News archive

Congratulations to Linnea Hedin from the Department of Medicine, Huddinge who has been awarded a starting grant from the Swedish Research Council (VR).

Linnea is awarded SEK 6 000 000 for four years for the project "A digital lifestyle intervention in primary healthcare to prevent cardiovascular disease: Evaluating effectiveness, health economic aspects, and implementation in clinical practice".

Karin Dembrower was honored with this year's AI@KI Award for her outstanding contributions to the field of artificial intelligence in healthcare – not only through pioneering research, but also by successfully translating these innovations into clinical practice.

A Karolinska Institutet (KI) delegation led by KI Vice President Martin Bergö visited Hong Kong and mainland China in November to deepen academic partnerships and connection with KI alumni and to participate in a joint KI-SDU symposium.

Professor Sten Linnarsson, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a distinguished professor grant by the Swedish Research Council totalling just over SEK 30 million for the period 2026–2033.

Older adults with reduced kidney function show higher levels of Alzheimer’s-related biomarkers in the blood, but are not more likely to develop dementia, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) hosted their annual joint symposium in Stockholm on October 21–22, 2025, bringing together leading experts to strengthen high-level research collaboration.

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritised for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own – through the brain’s integration of what we see and what we feel.

One of the promising young researchers receiving Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation’s basic research grant this year is Camilla Engblom at the Department of Medicine, Solna. She will use the funding to study a piece of the puzzle that could help develop more precise and personalized treatments for cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

A new study shows that children born preterm who are later diagnosed with autism often present with more extensive support needs and a higher number of co-occurring conditions than autistic children born at full term. Surprisingly, however, the researchers found no differences in genetic variants across the genome, nor in specific genes already linked to autism, between the groups – a result that contradicted their initial hypothesis.

Artificial Intelligence that detects breast cancer, enables medical imaging in low-resource countries and that identifies the patients who require advanced treatment even at the point of diagnosis – these are just a few examples of AI research at Karolinska Institutet that is impacting an entire world. Parts of this work were presented during the conference AI@KI, Advances in Artificial Intelligence at Karolinska Institutet, on 2 December.

A new edition of the book "Essential Guide to Blood Coagulation". The first edition was published in Swedish in 1997. Since 2010, the book has been published in English and has become a valued source of quick information about coagulation conditions, investigation and treatment.

This year, four young and promising researchers at KI have been selected to receive five-year basic research grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. This funding provides young researchers with the opportunity to contribute groundbreaking new knowledge by tackling long-term and difficult research questions.

In the United States, universities and independent research are under attack by the country’s president. “A similar trend is unfolding in several countries and could eventually affect Sweden too,” says Karolinska Institutet’s President.

What did we learn during the pandemic and how do we prepare for the next one? That was the theme when representatives from academia, healthcare, authorities, politics and media met during two intensive half-days at an event called Don't let the Lessons from the Pandemic go to Waste, to look back but above all to look ahead. Most agreed that we have learned a lot and now have greater crisis awareness, but also that there is still much to do if we want to tackle the next health crisis even better.

After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences. This knowledge could help develop more targeted treatments.

How do everyday health issues affect new blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease? A study from Karolinska Institutet, in Alzheimer's & Dementia, suggests that factors like kidney function, cholesterol, and diabetes can influence some of these biomarkers—though the most promising marker remains reliable.

The popular NeurotechEU Internship Program at the University of Bonn is returning in the Summer of 2026 — and KI bachelor's and master's students can now apply!

Jinghua Wu from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends her thesis titled "Functional studies of pathogen-specific T cell responses in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia", on 5 December, 2025. Main supervisor is Marcus Buggert (MedH).

Cecilia Radkiewicz was appointed docent in Cancer and Oncology on November 18, 2025.
She combines a postdoctoral position in Professor Jesper Lagergren’s research group for upper gastrointestinal surgery at Karolinska Institutet with clinical work as Associate Senior Physician in Oncology at Capio Sankt Göran’s Hospital.

Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Region Stockholm intend to establish a new centre for medical radiation science in Stockholm. By combining the universities' cutting-edge expertise in key research areas with healthcare sector expertise, it is a gathering of forces to develop the cancer treatment of the future.

Bahira Shahim, researcher and cardiologist at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, has been awarded the annual SEK six million Prince Daniel’s Grant for Promising Young Researchers by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation. Her work has the potential to change the way of treating a common heart valve disease, which can cause sudden cardiac death and heart failure.

On 25 November, the eleven master's students who were awarded KI scholarships for the global master's programmes were celebrated at a ceremony in Aula Medica. KI's president Annika Östman Wernerson gave a speech, and the programme managers also took part in the ceremony.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan have identified two receptors in the brain that control the breakdown of amyloid beta, a substance that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease. According to the researchers, the study could pave the way for future drugs that are both safer and cheaper than current antibody treatments.

High-intensity interval training boosts fitness and muscle endurance more effectively than traditional home exercise programmes in people recently diagnosed with inflammatory muscle disease. That is the conclusion of a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in eBioMedicine.

The InFuturum meeting in Stockholm gathers together Sweden’s seven ALF regions for a discussion on the future of education, research and care with a focus on common challenges, from health data to changing global trends.

