News archive

For one intensive week in June, 25 high-level professionals and leaders from 21 countries gathered at Kämpasten outside Sigtuna to take part in the Masterclass of the Executive Programme in International Politics and Diplomacy for Health, jointly run by Karolinska Institutet and the Stockholm School of Economics. The programme equips professionals with the skills and tools needed to navigate complex political processes for health at the global and regional levels.

Save the Date!
Book November 5th for an FoUU-day for clinicians and researchers in psychiatry in Region Stockholm. A day when we come together to shape research and education for the future of psychiatry!

Christoffer Rahm, psychiatrist and associate professor at Karolinska Institutet, has been granted funding from Safe Online for a new international research project. The aim is to build a global database and long-term research platform focusing on the prevention of child sexual abuse - through increased knowledge, international collaboration and studies of long-term effects.

Shane Wright, Assistant Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and colleagues have uncovered a new way to tailor signaling responses mediated by common drug targets that coincidentally shares ties with our department’s history. The work, recently published in Cell, reveals a novel drug mechanism with the potential for treating type 2 diabetes and obesity. Shane tells us more about it below.

Lower blood sugar and increased fat burning – without negatively affecting appetite or muscle mass. These are some of the most promising effects of a new potential drug treatment for people with type 2 diabetes and obesity, according to a new study published in the journal Cell by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University.

Prach Techameena, PhD student at the Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a research fellowship from the IBSA Foundation for scientific research. The project, in the category of pain medicine/ orthopaedics/ rheumatology, was one of six selected globally in the 12th edition of the IBSA Foundation Fellowships.

Karolinska University Hospital has, for the first time in Sweden, begun preparations to treat a patient with multiple myeloma using CAR-T cell therapy in routine healthcare – an advanced form of immunotherapy where the patient's own T-cells are programmed to attack cancer cells. The treatment is aimed at patients who no longer respond to previous treatment options and offers new hope for a difficult-to-treat blood cancer.

In this episode we take a closer look at open science, why it matters, and how it can help us meet some of the major challenges facing research today. With growing concerns about research funding, especially recent cuts in the US that may affect core scientific infrastructure, the need for openness, collaboration, and resilient research practices has never been greater.

PhD student Phuthumani Mlotshwa is dedicated to enhancing diagnostics for infectious diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. Through collaboration with local communities and the analysis of clinical data and biosamples, his project aims to improve disease management and develop sustainable biobanking practices. On 11 June, he successfully passed his half-time review. Here he reflects on his PhD journey up until now: progress, achievements and future goals.

On 25 June, Karolinska Institutet will be starting a major recruitment drive for 20 early-career researchers with a focus on excellence and mobility. As one of the world’s leading medical universities, KI offers fully developed research infrastructure, exchanges with other pre-eminent researchers, secure financing for pioneering research and support to make sure accompanying family members also feel at home.

The Communications and Public Relations Office has appointed one communicator per office within the Professional Services. The communicators will help coordinate and strengthen PS’ communication, both within and between offices. By extension, this is a step towards improving internal communication and dialogue throughout KI.

Anna-Theresia Ekman recently achieved a significant milestone by successfully defending her doctoral thesis, which examines developmental risks among children in sub-Saharan Africa. Through extensive field studies in five countries, she shows that many children are at risk of not reaching age-appropriate developmental milestones – particularly in environments marked by poverty and undernutrition.

On 25 June, Karolinska Institutet will be starting a major recruitment drive for 20 early-career researchers with a focus on excellence and mobility. As one of the world’s leading medical universities, KI offers fully developed research infrastructure, exchanges with other pre-eminent researchers, secure financing for pioneering research and support to make sure accompanying family members also feel at home.

On June 4, Irene Wanyana presented her project, "Multisectoral Approaches to Sustainable Health in Uganda: A Focus on the Role of Climatic Variabilities on Maternal and Child Health," during her half-time review. Confident in her progress and with continuous support from her supervisors at KI and Makerere University, she believes she is on track to complete her PhD within the planned timeframe.

We’re heading towards the holidays with sure signs of summer: expectation and pride at the degree ceremonies in Aula Medica, blossoming elderflower on campus and the forthcoming political week in Almedalen.

During the summer, when many are on vacation and not present at our campuses, we have limited opening hours for our service operations.

This fall, the transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 will begin, affecting a large number of computers at KI that need to be updated or replaced if they are older computer models that do not meet the technical requirements.

Treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is effective and can cure the majority of those affected, according to psychologist and researcher Maria Bragesjö, who introduced the treatment method to Sweden. Through her research, she hopes even more people will receive help.

All lockers in the changing rooms on floor 5 must be emptied by Friday, June 27.

On June 5–6, 2025, the Horizon 2020 FET project EXPERIENCE held its final Consortium Meeting in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.

On Thursday afternoon, paediatrician and professor of global paediatric health Tobias Alfvén was asked if Karolinska Institutet could receive a visit from Vietnam's prime minister less than a day later. The answer was yes and the meeting resulted in concrete actions for the future.

