News archive

In a review article in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, researchers at Karolinska Institutet summarize current knowledge of how iodine influences thyroid cancer. The article describes mechanisms behind why treatment with radioactive iodine works differently in different patients.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped key steps in the assembly of the mitochondrial ribosome, offering new clues to how defects in this process can lead to disease.

Obesity is common but often underdiagnosed in Swedish healthcare and is associated with a high cardiovascular burden and a markedly increased risk of future cardiovascular disease and premature death. This is shown in a new study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. The findings point to a need for improved detection and treatment.

A pilot study from Karolinska Institutet shows that immunotherapy may enable stimulation of egg maturation in women with autoimmune POI (premature ovarian insufficiency) – a condition that usually leads to infertility. Three out of ten women gave birth to healthy babies following the treatment.

Kristina Gemzell Danielsson will develop contraceptives that protect against breast cancer, while Thomas Helleday aims for new points of attack to counteract chronic inflammation and, by extension, cancer, autoimmunity and ageing. They receive the ERC Advanced Grant for their projects.

Women with gynaecological pain conditions such as endometriosis and vulvodynia have a significantly higher prevalence of psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety, ADHD and autism. This is shown in a new review commissioned by the Swedish Gender Equality Agency and produced by researchers at, among others, the Centre for Psychiatric Research. The report also highlights major knowledge gaps and the need for more coordinated research and care.

A new blood test may make it easier to detect the most dangerous forms of prostate cancer early on. In a study from Karolinska Institutet, the Stockholm3 blood test detected more clinically significant cancer cases than the PSA test, without subjecting more men to unnecessary testing. The study was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have contributed to an international study published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrating how artificial intelligence (AI) can accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhoea.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) is launching a strategic initiative in medical preparedness aimed at strengthening Sweden’s ability to prevent and manage the health-related consequences of crises and war.

On 28–29 May, Nobel Conference No. 72 was held at the Nobel Forum at Karolinska Institutet. The conference, organised by Professor Bertrand Joseph at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) and Professor Klas Blomgren at Department of Women's and Children's Health, brought together leading international researchers to discuss microglia – the brain’s resident immune cells – and their roles in both normal brain function and disease.

Fathers who take several months of parental leave have a lower risk of developing depressive symptoms during the early years of their child’s life than fathers who take only a short period of leave. This is shown by a new Swedish study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal American Journal of Public Health.

Three assistant professors at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded funding as part of the Swedish Research Council’s new initiative on strategic recruitment. The grant aims to strengthen the development of future research leaders and create long-term conditions for research of the highest quality.

Department of Laboratory Medicine has established the Center for Systems Infection Biology (CSIB), a new interdisciplinary initiative designed to bring together advanced technologies and expertise to accelerate discoveries in infection biology and their translation into clinical practice. This change formalises a research line that has been growing over the past years into a recognised structural center at Karolinska Institutet.

We congratulate the researchers at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC) who are receiving CIMED’s project grant.

We congratulate researchers at MedH who have been awarded CIMED project grants for the period 2027-2029.

When Gottfrid Rehnman and his fellow students from the 5.5‑year medical programme enter working life, they will first begin their general medical internship. “The learning curve is likely to be steep,” he says.

On 5 June, the last group of students graduated from the 5.5-year Study Programme in Medicine, which had been in place for half a century. However, many of the educational advances developed within the programme live on in the new 6-year Study Programme in Medicine, including the student-run teaching wards.

Pär Nordlund is an internationally prominent researcher who successfully combines excellence in basic research with tangible societal impact. By translating groundbreaking discoveries into successful companies, he has contributed to accelerating the development of new medicines and strengthening the link between academia and industry. He is now awarded the 2026 Prize for Innovation and Utilisation.

The Autism Research Network at Karolinska Institutet (AutNetKI) has awarded its 2026 Transdisciplinary Pilot Project Grants to a select group of research collaborations at Karolinska Institutet, supporting innovative projects that bridge disciplines to address key questions in autism.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses form the basis for healthcare and health policy, but access to the data on which the results are based is often lacking. This is shown in a new policy forum article from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

How can universities move from good intentions to meaningful action on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)? The DEI in Higher Education Toolkit, co-created within the NeurotechEU alliance, offers a practical and engaging answer.

She had practical experience of working in disasters but wanted to gain an academic understanding that could be a bedrock for her future career. The Master programme Public Health in Disasters provided just that and when Sahar Al-Hakimi thinks back to her time at KI, she values both the knowledge she gained and the friends she made.

The KI Housing office is closed on Friday, June 19, for the celebration of Midsummer Eve. If you have any urgent maintenance issues when the office is closed, we ask you to use the on-call service for your area.

Women are more likely than men to report poor sleep, even though objective measurements show that their sleep is better in several respects, according to new research from Karolinska Institutet.

A type of white blood cell in the immune system, known as neutrophils, can make cancer immunotherapy less effective. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Immunity. The results show that a signalling molecule in the tumour affects neutrophils, reducing the effect of treatment.