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and Sten Linnarsson from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics are on the Clarivate list of highly cited researchers in 2025.

As part of the Swedish government’s long-term strategy and action plan to counteract and reduce virus outbreaks and pandemics, the Swedish Research Council is undergoing a ten-year national research programme in Viruses and Pandemics. In the latest funding round, researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, have been granted over 20 million SEK.

It is not only the brain that is governed by a sophisticated network of nerves – the gut is too. And the gut can influence our mental wellbeing – just as the mind can affect the gut. Researchers are now exploring how psychological treatments such as CBT and hypnosis can ease digestive problems, and whether gut bacteria might even shape how the brain works.

A new test shows promising results for detecting latent tuberculosis infection in resource-limited settings. This is according to a study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

In October 2025, the Faculty Board decided to allocate funding to NVS in a university-wide initiative to promote collaboration between environments with either a strong research profile or a strong education profile. Three of the department’s study programmes have been granted funding under this initiative.

Welcome to Andreas Rödlund's presentation of his thesis ”Understanding implementation mechanisms : a cluster-randomized controlled trial in schools”.

In the annual grant rounds from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, several researchers in the KI-NET4TB, the Network for tuberculosis research, received important funding.

Patients with diabetes have an increased risk of complications after stent implantation, according to a study from Karolinska Institutet published in Diabetes Care. The study, which includes over 160,000 patients, emphasises the importance of tailoring treatment strategies for this specific patient group.

We congratulate the seven researchers at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, who have been awarded grants from the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden) for the period 2026-2028. Together, the MBB researchers are awarded grants of 25,6 million SEK.

Adult Psychiatry Region Gävleborg has for some time been working on strengthening its efforts in suicide prevention training for staff. The region has now taken a new step in its suicide prevention work — all employees within Adult Psychiatry will complete the programme “Psyk-E bas suicid”, a professional education developed by Karolinska Institutet.

On October 21–22, Ulf Hedin, Professor of Experimental Vascular Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, visited Stanford University in San Francisco.

In a new study published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, a research team at Karolinska Institutet has performed a large-scale genetic screen to uncover the hidden roles of tiny proteins, so-called microproteins. Cell stress and protein misfolding are involved in many diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, and the study could one day contribute to new therapeutic strategies.

The Torsten Söderberg Foundation recognises outstanding achievements in medicine through its annual grants. Two researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded grants in medicine to support their innovative research into brain health and infectious diseases.

As part of the Swedish Research Council's latest call, David Marlevi was awarded a Starting Grant within Natural and Engineering Sciences. The grant was the only starting grant in Natural and Engineering Sciences awarded at KI.

Between five and ten percent of the population has dyslexia. A new report from Karolinska Institutet summarizes the latest research and current state of knowledge.
“Our society places high demands on reading and writing skills,” says Martina Hedenius, PhD in Speech and Language Pathology and first author of the study. “Receiving the right support and response early on is an important factor for success for individuals with dyslexia.”

Researchers, clinicians, students, and patient representatives gathered at Karolinska Institutet for the 2025 KI Pain Network Conference, a full-day event dedicated to the latest advances in pain research and care.

Hello Bea Uusma, who received the August Prize in the non-fiction category for "Vitön", the continuation of the similarly August Prize-winning book "The Expedition: My Love Story" which was published in 2013. Both are about Bea Uusma's attempt to finally solve the mystery of how the members of the Andrée expedition died on Vitön in 1897. Bea Uusma is an affiliated researcher at the Unit for the History and Cultural Heritage of Medicine at Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Columbia University and the University of San Francisco, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which dopamine, a key brain chemical vital for movement and motivation, can affect brain activity indirectly, by boosting serotonin. The study was recently published in Sciences Advances.

Minister for Upper Secondary School, Higher Education and Research Lotta Edholm visited KI on 12 November. While being escorted around the Biomedicum research building, speaking with researchers in multiple sclerosis and finding out more about precision medicine, she asked questions concerning animal experimentation and KI raised the issue of Ahmadreza Djalali, the KI researcher still incarcerated in Iran.

On 23 October 2025, the Faculty Board decided to grant the Study Programme in Biomedical Laboratory Science at the Department of Laboratory Medicine four doctoral student fundings and four research grants as part of the initiative to strengthen the connection between education and research.

How successful are social services in preventing violence against children? Thanks to Livia van Leuven, there is now research-based support for Safer Kids (known in Swedish as Tryggare barn) – one of the programmes currently used by many Swedish municipalities.

Kristina Ehn from the Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine (HERM), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends her thesis titled "New plasma and platelet products; evaluation of hemostatic and functional properties in experimental studies", on 28 November, 2025. Main supervisor is Agneta Wikman (MedH).

Forte's annual call for project grants will contribute to increased knowledge in Forte's areas of health, working life and welfare. Of the 74 approved projects in 2025, 19 are run by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, who will receive just over SEK 86.3 million.

Forte is investing in future research through annual starting grants for young researchers. In this year's decision, Karolinska Institutet is awarded approximately SEK 39 million for 11 projects characterised by high quality and societal benefit. This year's call for proposals is larger than previous years and has a clear focus on career development and international mobility.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviours in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are available. The study has been published in the journal Science Advances and may contribute to increased knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction.