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.

Today, the president decided that the University Administration (UF) will change its name to Professional Services (GVS).

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.

Doctoral students & researchers: The calendar is up to date and filled with seminars and workshops!

Anna Nordlander has been awarded the 2023 Karolinska Institutet Culture Prize for her House of the Body initiative (Kroppens Hus), which unites art, culture and science in an innovative approach to public health education.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Region Stockholm prioritize central investment in core facilities for research. The Infrastructure Board and the Research Council provide funding resources in regular cycles. Operating funds for the next four years, 2025-2028, have been announced in 2024.

During 2023 you have all contributed both to the environment and to the important work done by Médecins Sans Frontières

Master and doctoral students of KI in (bio)medicine, pharmacology, biotechnology and life sciences – join us to explore and address global challenges posed by infectious diseases.

A research internship enables doctors on an internship to combine their regular clinical internship (in Swedish Allmäntjänstgöring - AT) with up to 12 months of research at KI. Apart from being eligible for an internship, candidates must also at the time of the application, hold a medical degree and either as a registered doctoral student at KI or a PhD engaged in research at KI.

Professor Emeritus Leif Bertilsson at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, has passed away at the age of 80.

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.

Tips from KI Grants Office regarding current calls

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.

This spring, the university management will be visiting KI’s departments in a series of meetings, and the 6 March the university management will visit GPH for a departmental meeting with the GPH management group. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how to strengthen dialogue and collaboration and work forward.

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.

The Unit for Teaching and Learning (TL) invites you to this Spring's webinars aimed at educators. On the 7th February you are welcome to learn more about the method "Story circles" and how to use it in your teaching.

January is already turning into February, but I’d still like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back to a new year at KI! 2024 began with our first departmental meetings with the departments of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) and the department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital (KI DS) on 17 January.

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

The financial follow-up and reporting of EU-funded research projects at KI was decentralised last year from the Grants Management Office (GMO) to the departments. The departments now assume greater responsibility for financial project administration, with the support of specialist coordinators at the GMO, whose role includes ensuring financial compliance.

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?

As of January, Erin Flanagan joined the department in a new role as a grant writer where she will, among other things, help identify relevant grant opportunities and provide hands-on grant writing support. We took the opportunity to ask her some questions to get to know her.

Anne Heikkinen Sandberg is to be KI’s new master of ceremonies. She has been accompanying retiring master of ceremonies Ylva Blomberg since 5 December and with ten years’ experience from the corresponding office at Stockholm University, she looks forward to administering and promoting KI’s ceremonies.

In the 14 years that Ylva Blomberg has been KI’s master of ceremonies, new doctors, professors and prize-winners have enjoyed a blend of tradition and merry-making. As she heads to retirement on 30 January, she looks back on her 33 years at KI and forward to more time for life’s desserts – and her electric guitar.

Professor Eleni Aklillu, from the GH-Pharma research group, is leading a clinical trial capacity strengthening initiative in Rwanda.

Now you can read the 2024 operational plan for the professional services at KI in Swedish and English. It is a new model that the departments within professional services, the University Library and the units Teaching and Learning, and Medical History and Cultural Heritage are the first to test for 2024.

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.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

The Single Cell Core Facility of Flemingsberg Campus (SICOF) moves to level 6 in Neo, the lab next to BEA. The move of SICOF closer to BEA will benefit both core facilities, as they collaborate on different projects and share equipment.

During Q1 2024, MedH's and BioNut's administration, the KI president and the Neo manager will move their offices to floor 8, to the long side of the building facing KTH. Some remodelling of the premises will be necessary.

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.

The Neuroscience Internship Program Bonn, co-funded by NeurotechEU, provides bachelor and master students with an opportunity to engage in hands-on lab experiences within the field of neuroscience and neurotechnology. Last day for application Feb 29 (updated dead line)
If accepted to the program there is a possibillity to apply for travel grants. Contact Mia Bjerke.

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.