News archive

Professor Lars Olson is awarded the Arvid Carlsson Foundation’s major prize for outstanding research 2023. In addition, Professor Sophie Erhardt and Adjunct Professor Johan Lundberg are both awarded grants from the foundation.

Lifestyles, the pandemic and dental care were some of the topics under discussion when Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed visited Karolinska Institutet on 28 August, the same day as the autumn term kicked off.

When the Minister for Minister for Social Affairs and Public Health Jakob Forssmed visited KI on Monday 28 August, he met, among others, the director of the Centre for Health Crises, Johan von Schreeb. During the meeting the Centre highlighted the need for national collaboration on the role of universities in crises, as well as a national ability (surge capacity), focused on people trained in handling health crises, to be ready when the crisis hit.

KI and the Univeristy of Toronto recently celebrated a course collaboration that has been ongoing for more than 25 years.

To reduce the risk of complications, it is important to measure antibodies in individuals who develop diabetes in adulthood, while also considering the levels of these antibodies.

A new study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has examined how T cells of the immune system are affected by weightlessness. The results, which are published in the journal Science Advances, could explain why astronauts’ T cells become less active and less effective at fighting infection.

A new study published in Cell Metabolism by the research group of Professor Nils-Göran Larsson, at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, shows that so-called supercomplexes have no major role in cellular energy production and that altered levels therefore are unlikely to affect physiology and disease.

RNA has a central role in the cell's protein production. New research shows that RNA can be changed through various chemical modifications, the function of which is unknown to most. The study was carried out by researchers within Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and Department of Biosciences and Nutrition and published in the scientific journal Science Advances.

Hi Anders Rydström, PhD student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On September 8 you will defend your thesis ”Mental stimulation and multimodal trials to prevent cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

Karolinska Institutet has a long-standing collaboration with the global biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca. In a recently published feature article in Drug Discovery Today, academic and industry representatives describe three success factors that help to leverage the strength of these types of partnerships: mutual collaboration, mutually beneficial science, and a mutual governance model with senior management involvement (3MCs).

A study by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and physicians from Karolinska Hospital shows that a capsule of connective tissue around liver metastases from colorectal cancer improves patient survival and represents a healing response by the liver, not a phenomenon caused by the tumor itself.

For the eleventh time, the international week was organized by the international occupational therapy team and their partners. The event started with Uganda in 2012, through the Linnaeus-Palme program.

Earlier this summer UIDP in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet held a two-day event where strategic thinkers and leading practitioners met to discuss approaches for increasing innovation and building strong partnerships between universities, industry, and government. One of the invited speakers was Tobias Alfvén, who discussed how different sectors can contribute to the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A new Swedish study shows that whole genome sequencing can detect clinically relevant genomic abnormalities in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL, and has great potential to be implemented in the diagnostic setting. The study was carried out by researchers within the Clinical Genetics group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, the Genomic Medicine Sweden for haematology and published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Oncology.

The deficiency of functional insulin-producing cells is a common feature of type 1 and late-stage type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have suggested that mammals have very limited capacity for regeneration of insulin-producing cells, but researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found how zebrafish can form new cells and thereby provide clues to possible future possibilities in diabetes. The study is published in the scientific journal Science Advances.

It is quite common that individuals who have one psychiatric condition, also qualify for other psychiatric conditions. This observation questions the conventional belief that different diagnoses are independent, and instead implies the possibility of a set of factors that increases risks for several types of mental health problems.

Susanne Nylén at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at KI, is leading a project that has been awarded a four-year grant from the Dutch foundation Dioraphte for research on the pathogenesis of post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) and leprosy. The total amount awarded is 850 000 euros.

The Prize (USD 5.000) is meant to reward pre-graduate scientific contributions within the doctoral education. The candidate should not have reached the age of 32 years at the time he/she is nominated to the prize. The prize will be awarded at the Installation Ceremony of Karolinska Institutet

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new molecular mechanism by which cancer cells safeguard themselves from oncogene-induced replication stress and propose a strategy to deactivate this protective mechanism. The study is published in the scientific journal Molecular Cell.

Post-doctoral fellow Amos Tuval at the Department of Oncology-Pathology has been selected by the American Society of Hematology (ASH) to receive the 2023 ASH Global Research Award. Amos is one of 12 talented early-career investigators selected for this honor.

New research from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Psychiatry shows how suicide attempts among people with depression is associated with higher mortality and impaired functionality.

Global terrorism is complex and unpredictable; the role and competence of tactical intervention units is therefore important. The national Swedish Counterterrorism Tactical Intervention Unit (CTIU), among others, strive to adapt and maintain security for society. This doctoral thesis examines tactical intervention units, focusing on the work-related characteristics of CTIU officers, applicants, and SWAT officers. It includes four studies exploring personality traits & physical/cognitive abilitie

Hi there Yuanjing Li, PhD student at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Aging Research Center (ARC)! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Cardiovascular health and brain aging: a population-based MRI study". Could you tell us a little bit more about it?

Karolinska Institutet (KI) is ranked 37 in the 2023 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai ranking. This means that KI retains its position as one of the world's 50 highest-ranked universities. The ranking has varied between positions 37 and 45 over the past five years (2022: position 41).

