News archive

KI Innovations – the company that helps researchers at Karolinska Institutet commercialise their discoveries – is to receive SEK 29 million from Vinnova (the Swedish governmental agency for innovation systems) for 2025 to 2029. “It’s proof of the quality of our business and the startups that we work with,” says Johan Weigelt, CEO of KI Innovations and KI Holding AB.

New research suggests that antidepressants can accelerate cognitive decline in people with dementia. At the same time, some drugs appear to be less harmful than others, which can help doctors make better treatment decisions, according to the study published in BMC Medicine.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that severe mental illness is more common in patients with chronic kidney disease and negatively affects their health. The study has been published in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.

A new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 6 February, highlights the life-threatening disease haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

We are pleased to invite you to the interdisciplinary NeurotechEU Summer School "Trust me! Neural Networks, Manipulation, and Ethics" at the University of Bonn, taking place 8-11 September 2025.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a fundamental mechanism that affects the size of the pupil, namely our breathing. The study, published in The Journal of Physiology, shows that the pupil is smallest during inhalation and largest during exhalation – something that could affect our vision.

KI has been awarded grants for eight postdoc research posts under Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), the EU’s flagship programme to promote international mobility among leading young researchers. The MSCA are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe innovation programme and KI has been awarded the grants in very tough open competition.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Helmholtz Munich, among others, have developed a user-friendly portal with comprehensive data on human adipose tissue. The portal offers researchers and clinicians an opportunity to explore the biology of adipose tissue, right down to the individual cell level, without any requirement for knowledge in bioinformatics. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

When we are not doing anything in particular, the brain is still busy producing thoughts and daydreams. Research shows that mental chatter increase if we are sleep deprived and can sometimes even become a barrier to sleeping. But there are techniques for those who need a break from their thoughts.

In animal studies, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found a possible mechanism for how the artificial sweetener aspartame may contribute to atherosclerosis – a common cause of cardiovascular disease and disease of the blood vessels in the brain. The study is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

The Erling-Persson Foundation is donating SEK 8 million to KI researcher Johan Ericson to fund the verification of his ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) concept with the aim of producing a highly effective restorative Parkinson’s therapy.

Caterina Gregorio has received funding in the context of Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowship within the area of intersecting biostatistics and ageing research for her project entitled "LETMEAGE- A complex system approach to metrics of aging for identifying personalised interventions”.

The developing fetus is more susceptible to external influences than previously thought. A new study, published in Science Advances, shows that factors such as stress could affect the development of the fetal brain.

KI has signed a letter of intent with University College London (UCL) within the framework of the Stockholm trio university alliance, comprising KI, KTH and Stockholm University. The new agreement aims to expand research collaboration between the universities, initially focusing on sustainability, the climate crisis, and mental health.

Carolina Maya-González, from the research group Rare Diseases at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend her thesis "Novel genetic causes of childhood cancer predisposition" on March 21st, 2025.
Main supervisor is Ann Nordgren.

Six out of every ten people in the world lack access to safe medical oxygen which is contributing to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year and reducing the quality of life for millions more, according to a new report published in The Lancet Global Health.

Children with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) have an elevated risk of developing psychiatric and physical conditions, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Pediatrics reports. The study highlights the importance of early identification to improve care of these children.

Reading ability among young people is declining, and it is the most vulnerable students who are hardest hit, according to speech language pathologist and researcher Anna Eva Hallin. In her research, she aims to understand how best to support students with language and reading difficulties.

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet aims to advance our understanding of the bidirectional relationship between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and chronic kidney diseases (CKD) through large-scale epidemiological studies utilizing real-world data.

The NASP team recently participated in the latest EXPERIENCE Consortium Meeting, held on February 6-7, 2025, in Paris, France. The meeting brought together consortium members to discuss the latest advancements in the project, which includes the testing of Virtual Reality (VR) for clinical applications.

In a recently published study in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, scientists from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, have discovered that water molecules play a crucial role in helping proteins, specifically transcription factors, read and regulate the human genome.

A new study published in the scientific journal BMJ Open has provided important insights into how older patients recover cognitively after hip replacement surgery. The research, conducted at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge, focused on patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty, a common operation for the elderly.

Patrik Blomberg and Ibrahim Topal are the newly appointed presidents of Medicinska Föreningen (Medical Association) and Odontologiska Föreningen (Dental Association). Both have previous experience in student union work.

The Social inequalities in ageing network (SIA), led by Neda Agahi and Johan Fritzell, has received a three-year grant from Forte. This is a continuation of a Nordic network involving several leading Nordic researchers and their junior colleagues emanating from the earlier SIA programme. The SIA Network will receive a total of SEK 446,000 over three years.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered new insights into brain changes in Parkinson’s disease using advanced imaging techniques.

