News archive

Hi Alexander Kvist, doctoral student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On March 6 you will defend your thesis ”Evaluating complex walking in aging and neurological disease : from motor behavior to brain activity”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Welcome to Charilaos Chourpiliadis' presentation of his thesis ”A novel evaluation of potential risk and prognostic factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”.

Katarina Berinder at the Experimental and Clinical Neuroendocrinology research group, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, became docent in endocrinology and diabetes on January 27, 2026.

Katarina's research is primarily focused on pituitary diseases, with a particular focus on hyperprolactinemia. She conducts clinical and epidemiological studies in the pituitary area as well as other endocrine diseases, including adrenal diseases.

Since May 2025, Alexandra Kambler and Ingrid Öberg have been working as student and doctoral ombudspersons at the Medical Students’ Association. Their role is to make it easier for KI students to access support in time, prevent problems from escalating, and contribute to clearer and safer processes throughout their studies.

The application period is now open for both the KI Global Master’s Scholarship and the KI‑DIS Fellowship. These merit-based scholarships cover the full tuition fee for students admitted to one of Karolinska Institutet’s global master’s programmes.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have announced the second cohort of Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health for postdoctoral researchers. The two-year exchange programme offers promising young researchers the opportunity to grow and test their wings in other research environments. Behind the initiative is ice hockey legend Mats Sundin, whose engagement lays the groundwork for the next generation of leading researchers.

Kristiina Tammimies, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor of Medical Genetics at Karolinska Institutet, has been appointed Vice Chair of the steering group for the Strategic Research Area in Neuroscience (StratNeuro). The decision was made by the Committee for Research in connection with the new term of office that commenced in January 2026.

A large-scale multi-omics study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Genome Medicine, provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying unstable atherosclerosis, one of the most important causes of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) will be auditing KI’s quality-assurance processes in education and research over the coming two years. The audit will be based on a self-assessment, which will now commence.

To take an exam, you must be able to verify your identity. E‑ID cards, service ID cards and national ID cards (from countries within the EU, EEA or Schengen) are now also accepted as valid forms of identification.

When the AI service Sundi is now being launched in Sweden, users will receive individualised support to achieve their personal health goals. The advice is based on the latest research that is updated and reviewed by doctors and researchers. Sundi is a non-profit initiative from Bosch Health Campus (BHC) in Stuttgart and Charité – Universitätsmedizin in Berlin in collaboration with researchers from Karolinska Institutet who review the research content.

The Conference "Women of NeurotechEU: Empower, Lead, Innovate" is an international event organized by the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, under the umbrella of the NeurotechEU European University Alliance, in connection with International Women’s Day.

Anna Nilsson, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Senior Consultant at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, has been appointed Vice Director of the Board of Cancer Research KI (CRKI). The organisation brings together cancer research from more than 400 research groups across the university and works to ensure that new knowledge benefits patients.

The Lennart Nilsson foundation was established in 1998 in order to bestow an award in recognition of the world-renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson and his extraordinary body of work. Its main aim is to promote education, training and research within the medical, biological and engineering sciences through the use of images.

Breast cancer tumours can contain different cell types and structures, which may influence how the disease develops and responds to treatment. In a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Qiao Yang at the department of oncology pathology uses computer based methods and multi omics data to map this variation in large, untreated breast tumours. The findings may help support more comprehensive diagnostic strategies and inform future treatment decisions.

How hereditary Alzheimer’s disease develops in its early stages depends on which genetic mutation a person carries. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

People with ulcerative proctitis, a milder and more limited form of ulcerative colitis, are not at higher risk of developing rectal cancer than the general population. This is shown in a new Swedish registry study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Gastroenterology. The findings may contribute to more individualized follow-up of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Birgitta Henriques- Normark, at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a medal, 12th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim, by HM the King.

The prize is intended for newly graduated PhDs, or alternatively doctoral candidates in the final year of their doctoral studies. To be eligible for nomination, candidates must not have reached the age of 32 at the time of nomination.

People born outside the Nordic region use less mental healthcare than those born in Sweden, despite similar levels of poor health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Joseph Junior Muwonge at Karolinska Institutet.

A new study published in Brain shows that damage to small blood vessels in the hereditary disease CADASIL may disrupt important brain functions in the hippocampus, a region involved in memory. The findings help explain why many people with CADASIL develop cognitive problems and dementia.

The information below is intended for those who require a Green Light for their KID application.

As of 2025, the Hagströmer Medical History Library is officially an integrated part of Karolinska Institutet University Library (KIB), with exciting plans to move to Campus Solna.
Listen to Anna Lantz, Thomas Perlmann and Sven Hagströmer in the latest episode of the KIB podcast!

Carina King, an infectious diseases epidemiologist, has dedicated over a decade to improving the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, she received a prestigious Consolidation Grant from the Swedish Research Council for a project that aims to refine referral guidelines for children with moderate hypoxaemia – a critical gap in current clinical practice.

Professor Birgitta Henriques-Normark, Gates Foundation awardee at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, met with Bill Gates when he visited Stockholm at the end of January.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of everyday health care, supporting diagnosis, documentation, triage, treatment planning, and resource allocation. Much of the public discussion has focused on accuracy, privacy, and fairness. In a new paper in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, KI researcher Farhad Abtahi highlights a less-discussed patient-safety issue: data poisoning, where manipulated training data can steer an AI system toward unsafe behaviour.

