News archive

There is a perception that common drugs such as ibuprofen and SSRI preparations can trigger the intestinal disease microscopic colitis (MC). However, a new study from Karolinska Institutet and Harvard Medical School suggests that this is not the case – meaning that patients with MC do not need to stop taking important medications.

This funding initiative is designed to support researchers in the development of innovative technologies and methods to advance our understanding of the nervous system in both health and disease. The grant specifically prioritized high-risk, high-reward projects with the potential for wide impact across the neuroscience community.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet aim to improve care and recovery with the help of emerging technologies. A newly awarded research grant of SEK 29 million from Vinnova, will enable the launch of an XR Competence Center—paving the way for a new approach to rehabilitation for children and young people.

The delicate balance between cell death and regeneration is crucial for human health and longevity. Most mechanisms involved in programmed cell death (PCD) play a key role in normal tissue renewal and repair after injury. At the same time, PCD can also disrupt regenerative processes, contributing to the development of pathological conditions such as cancer, fibrosis, neurodegenerative diseases, and other age-related disorders.

The department of Global Public Health, has opened a position for an Assistant Professor in Public Health Sciences to join our dynamic team. We are seeking inspiring, curious, and creative candidates to begin their academic career with us in the field of Public Health Sciences.

KI researcher Fredrik Ullén has been awarded the fifth Mensa Foundation Prize for his pioneering work in neuroscience, with a particular focus on the neuropsychology of expertise and creativity, i.e. the mechanisms in the brain that allow us to perform at a high level in a particular field after many years of focused training. The prize recognises individuals whose research helps us better understand human intelligence.

Dr. Maximilian Ackermann, currently working as a Professor of Pathology at the RWTH University Clinics Aachen and Helios University Hospital Wuppertal, Germany, and as anatomist at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is awarded the 2025 Lennart Nilsson Award for his outstanding contributions to scientific imaging, revealing critical insights into diseases, such as COVID-19 and cancer.

As part of Karolinska Institutet's large recruitment of Assistant Professors, the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is looking for up to two Assistant Professors in molecular or translational medicine.

The department of Physiology and Pharmacology is now taking the next step in its strategic initiative. The department is announcing a position as Assistant Professor (BUL) in human physiology or medicine in extreme environments. In parallel, FyFa is also developing a unique lab for human research, which includes the possibility of patient-oriented studies, and which also strengthens the field of defence-related medicine.

Biological drugs have improved the lives of many people with severe asthma. However, a new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that some immune cells with high inflammatory potential are not completely eradicated after treatment.

As ADHD medication use has surged in Sweden over the past decades, evidence is needed on whether the benefit of the medication remains consistent. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in JAMA Psychiatry, shows that while ADHD medication still helps reduce the risk of self-harm, unintentional injuries, traffic accidents, and criminal behavior, its protective effects have diminished over time as ADHD medication use has broadened to a wider group of patients.

Starting June 25th, Karolinska Institutet is recruiting 20 Assistant Professors across different fields of Medicine and Public Health, with a focus on excellence and mobility. One of these positions will be placed at the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP).

The scientific review of the Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED) project applications is now complete. Award decisions have been made by the CIMED Board of Directors following the recommendation of the review panels.

His research shows molecular changes in brain cells when a person develops multiple sclerosis (MS). But it is still unclear whether these changes contribute to - or even protect against - the development of the disease. Gonçalo Castelo-Branco is open to the answer.

Associate Professor Kristiina Tammimies conducts frontline research on the medical, genetic, and molecular underpinnings of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Among other things, she and her research team are working on the complex and much debated issue of heredity versus environment as a cause of autism.

We congratulate researchers at MedH who have been awarded CIMED project grants for the period 2026-2028.

The Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) has appointed Assistant Professor Bjørt Katrinardóttir Kragesteen at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics as one of this year's Research Leaders of the Future. A total of 213 applications were received, of which 16 were selected. The researchers will receive a grant of SEK 15 million each over five years and will participate in a comprehensive leadership training program.

In this year's call for CIMED project grants, a total of 175 applications were received, of which 78 were junior and 97 were senior applications. Of these, two junior and three senior grants were awarded to researchers at NVS.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed two brief, low-threshold digital interventions aimed at preventing and reducing mental health problems among adolescents and their parents. A pilot study published in JAMA Network Open indicates that the interventions are well-received and potentially effective for adolescents experiencing mental health issues and their caregivers.

The Perioperative Medicine and Intensive Care Laboratory (PMI Lab) at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC) has been awarded a Platinum Medal by My Green Lab – an internationally recognised certification for sustainability efforts in laboratory environments.

For one intensive week in June, 25 high-level professionals and leaders from 21 countries gathered at Kämpasten outside Sigtuna to take part in the masterclass of the Executive Programme in International Politics and Diplomacy for Health, jointly run by Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics. The programme equips professionals with the skills and tools needed to navigate complex political processes for health at the global and regional levels.

Save the Date!
Book November 5th for an FoUU-day for clinicians and researchers in psychiatry in Region Stockholm. A day when we come together to shape research and education for the future of psychiatry!

Christoffer Rahm, psychiatrist and associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, has been granted funding from Safe Online for a new international research project. The aim is to build a global database and long-term research platform focusing on the prevention of child sexual abuse - through increased knowledge, international collaboration and studies of long-term effects.