Together with two other researchers, from the University of Copenhagen (Konstantin Khodosevich and Alicia Lundby) and the University of Zürich in Switzerland (Urs Meyer), Carl Sellgren Majkowitz from the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology will receive DKK 30 million from the Lundbeck Foundation.

In a recent podcast on Global Health, Anna-Theresia Ekman discusses her work in global health and sustainable development. She shares insights on interdisciplinary research, education, with a special focus on her research on children with developmental disabilities in low-income countries.

Karolinska Institutet announces that its official account on the platform X (formerly Twitter) will be deactivated. The account will remain, but will no longer be actively used.

In November 2024, KI students participated in an exciting hackathon organized by NeurotechEU at Boğaziçi University in Turkey. Bringing together students from various disciplines and backgrounds, the event provided a dynamic environment for collaborative problem-solving in neurotechnology.

A new Swedish study has, for the first time, shown a link between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cognitive decline in dementia patients. The study, published in the scientific journal Neurology, emphasizes the importance of careful monitoring and management to prevent cognitive decline.

The European NUCLEAR-network is announcing 16 positions of Doctoral Candidates to build the future experts in metabolic regulation and genome function. One position is currently announced at Karolinska Institutet.

Women who have experienced pregnancy complications have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the European Heart Journal shows that sisters of women with complicated pregnancies are also at higher risk, even if they had uncomplicated pregnancies. The findings suggest that genes and shared environmental factors may influence the association between pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease risk.

Advanced Hazmat Life Support (AHLS) is a brand-new course in Sweden, that is being taught for the first time at Karolinska Institutet. During two intense days in February, medical doctors, nurses, paramedics and people with special responsibilities in the field of CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials) are trained in medical care in the event of exposure to hazardous chemicals.

StratNeuro aims to support the development and dissemination of new technologies and therefore announces a new round of this funding call.

The teaching and learning unit is launching a new network within Karolinska Institutet for educators called HEarts – Health Education Arts. The overall idea is to explore how arts and humanities can be integrated into our curricula to enhance teaching and learning.

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

The school shooting in Örebro has provoked many reactions. Here is some information on security at KI for students and employees, and details about whom to turn to if you have questions or feel anxious.

We congratulate Tobias Granberg, Docent and research group leader at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (CNS), appointed adjunct professor of neuroradiology.

In a recent Q&A session on SVT News, trauma expert Björn Tingberg answered questions about children's health and trauma.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are part of a research project that has recently been awarded a grant from the EU's Innovative Research Programme. The project aims to develop methods to facilitate the identification of patients in need of treatment and the choice of treatment for viral infections.

Professor Thomas Perlmann was awarded a medal by HM the King at a formal ceremony at Stockholm Palace on 4 February.

The Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) is hosting the fifth edition of International Staff Week May 19 – 23, 2025.

On 30 January, a symposium on dementia was held in honour of HM Queen Silvia at Karolinska Institutet. The event was part of the "experience gift" that KI presented in connection with the Queen’s 80th birthday.

The Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR) awards Josefin Särnholm the Neal Miller New Investigator Award.

The grant for ALS research is awarded over a three-year period and pertains to the project ”Validation of PET camera tracer for the examination of motor neurons in ALS and related motor neuron diseases.”

Fellow-KI researchers Anders Kvanta and Fredrik Lanner have been awarded a grant of SEK 10 million from the Promobilia foundation to develop a treatment for inherited retinal diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). There is currently no effective therapies for these diseases, which are the main cause of blindness in the developed world.

The MSCA Doctoral Network RESPIRE-EXCEL is announcing 15 PhD positions to study precision medicine for respiratory diseases. One position is currently announced at Karolinska Institutet.

Patricia Colque, a long-time co-worker at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet, passed away earlier this week at the age of 77 years.

The year started off with a visit by the Getinge leadership team to the Global Child Health & SDGs group. During the visit, ongoing research and doctoral programs in Indonesia and Vietnam, in collaboration with Carl Bennet, were discussed. Critical care initiatives, focusing on mothers and newborns, conducted in partnership with Universitas Airlangga in Surabaya, Indonesia, and Phu San Hanoi Hospital in Vietnam, was presented. Additionally, progress was reviewed and future plans were outlined.

T-cells from the liver and lymph nodes show promising potential for future treatments of liver cancer, according to a new study. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated how immune cells react to tumor-specific antigens in the complex environment surrounding liver cancer.