News archive

While the most extreme heatwaves have the greatest short-term impact on mortality, it is the mildest heatwaves that kill most lives over time. This is because mild heatwaves are more common. This is according to a new study published in Environment International that has mapped the health risks of heat waves in India.

No increased risks for babies, and for some serious neonatal complications lower risks. This is the result of the largest study to date on the safety of newborn babies whose mothers were vaccinated against COVID-19 during pregnancy. The study is a collaboration between Swedish and Norwegian researchers and is published in the journal JAMA.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, together with partners in the Horizon Europe-funded EuCARE project, have shown that the reduced mortality from COVID-19 is not necessarily due to the fact that later variants, such as Omicron, have been less severe. Rather, the reduced mortality seems to be due to several other factors, such as immunity from previous vaccinations and previous infections. The study is published in the latest issue of Lancet Regional Health Europe and is funded by EUH2020.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in young persons in Sweden and globally. The last decades have seen an increasing proportion of the youth population engaging in university level education. The university period usually coincides with other important life events such as moving away from home. Early adulthood is furthermore a period when severe mental disorders, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, may become symptomatic.

A new study published in Nature Communications gives insights into the underlying mechanisms of the formation of protein clumps in Alzheimer’s disease. The study, led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet, could pave the way for new treatments for this devastating neurodegenerative disorder.

Karolinska Institutet is part of the AD-RIDDLE consortium, a project dedicated to increasing health professional’s capabilities to detect, diagnose, prevent, and treat Alzheimer’s disease. Funded by the EU Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) and the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the project was launched in January 2024, includes 24 partners, and will run over five years.

Elin Törnqvist and Maxine Waters are the new union presidents of Medicinska Föreningen (Medical Association) and Odontologiska Föreningen (Odontological Association). We asked them a few questions one month into the job.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method to study liver function and disease without requiring invasive procedures. After transplanting liver cells into the eye of mice, the cornea can be used as a window into the body to monitor liver health over time. The study is published in the journal Nature Communications.

By chance, Gunnar and his research group discovered the area of their publication, the purpose was different, but the findings were far too exciting to end up in a drawer. The work introduces a methodology to quantify binding of a bacterial toxin to its receptor.

Last week a course in the "Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA)" method were organized at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital.

On January 25, a method support day was organized by Clinicum to introduce researchers to the coordinated method support offered to researchers at KI and Region Stockholm. The meeting was held in the Sune Bergström Hall at Karolinska University Hospital.

A new publication in Molecular Cell presents a collaborative study within the framework of the UTokyo-KI LINK program, headed by Camilla Björkegren from Karolinska Institutet, Kristian Jeppsson and Katsuhiko Shirahige from The University of Tokyo.

Can scientific methods be used to identify who is best suited for physically and mentally demanding missions? In his doctoral thesis, Peter Tedeholm explores the individual characteristics of Swedish operational police officers.

Welcome to Shuai Yuan's doctoral thesis defence on March 8 at 9:30 in Samuelssonsalen, Tomtebodavägen 6

Hi Patrik Karlsson, doctoral student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On February 9 you will defend your thesis "Enhanced mobilisation and physical rehabilitation after abdominal cancer surgery : feasibility, effects, and experiences". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Every year worldwide, around 1 billion children aged 2–17 experience physical, sexual or psychological violence or neglect, representing approximately half of the global child population. Sociologist Sergio Keita Nhassengo investigates epidemiology of violence against children in Mozambique and the readiness of stakeholders across organisations to counter and prevent child maltreatment. Meet the PhD student who wants a future where all children can live in a safe environment free from violence.

Asthma and cystic fibrosis are diseases which affect the lungs of children and adults. Previous research has shown that genetic and environmental factors during pregnancy and early childhood can contribute to the way children and young adults are affected by these lung diseases.

From the coast of Bottenviken to the Department of Women's and Children's Health. Ola Nilsson is an active, archipelago-loving, solution-oriented researcher with a solid background in paediatrics and joined as a new professor at KBH in September.

An investigation conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has led to a discovery in breast cancer diagnostics and treatments that could reshape screening programs and clinical approaches. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, unravels the impact of rare genetic variants on interval breast cancers, providing new insights into tailored screening strategies.

A web-based course is now available for students who are student representatives,  or want to know more about this assignment.

The newly launched global training programme, Leadership for Transformative Change, gathers 22 leaders from all over the world who are working to contribute to transformative social development in their countries. The programme is offered by Uppsala University in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

A new study at the Karolinska Institutet suggests that activation of a certain brain protein can protect women from developing neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

Recent and unintentional weight loss is associated with an increased risk of a cancer diagnosis in the coming year, according to a new study in JAMA. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and others behind the study urge healthcare professionals and the public to be vigilant about sudden and unintentional weight loss.

Beyond surviving after an injury comes living. To what extent a person is able to return to the life and independence previously enjoyed is an important aspect of recovery and rehabilitation is often a crucial factor in that. Nonetheless, it is a factor often overlooked in humanitarian settings and it is an area where more research is needed. Bérangère Gohy’s PhD thesis looks beyond survival, to how recovery is measured and what the patients’ road to regained independence looks like.