Shane Wright, Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and colleagues have uncovered a new way to tailor signaling responses mediated by common drug targets that coincidentally shares ties with our department’s history. The work, recently published in Cell, reveals a novel drug mechanism with the potential for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. Shane tells us more about it below.

Lower blood sugar and increased fat burning – without negatively affecting appetite or muscle mass. These are some of the most promising effects of a new potential drug treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new study published in the journal Cell by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University.

Prach Techameena, PhD student at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a research fellowship from the IBSA Foundation for scientific research. The project, in the category of pain medicine/ orthopaedics/ rheumatology, was one of six selected globally in the 12th edition of the IBSA Foundation Fellowships.

Karolinska University Hospital has, for the first time in Sweden, begun preparations to treat a patient with multiple myeloma using CAR-T cell therapy in routine healthcare – an advanced form of immunotherapy where the patient's own T-cells are programmed to attack cancer cells. The treatment is aimed at patients who no longer respond to previous treatment options and offers new hope for a difficult-to-treat blood cancer.

Karolinska Institutet is recruiting 20 Assistant Professors with a focus on excellence and mobility. As one of the world’s leading medical universities, KI offers fully developed research infrastructure, exchanges with other pre-eminent researchers, secure financing for pioneering research and support to make sure accompanying family members also feel at home.

Treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is effective and can cure the majority of those affected, according to psychologist and researcher Maria Bragesjö, who introduced the treatment method to Sweden. Through her research, she hopes even more people will receive help.

On June 5–6, 2025, the Horizon 2020 FET project EXPERIENCE held its final Consortium Meeting in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

On Thursday afternoon, paediatrician and professor of global paediatric health Tobias Alfvén was asked if Karolinska Institutet could receive a visit from Vietnam's prime minister less than a day later. The answer was yes and the meeting resulted in concrete actions for the future.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and affects 80 million people around the world. Pete Williams, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital, has now been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant for his work on new treatments for the disease. The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the most eminent awards a researcher can receive.

Håkan Mellstedt, Professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, has passed away at the age of 82.
He is mourned by his wife Eva and Håkan’s brother with family. He leaves behind a long and exceptionally successful legacy as a colleague, researcher, and friend.

Dr. Marcos Rojas, a former exchange student and now a research manager at Stanford Chariot Lab, recently revisited Karolinska Institutet and met with Anna Svenningson at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. We took the opportunity to ask him how his exchange year almost a decade ago influenced his career and personal development.

Earlier this month, Karolinska Institutet participated in the Erasmus+ International Staff Week hosted by Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche, Spain – a key partner in NeurotechEU, the European University of Brain and Technology.

As part of the KI NeurotechEU Collaborative Award 2025, PhD student Jianing Lin from Karolinska Institutet undertook a valuable educational visit to Prof. Ruiz de Almodóvar’s lab at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany. Supported by the NeurotechEU alliance, this short-term exchange provided hands-on training, networking opportunities, and the foundation for a new cross-institutional collaboration in the field of neurovascular biology.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University have identified a new treatment strategy for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. By combining two antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, they have converted cancer cells in mice into healthy nerve cells. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Region Stockholm and Region Jönköping have been awarded a project grant of 5,995,000 SEK from Forte to conduct a four-year research project aimed at improving knowledge about the temporal dynamics of the suicidal process and developing an intervention for individualized support during suicidal crises.

Today, we know that individual climate action can yield great benefits for human health, and in discussions about lifestyle, healthcare professionals have the opportunity to highlight benefits of a plant-forward diet and physical activity for both individual patient outcomes as well as planetary health. But how are such messages received by patients?

Warm congratulations to Mika Gissler at the Translational Psychiatry research group, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, who has now published 1,000 scientific articles.

Each project has been awarded 3 million SEK over a two-year period.

A recent study published in the journal Science Advances sheds light on the intriguing phenomenon of ticklishness. It explores why certain touches make us laugh uncontrollably while others do not, and why we cannot tickle ourselves.

Air pollution is one of the most significant health threats in the world. In Sweden, air quality is improving, but in other parts of the world, the trend is going in the wrong direction. At the same time, research shows that even very low levels of pollution, below legal limits, harm our health.

People with asthma are particularly sensitive to air pollution, which can exacerbate their symptoms. Here, Liselott Florén explains how air quality affects her daily life.

Long-term Western diet impairs islet blood vessel function and insulin transport even after diet reversal and weight loss, according to a new study from researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Multidisciplinary researchers will come together in a new consortium, led by Professor Kenny Rodriguez-Wallberg, Karolinska Institute, to develop biomarkers to predict late effects and infertility in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, and to develop clinical care guidelines. Predict AYA will receive nearly EUR 7 million in funding from the European Union’s Horizon programme Mission Cancer.

Suganthi Jaganathan researches air pollution in India. Among other findings, she has shown that poor air quality caused 16.6 million deaths in India over a ten-year period.

Toxicologist Hanna Karlsson investigates the health effects of the tiniest particles in the air. Those found in Barcelona’s harbour appear to be more inflammatory than others.

A protein from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori has been shown to block the formation of harmful protein aggregates - known as amyloids - that are linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type 2 diabetes, among other diseases, and bacterial infections. This is the result of a new study published in the journal Science Advances.

Anne-Sophie Merritt, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, has investigated how much air pollution people are exposed to depending on their mode of transport.