The KI NeurotechEU steering group is pleased to announce the availability of limited competitive funds for KI faculty, staff, and/or students to conduct collaborative work within the field of Neurotechnology.

Patients with COVID-19 can show several different antiviral immune response patterns, which may influence how the disease develops. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Genome Medicine, highlighting the importance of interactions between the immune system and metabolism.

Karolinska Institutet is the host organisation for nine applications – and KI researchers are involved in several other additional ones – in the Swedish Research Council’s and Vinnova’s call for excellence clusters for groundbreaking technologies. These clusters of excellence will combine research of the highest scientific quality with the best and most extensive innovation capabilities. Among the KI applications is a cluster for RNA-based drugs.

Welcome to Anna Hvarfner's half-time seminar.

Title: Investigating the provision of essential emergency and critical care: quantitative and qualitative studies in Sweden and Tanzania

The aim of a systematic review is to summarize the currently available evidence for a given research question. In addition, meta-analysis is often used to statistically combine results from multiple studies. This report provides a methodological guidance for conducting systematic reviews and meta-analyses in environmental epidemiology, with a particular focus on etiological research questions.

The University of Bonn is offering 10 scholarships to NeurotechEU students for an Intensive German Language Course in September 2026.

The Department of Global Public Health is recruiting an Assistant Professor in Mental and Sexual Health to join our dynamic team. We are seeking an ambitious and creative early-career researcher with the potential to become a future academic leader.

Anders Jahre Senior Medical Prize 2026 is awarded to Professor Ole Kiehn, Karolinska Institutet and University of Copenhagen. Professor Kiehn receives the main Jahre prize for his groundbreaking discoveries on the organisation of and the function of neural circuits that control movements. These are findings of great significance for the treatment of disorders such as ALS and Parkinson’s disease.

Early intervention targeting a key stress protein could protect against lasting behavioural and brain changes linked to childhood adversity, according to a study in Advanced Science led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry.

Three researchers at KI SÖS have been awarded funding in the first announcement of the KI SÖS Junior Faculty Start-up collaboration grant. The funded projects include development of a psychological self-care program, evaluation of a referral support system, and investigating the utility of intraoperative autotransfusion.

Over two ceremonial and joyful days, KI celebrated students who completed their bachelor's and master's degree programmes. Family members, friends, teachers and students gathered in Aula Medica to mark graduation – an important milestone and the beginning of a new chapter in life.

AI is not just another technology. Medicinsk Vetenskap has spoken to researchers who describe their hopes and fears amid the current AI fever.

Dr AI has become a colleague of Dr Google. Researchers see both benefits and risks in this development. 

John Wallert’s research aims to develop tools that can be used in psychiatry to predict the risk of serious incidents, so-called prediction models.

Andreas Luttens has trained an algorithm that can explore the so-called chemical space – all conceivable combinations of atoms and bonds.

KI professor and pediatrician Ulrika Ådén will take over as Secretary General for medicine and health at Vetenskapsrådet, the Swedish Research Council, in September. She wants to strengthen the impact of research in healthcare and society.

Per Uhlén, professor of cell signalling at Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the 2026 Lennart Nilsson Award for his pioneering development of advanced microscopy methods that visualise the fundamental processes of life.

A new study identified new protein targets and drug candidates, including opportunities to repurpose existing drugs. Six key proteins were highlighted as potentially providing new insights and supporting future treatment development for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS).

Children with asthma and allergies who live with one or more cats do not experience worse asthma outcomes than children without cats at home. This is according to a comprehensive Swedish registry study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Frontiers in Allergy.

On 11–12 May 2026, Karolinska Institutet hosted the NeurotechEU Neuroinnovation Summit, bringing together researchers, clinicians, educators, and entrepreneurs from across the European University of Brain and Technology alliance to explore how neurotechnologies can move from laboratory discovery to real-world impact.

Karolinska Institutet found itself well-represented when the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) recently released this year’s Research Impact list, which spotlights 30 research projects with a real potential to be translated into innovations of significant societal benefit. Three of these projects are run by researchers at KI.

Ljubica Matic, Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a grant from the Leducq Foundation, one of the largest international grants in the field of cardiovascular research. The grant, 9 million USD for totally 5 years, will be used within the international network ATHENA, which brings together researchers from the USA and Europe, and is coordinated by Prof Thomas Quertermous, Stanford and Helle Jørgensen, Cambridge.

A new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet shows that the health outcomes of children conceived with assisted reproductive technology (ART) are generally reassuring, although certain combinations of specific methods were found to be linked to a slightly increased risk of rare conditions. The findings alleviate concerns about the safety of ART and can support better counseling as well as informed decision making among patients and clinicians.

How can art contribute to better teaching and greater understanding in medical education? A new course at Karolinska Institutet explores precisely this by offering teachers and tutors a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of art and medical education. Through this close collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and the National Museum, participants will develop new perspectives on learning, reflection and professional practice within healthcare education.

Docent Marcus Buggert at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the Eric K. Fernström prize for particularly promising and successful researchers, for his remarkable research on the function of T cells in the human immune system and their importance for new therapies.