On Thursday, January 25, the KI Housing staff is away on a conference. The KI Housing office will therefore be closed this day.

Ozempic and other GLP1 agonists are associated with a reduced risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer in people with type 2 diabetes and chronic liver disease, according to a nationwide study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Gut.

The Master's programme is a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet, Universidad de Oviedo in Spain and the University of Nicosia in Cyprus.

A joint web portal featuring information and activities from the student health services of all Swedish universities has recently been launched. Studenthälsa.se provides tips and advice for students to feel better and achieve a more sustainable student life.

Hi Mona-Lisa Malarte, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. Om January 26 you will defend your thesis ”Tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias : translational approach from in vitro autoradiography to in vivo PET imaging”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Following an internal evaluation of the proposals, the StratNeuro board has decided to award SEK 100,000 to the proposal sent by Onur Dagliyan at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, to host a two months' visit in his laboratory by Cristian Ripoli, Associate Professor at the Department of Neuroscience of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.

Dementia is a brain disease that affects mental capacities such as the individual’s memory, language, or capacity to understand and deal with emotions. Amongst the different types of dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a relatively frequent dementia. Recently, there has been an interest in understanding better whether sex and gender play a role in DLB. Two recent publications from researchers at Karolinska Institutet addressed this question on sex differences in DLB.

Are you a KI student who wants to apply for a job in Life Science but is unsure how to get the job? Then you are welcome to attend the workshop "How to land a job" with career coach Niclas Lindqvist from Trygghetsstiftelsen.

Minister for Health Care Acko Ankarberg Johansson had a busy schedule when she visited Karolinska Institutet, where she spent an afternoon discussing research conditions and how to create sustainable infrastructures that can increase the interaction between education, research, development and healthcare today and tomorrow.

Five new members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) have been elected at the General Meeting held on 17 January 2024. Marie Carlén, Karolinska Institutet, Love Dalén and Hanna Johannesson, Stockholm University, were elected new members of the Academy's Class for Biosciences.

Professor Per-Olof Berggren has been awarded a ERC Proof of Concept grant by the European Research Council (ERC). The funding will be used to advance a technology in which islets of Langerhans are transplanted into the anterior chamber of the eye and employed as a screening tool to identify novel pharmaceutical treatments for diabetes.

One in three children who suffer from bacterial meningitis live with permanent neurological disabilities due to the infection. This is according to a new epidemiological study led by Karolinska Institutet and published in leading medical journal JAMA Network Open.

Hi Marianne Reimers Wessberg, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On February 2 you will defend your thesis "Aspects on heart failure and drug treatment in geriatric patients". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab demonstrate in a new study published in iScience how they can identify substances that can deactivate an enzyme responsible for chemotherapy resistance in cancer cells. These results can have importance to improve chemotherapy effectiveness for cancer patients.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have used DNA origami, the art of folding DNA into desired structures, to show how an important cell receptor can be activated in a previously unknown way. The result opens new avenues for understanding how the Notch signalling pathway works and how it is involved in several serious diseases. The study is published in Nature Communications.

Hi Charlotta Elleby, doctoral student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On February 1 you will defend your thesis "Identifying individuals at risk of fragility fractures in a dental setting". What is the main focus of the thesis?

To mechanistically understand what happens in the living body under physiological and pathological conditions, one critically relies on a non-invasive high spatiotemporal resolution research tool. It has been challenging to create such a tool and tremendous time and efforts have been committed to solve this difficult task.

Co-prescribing potency drugs such as Viagra and organic nitrates for angina is associated with a 35 to 40 percent increased risk of death and about 70 percent higher risk of heart attack and heart failure. This is according to a Swedish registry study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). The Swedish researchers are now urging caution.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of adults worldwide. Mental health is an important yet under-recognized issue in patients with CKD. Depression is common and related to poor prognosis in CKD patients, but previous research has primarily focused on dialysis patients, leading to an insufficient understanding of depression in earlier stages of CKD.

Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports. The increased risk peaks in the month after diagnosis but remains elevated for as long as 18 years afterwards.

Welcome to Christina-Evmorfia Kampitsi's doctoral thesis defence on Friday 26 January 2024 at 9:00 in Petrénsalen, Nobels väg 12 B, KI.

Congratulations to Ruixin Lu, Michael Dismorr, Natalie Glaser and Ulrik Sartipy at the research group Thoracic Surgery. Their article, published in JACC: Advances June 2023, is of one of the Journal’s Top Ten Original Research Articles for 2023.

Maternal suicide is an alarming public health issue and the second most common cause of death during the postnatal period. New research from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) shows that mothers with clinically diagnosed perinatal depression had a three times higher risk of suicidal behavior compared to mothers without perinatal depression.

CoARA (Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment) is led by a number of EU organizations with the aim of advancing how research is assessed in order to maximise its quality, transparency and impact. KI has now signed the agreement together with a number of other Swedish universities.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that nasal drops with IgA antibodies can protect mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection. The results imply a new way to protect individuals at high risk from different variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and possibly other infections. The study is published in PNAS.

Women with autoimmune disease are more likely to suffer from depression during pregnancy and after childbirth; conversely, women with a history of perinatal depression are at higher risk of developing autoimmune disease, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry reports.