multimorbidity and kidney health in older adults. The research explores how kidney function is ascertained in older adults, how chronic diseases cluster into patterns and how these patterns influence kidney function and the risk of developing albuminuria—a condition marked by the presence of protein in urine, often an early sign of kidney damage.

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

We congratulate the two researchers from the Department of Medicine, Huddinge who have been awarded grants from Forte (Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare).

In 2024, ICT educator Gina Söderlund Nåtfors and her colleagues conducted a manual review of randomly selected course rooms in Canvas, checking various aspects of digital accessibility. Read more about the results and what you can do to create more accessible course rooms in Canvas.

Due to the power outage last week, new panels for the back-up power system need to be installed. This work is scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, and will include a brief power shut-down in Biomedicum to test the back-up system once installation is complete.

Exercise is known for the positive effects on metabolic diseases, partly because of the release of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) that mediate intercellular communication and organ crosstalk. In a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Zhenghao Wang, doctoral student at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, explores the molecular composition and biofunction of exercise-induced EVs, focusing on their role in health benefits and pancreatic β-cell protection.

“10 minutes of your time can make both funders, and local as well as international collaborators find you – instead of them choosing someone else.”

Hannes Hegmar from the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit (GUT), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends his thesis titled "Non-invasive predictors of prognosis in chronic liver disease", on 31 October, 2025. Main supervisor is Hannes Hagström (MedH).

The 50th annual meeting of the Scandinavian Society for Immunology (SSI) took place in Stockholm on 15-17 October. During the conference the SSI Young Investigator Award was presented to recipients from Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

A new memorandum of understanding has been signed by Karolinska ATMP Center and the ATMP Center Uppsala to deepen their collaboration in the rapidly growing field of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), which includes cell- and gene-based medicines. The aim is to enhance joint capacity and competitiveness in the Stockholm–Uppsala region.

The arrival of agriculture coincided with a sharp rise in a gene variant that protected against the virus that causes winter vomiting, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University report after analysing DNA from over 4,300 prehistoric individuals and cultivating ”mini guts”.

Hi Anahita Amirpour, doctoral student at the Division of Nursing. On November 20 you will defend your thesis "Assessment and identification of cognitive changes after surgery in older adults". What is the main focus of the thesis?

On Tuesday November 11, Akademiska Hus will test the sprinklers in the building between 08:00 - 09:00.

In the afternoon of October 22, parts of Biomedicum at Campus Solna experienced a power outage. The incident affected both the electricity supply and several digital systems, including the internet, KI’s website, and other electronic support systems.

On 14–15 October 2025, Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Makerere University in Uganda celebrated 25 years of partnership advancing global health, research, and education. The milestone also marks the 5th anniversary of the jointly established Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) — a platform for promoting sustainable health and equitable global partnerships.

Breakthrough cryo-EM structures expose multiple drug targets in an essential HSV-1 replication protein.

Currently, it is not possible to log in to KLARA.

Fitness amongst young adults varies widely from one country to another, and is strongly associated with both socioeconomic development and gender equality, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science reports. The results indicate that levels of development and gender equality in a society can affect differences in physical capacity and therefore public health in general.

By analyzing large amounts of data, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a system for classifying individuals into different risk groups for atherosclerosis. The results enable early detection of the disease, which can lead to personalized preventive care.

We are now in the throes of the autumn term – there is a lot going on and multiple important processes and projects are being conducted in parallel. On 15 October, the University Board made its decision on the future organisation of KI’s Faculty Board and committees, with the aim of creating a good balance between collegial and line organisational structures, clarifying roles and duties, and ultimately strengthening KI as a sustainable and successful university.

On Thursday, October 23rd, starting after 7:00 PM, an update will be carried out on ki.se, including medarbetare.ki.se, nyheter.ki.se, and utbildning.ki.se. During the update, some downtime may occur, and it will not be possible to log in or work in the web publishing system.

A power outage in Biomedicum between approximately 2:20 p.m. and 4:20 p.m. (22/10) affected a data center in the building.
As a safety measure, parts of the center were shut down, which affected the website ki.se that was unavailable between 3:35 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
The problem has now been resolved.

The IT department will continue to restore other affected systems during the evening.

/IT-department.