Two out of three adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) start adulthood without the disease, according to a long-term study published in Gastroenterology by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet. The researchers also note that several factors in adolescence which increase the risk of adult IBS can be influenced.

Recent press releases from two new partners of NextGenNK highlight important advances in natural killer (NK) cell-based immunotherapies, spanning both clinical development and translational research.

Cancer is complex and hard to treat, with many forms that change over time. This makes treatment complicated: a drug may help one patient but not another. Developing new cancer drugs is also slow and costly, often taking years and failing before reaching patients. This thesis explores how advanced laboratory models and artificial intelligence could make the process faster.

“Journées CORTICO 2026”, the symposium in the fields of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), Neurotechnology and Cognitive Neuroscience, will take place on May 18-20, 2026, at the University of Lille, France.

Adolescents who report pain at the age of 18 are at higher risk of later self-harm. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Psychiatry Research. The findings suggest that pain may form part of the chain of events leading to self-harming behaviour.

Research on rare diagnoses and the development of precision medicine depend on patients being able to share their health data in a secure and ethical manner.The research study, published in Scientific Reports, in which a digital platform was developed to collect electronic informed consent shows that many participants want to contribute to research and appreciate the digital solution, but also that the technology needs further development.

The Vietnam–Sweden Health Partnership Forum, co-organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet, brought together leaders in government, research, and healthcare to mark more than 50 years of bilateral collaboration. The event also outlined an ambitious new phase of research-driven cooperation centered on innovation, capacity building, and maternal and newborn health.

Children with Down syndrome have a significantly increased risk of leukemia, while adults have a lower risk of several common solid tumors, according to a new register study from Karolinska Institutet published in the British Journal of Cancer. The results may contribute to more tailored cancer screening guidelines.

Autistic adults who took part in an adapted group-based programme in mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) reported reduced stress and improved ability to cope with everyday challenges. These findings come from a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Autism in Adulthood.

On Friday 23 January, KI welcomed the new students of this semester. During the day, they took part in a ceremony featuring a speech from the President, an engaging student panel, a performance by the student union and inspiring research insights – followed by a fair where they could meet different parts of KI.

Estimates of unlicensed online gambling in the Nordic countries vary widely and are often based on non-transparent data sources. This is shown by a new scoping review published in PLOS ONE. Led by researchers from, among others, Karolinska Institutet, the study reviews 32 reports and finds that figures describing the “black market” are frequently used as political arguments, despite unclear underlying methodologies.

Among the 102 recipients at Karolinska Institutet who received research grants in medicine and health from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), five researchers from the Department of Neuroscience were included.

Bill Gates visited Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital last Friday at his own initiative to discuss the latest advances in Swedish Alzheimer’s research, a field that interests him and that he supports.

KI researcher Saida Hadjab has been awarded funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation for her project “A Game-Changing Therapeutic Target for Lasting Pain Relief”, which addresses a major unmet medical need in chronic pain and headache disorders. Designed to fast-track the commercialisation of cutting-edge research in sustainability and health, the grant aims to support bold innovations that have real-world impact.

The new American dietary guidelines turn the traditional food pyramid upside down; meat and fatty dairy products are placed at the broad base and vegetables at the other end. The advice is presented as new knowledge, but is characterised by simplifications and political considerations rather than comprehensive science, says Mai-Lis Hellénius.

A new study in Nature Communications reveals how immune cells rapidly shut down their response after activation, preventing damage to healthy tissue. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, sheds light on a molecular ‘kill switch’ that could help control infections or autoimmune diseases.

The Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH) has released a film that tells the story of Professor Stefan Swartling Peterson and a 25-year collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University in Uganda. Through his personal reflections and experiences in Uganda, the film highlights long-term partnerships, sustainable health systems, and the impact of cross-border collaboration on improving maternal and child health.

Karolinska Institutet has appointed the world-leading researchers Timo Sorsa and Charles "Chuck" Perou as honorary doctors in dentistry and medicine, respectively. With their research, they have both contributed to new ways of understanding how diseases arise and how they can be detected and treated earlier. They will be awarded their honorary degrees at a conferment ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on 24 April.

Long-term use of medications for heartburn and acid reflux, known as proton pump inhibitors, does not appear to increase the risk of stomach cancer, according to a new study published in The BMJ. The results are based on extensive Nordic health data and may provide reassurance to patients who need long-term treatment, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Times Higher Education (THE) in the UK has published its subject ranking World University Rankings by Subject 2026. The ranking is based on both hard data and reputation surveys. For the third year in a row, KI improves its ranking in the subject "Medical and Health".

The Centre for Health Crises and the research group Global Disaster Medicine will deepen their educational collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières over the next three years thanks to new support from the Kamprad Family Foundation. The focus is on pre-deployment training that provides skills and tools for delivering healthcare in resource-limited settings, humanitarian disasters, and health crises both globally and locally.

On Friday 16 January, newly graduated occupational therapists, physiotherapists, medical doctors and nurses were celebrated during this year’s graduation ceremonies in Aula Medica, together with their families and friends. It marked the end of many semesters of hard work – and a day that all in attendance will remember.

For more than a century, maps of the brain have been based on how brain tissue looks under the microscope. These anatomical maps divide the brain into regions according to structural variations in the tissue. But do these divisions really reflect how the brain works? A new study on mice from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggests that this is often not the case.

Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, report researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The study is published in the journal JAMA Neurology.