We are approaching summer and the half-year closing of the books and would like to take the opportunity to remind you of some important information from Finance and HR.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of irreversible blindness and affects 80 million people around the world. Pete Williams, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital, has now been awarded a prestigious ERC Advanced Grant for his work on new treatments for the disease. The ERC Advanced Grant is one of the most eminent awards a researcher can receive.

Håkan Mellstedt, Professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, has passed away at the age of 82.
He is mourned by his wife Eva and Håkan’s brother with family. He leaves behind a long and exceptionally successful legacy as a colleague, researcher, and friend.

Dr. Marcos Rojas, a former exchange student and now a research manager at Stanford Chariot Lab, recently revisited Karolinska Institutet and met with Anna Svenningson at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health. We took the opportunity to ask him how his exchange year almost a decade ago influenced his career and personal development.

Earlier this month, Karolinska Institutet participated in the Erasmus+ International Staff Week hosted by Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche, Spain – a key partner in NeurotechEU, the European University of Brain and Technology.

As part of the KI NeurotechEU Collaborative Award 2025, PhD student Jianing Lin from Karolinska Institutet undertook a valuable educational visit to Prof. Ruiz de Almodóvar’s lab at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn in Germany. Supported by the NeurotechEU alliance, this short-term exchange provided hands-on training, networking opportunities, and the foundation for a new cross-institutional collaboration in the field of neurovascular biology.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University have identified a new treatment strategy for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. By combining two antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, they have converted cancer cells in mice into healthy nerve cells. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Region Stockholm and Region Jönköping have been awarded a project grant of 5,995,000 SEK from Forte to conduct a four-year research project aimed at improving knowledge about the temporal dynamics of the suicidal process and developing an intervention for individualized support during suicidal crises.

Today, we know that individual climate action can yield great benefits for human health, and in discussions about lifestyle, healthcare professionals have the opportunity to highlight benefits of a plant-forward diet and physical activity for both individual patient outcomes as well as planetary health. But how are such messages received by patients?

Warm congratulations to Mika Gissler at the Translational Psychiatry research group, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, who has now published 1,000 scientific articles.

Associate Professor Kristiina Tammimies conducts frontline research on the medical, genetic, and molecular underpinnings of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Among other things, she and her research team are working on the complex and much debated issue of heredity versus environment as a cause of autism.

New coordinator at the Division of Nursing.

In MBB’s employee survey, HR Puls, sent out on 23 April, we asked about your work environment and your work situation. 158 MBB employees answered the questions.

Each project has been awarded 3 million SEK over a two-year period.

A recent study published in the journal Science Advances sheds light on the intriguing phenomenon of ticklishness. It explores why certain touches make us laugh uncontrollably while others do not, and why we cannot tickle ourselves.

Air pollution is one of the most significant health threats in the world. In Sweden, air quality is improving, but in other parts of the world, the trend is going in the wrong direction. At the same time, research shows that even very low levels of pollution, below legal limits, harm our health.

People with asthma are particularly sensitive to air pollution, which can exacerbate their symptoms. Here, Liselott Florén explains how air quality affects her daily life.

Long-term Western diet impairs islet blood vessel function and insulin transport even after diet reversal and weight loss, according to a new study from researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Multidisciplinary researchers will come together in a new consortium, led by Professor Kenny Rodriguez-Wallberg, Karolinska Institute, to develop biomarkers to predict late effects and infertility in adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients, and to develop clinical care guidelines. Predict AYA will receive nearly EUR 7 million in funding from the European Union’s Horizon programme Mission Cancer.

The meeting focused on efforts for communication support, a new project office, and a project for managing research data. There was also time for questions and answers about the project to modernise working methods and the workplace.

Professor Jan Henriksson elected fellow of new global physiology academy

Luan Vo recently marked an important milestone in his PhD journey by successfully completing his half-time review. His project, titled "Evaluating Private Sector Engagement through an Intermediary Agency Model for Enhanced Tuberculosis Care and Prevention in Viet Nam", explores innovative ways to strengthen TB care. In this interview, he reflects on his progress so far and shares his goals for the road ahead.

The new Project Office will coordinate and streamline major projects within KI's Professional Services (PS). The aim is to create better conditions for prioritisation, resource planning and implementation of development projects.

Suganthi Jaganathan researches air pollution in India. Among other findings, she has shown that poor air quality caused 16.6 million deaths in India over a ten-year period.

Toxicologist Hanna Karlsson investigates the health effects of the tiniest particles in the air. Those found in Barcelona’s harbour appear to be more inflammatory than others.

A protein from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori has been shown to block the formation of harmful protein aggregates - known as amyloids - that are linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type 2 diabetes, among other diseases, and bacterial infections. This is the result of a new study published in the journal Science Advances.

Anne-Sophie Merritt, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, has investigated how much air pollution people are exposed to depending on their mode of transport.

One plus one does not equal two - it is more. Researchers have developed a method to analyse the toxic effects of mixed air pollutants. The method reveals greater health damage from poor air quality than analyses of individual substances suggest.

On 13 May, the KI President made the decision to appoint Jonas Fuxe as professor of molecular pathology at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. The appointment is valid from 1 June 1 2025.