Since the summer of 2022, KI has been granted approximately SEK 280 million for a total of 33 different projects. The funds come from several research programs within the EU, of which Horizon Europe, EU's framework program for research and innovation, is the largest.

In the first study to date, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and rheumatologists at Karolinska Sjukhuset have deeply characterized T cells in the muscle tissue of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. They show that the same T cells persist in the muscle over time despite immunosuppressive treatment. This study is now published in the EMBO Molecular Medicine Journal.

The podcast Riskzonen, featuring well-known KI staff members Mattis Öberg and Emma Frans, is back with a new season! The four episodes were released in May and June, and after a brief break over summer, more episodes will now be released each Monday, starting on 28 August. Each episode features the topic health crisis, in one way or another, ranging from relief efforts in war to antibiotic resistance. The new season is made in collaboration with the Centre for Health Crises.

The Government has appointed a new research committee - a group of experts - to act as advisors prior to their upcoming Research and Innovation Policy Bill. KI researcher Anna Wedell is one of the fifteen elected members.

Karolinska Institutet's students, staff and alumni participated under the Academic Pride flag on Saturday, August 5, when the Pride parade marched through Stockholm.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric diagnosis that affects about 5-10% of the population. PTSD occurs as a result of experiencing – or witnessing – severe, life-threatening and traumatic events, such as abuse, war, accidents and mistreatment.

Low concentrations of air pollutants are associated with poorer health, and previous research has found a link between air pollution and dementia risk. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among others, have now investigated this connection. The study, published in the journal Neurology, contributes to a better understanding of the biological mechanisms that might explain why air pollution seems to increase the risk of developing dementia.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in Sweden and in the world. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among others, have now found that artificial intelligence seems to play a role in identifying the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study, published in Cardiovascular Research, may in the future lead to more accurate diagnostic methods.

Children of parents with mental illness are at increased risk of being born too early, especially if it is stress-related, and both the mother’s and the father’s mental health seem to be of importance. This is according to a register-based study from Karolinska Institutet published in PLOS Medicine.

Smartphones and other portable electronics have changed our habits and our society in a couple of decades - but within medicine, the development has only just begun. Everyday gadgets that monitor our health open up new ways to detect, prevent and treat disease - but also raise questions.

Self-harming behaviour in young people causes suffering and increases the risk of suicide. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm have now studied if an internet-delivered emotion regulation therapy can reduce self-harm in youth. The study, which is published in JAMA Network Open, suggests that the therapy is effective.

You may know about depression and ADHD - but what about the p factor, emotion regulation and symptom networks? We need more concepts for mental health difficulties, say researchers.

Vaccination protects against severe COVID-19 but not against infection. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital now show that protection against infection with the new omicron variants is linked to mucosal IgA antibodies, which are not induced by vaccination. These are the findings of two studies recently published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and The Lancet Microbe, and could explain the limited protection by currently available vaccines against infection.

Karolinska University Hospital's Director Björn Zoëga and Karolinska Institutet's President Annika Östman Wernerson have signed an agreement to establish a joint center for advanced cell, gene and tissue therapies.

Online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) shows promising effects on quality of life, as well as reduced healthcare consumption for patients with paroxysmal (i.e., intermittent) symptomatic atrial fibrillation, according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. According to the researchers, this is the world's first randomized controlled trial of CBT for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

The Virus Tech Core Facility has acquired the plasmids necessary for the production of the new variations of the AAV9 pseudotype viruses.

We have developed a lenti/retroviral titration method measuring transducing units, or number of proviral copies in the infected cells.

KI researcher Yihai Cao and his research group at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, have defined a new biomarker for predicting drug resistance of antiangiogenic therapy for the treatment of various cancers. The study is published in PNAS.

For the eleventh time, the International Week has been arranged by the international team of occupational therapy in collaboration with international partners. It all started in 2012 with Uganda through the Linnaeus-Palme program.

Each year, the Swedish Brain Foundation supports qualified research on the brain and other nervous systems, as well as diseases, injuries, and disabilities throughout the nervous system. Andrea Carmine Belin runs one of the 44 research projects at Karolinska Institutet that have been awarded this year's research grant from the Swedish Brain Foundation.

We are excited to announce that we are in the process of acquiring a new sorter for our Flow Cytometry Core Facility at Biomedicum. This acquisition aims to expand our sorting capacity, allowing us to better accommodate the needs of our researchers.

We are thrilled to announce the latest additions to our core facility. We have recently acquired two Sony ID7000 spectral analyzers, Alice and Howard. These analyzers are equipped with advanced features, including five lasers and an array of 147 detectors, enabling high-resolution spectral analysis.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common hormone disorder in women. Studies have shown that the change in hormones is accompanied by variations in immunological B cells. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now established that the syndrome is not caused by B cells, the role of which remains unclear. The study is published in eLife.

Solmaz Yazdani, Unit of Integrative Epidemiology at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM)

Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals team members Olivia Biermann and Mariam Claeson are commissioners on the second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing. Together they co-lead the commission’s workstream on the political economy of adolescent mental health and well-being. Last month, May 9-11, they visited Nairobi, Kenya for a midterm meeting to present and discuss the progress of the workstreams of the commission.

On behalf of the Public Health Agency of Sweden, researchers at IMM have produced the document "Expert opinion on heated tobacco products”.