News archive

This is a summary of the information meeting that Maria Eriksdotter, Dean of KI South, together with the departmental heads of MedH and BioNut as well as the project manager, held on 20 December on Zoom addressing all staff at BioNut and MedH.

The landlord carries out warranty work outside the entrances in all three buildings in KI Residence Solna.

From December 23 to January 7, the KI Housing office will be closed. Our maintenance service team will handle urgent maintenance requests December 27 to December 29 and January 2 to lunchtime, January 5.

Starting next year, all employees of Karolinska Institutet will be entitled to a higher wellness allowance. The wellness allowance is a tax-free grant that staff can use for different kinds of exercise and is set to be increased from SEK 1,500 to SEK 3,000 per year.

Pernilla Lagergren, professor of Surgical Care Sciences at Karolinska Institutet, is researching support for recovery after treatment of oesophageal or gastric cancer.

Blood fat-lowering statins could slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, at least for some patients. This is the result of a new study led by Karolinska Institutet published in Alzheimer Research and Therapy. But the researchers are cautious in their interpretations and see the results as a first step in a research journey that may eventually provide the answer.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

Congratulations to the 2 researchers at Labmed who receive funds from Barncancerfonden 2024-2026.

KI has appointed three new deans who will take office in January 2024. The three deans have been selected from a group of about ten applicants.

The internationalisation board is pleased to announce the availability of limited competitive funds for grant applications to strengthen collaborative interactions within oral health and innovations.

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is encoded by TP53, the most frequently mutated gene in cancer. A review article published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology by professor Klas G Wiman and colleagues at the Department of Oncology-Pathology describes how p53 could be used as a target for new cancer therapies.

On 6 December, the European Commission published the names of the experts appointed to its newly established working groups on science diplomacy. Maja Fjaestad, expert coordinator at the Centre for Health Crises and affiliated to research at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME), is one of two Swedish university researchers who will be part of the working groups. The working groups will develop a potential future European framework for science diplomacy.

What were the successes and challenges of clinical trials of COVID-19 treatment during the pandemic in Sweden? What have we learnt, in order to be better prepared for future health crisis? Those were questions asked at a symposium and roundtable discussion organised by the Centre for Health Crises at KI on December 14.

After half a century in near-Earth orbit, humans are heading further out in space. First to the moon again. Then on to Mars! For this to go well, more research is needed on how space stresses the human body.

In clinical studies, new methods and treatments are tested on humans under controlled conditions. However, clinical treatment studies are often very expensive to carry out and require resources that allow many different professional groups to work together. The Swedish Cancer Society has now decided on an extra allocation of grants to ten researchers for clinical studies. Six of these are researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

The ANA Futura service team is present every working day during the Christmas holidays.

AI is increasingly being used in healthcare, education and research. AI chats are part of the AI offering at KI and Copilot (previously called Bing Chat Enterprise) has recently been made available to all employees. The goal is for AI to become part of the everyday work of KI's researchers, staff and students.

For KI researcher Ylva Trolle Lagerros, AI and Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) offer time savings and texts with cited sources, but also future opportunities for research collaborations with several countries. She also sees valuable connections between the use of AI tools and the role of teacher and researcher on digital support in healthcare.

For KI doctoral student Eric Åhlberg, AI and Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) offer tools for statistical analysis work and for managing certain administration. His long-term goal is for AI to become a validated tool for high-quality research results.

For ICT educator Marcus Emas, Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat Enterprise) and AI offer new opportunities to streamline the work with reference management, reading lists and assessing assignments, among other things. He emphasizes that AI at KI should be an equal tool and welcomes the introduction of Microsoft Copilot.

The Docent Committee decided on the 24 of August 2023 to admit Rayomand Press and Chartih Cooray as docents in neurologi.

At the beginning of December, Rasa Sundelius started as Financial controller at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH).

The mhGAP guideline supports countries to strengthen capacity to deal with the growing burden of mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) conditions and narrow the treatment gap. These recommendations were first published in 2010 as part of the mhGAP intervention guide. The third edition of the mhGAP handbook, reflecting 15 years of investment, covers 11 modules on various mental health disorders and related conditions.

Helena Karlström, senior lecturer at the Division of Neurogeriatrics is awarded 250 000 Euro (approximately 2,8 million SEK) from the Dutch Brain Foundation for the project ”NOTCH3 immunotherapy to target toxic protein aggregation in CADASIL”.
In addition, she receives 3,6 million SEK from the European Joint program – Rare Diseases (EJP-RD) for the project ”CADASIL-Naturliga sjukdomsförloppet ”.

Book the 15th of February today!

The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund's allocation reflects the needs that exist in areas such as new technology and precision medicines. This year's call for proposals means that SEK 125 million will be allocated to 62 projects in the field of childhood cancer, of which SEK 35,400,000 will go to researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

The abundance of unhealthy food in society means that obesity doctor and researcher Ylva Trolle Lagerros is working against certain headwinds. But the arrival of new medications have made her job more enjoyable. In parallel, she has developed apps that provide patients with support.

The project of integrating BioNut into MedH is ongoing, and an important part of it is to give the employees of the two departments the opportunity to get to know each other. So far, a "get to know each other day" for the administrative staff and an AW has been arranged. Two successful and much appreciated activities.

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

Dementia diseases cost Swedish society around SEK 80 billion per year. The EU has now awarded funding to the Prominent project, which aims to improve both diagnostics and treatment for these diseases. Karolinska Institutet is responsible for the project in the role of coordinator.

The IT Office is expanding its software portfolio with three titles with a large KI user base.

The Swedish Research Council has awarded project grants for international collaborations in rare diseases (EJP RD). Of the seven researchers awarded grants, four are researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Graduation time is approaching at KI! On Friday 12 January 2024, the graduation ceremonies will take place for the programmes: occupational therapists, nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists. Meet four graduating students and share their best memories and tips.

The Royal Patriotic Society awarded the Fostrargärningsmedaljen 2023 to Hugo Lagercrantz, professor emeritus in pediatrics and former chief physician at Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital. This is for his efforts in children's medicine as well as his strong and straightforward commitment to social debate.

Aimo Park parking stickers for KI staff are now available in the reception in Biomedicum

From 1 January 2024, you must apply for compensation for medical expenses and drugs in the PA-web.

The research group Cultural Medicine at the Department of LIME hosted PRAO students from the International School of Kungsholmen with the learning outcome to identify global key concepts to promote health and discuss importance of physical activity to promote health.

During January, NVS will move their BSL2 lab and BSL2/Isotope lab from floor 8 to floor 7 in Neo. They will also move their lab-offices down to floor 7.

Too little sleep during school days and poor sleep quality can be linked to an increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts among middle school students, shows a study conducted at the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP).

KI researcher Birgitta Henriques Normark is a newly elected fellow of IVA (the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences). IVA works to build bridges between academia, business and politics, and promotes people's ability to make a positive contribution to society through technical and economic sciences.

A group with broad expertise in the field of health crises, consisting of people from fifteen Swedish universities, gathered at Karolinska Institutet on Tuesday 5 December, when the Centre for Health Crises hosted a meeting about how universities can contribute before, during and after health crises. During the meeting, experiences were shared and the foundation was laid for a health crises network.

The Indian Embassy in Sweden is delighted to announce the registration for Swedish research delegation to India with a focus on life sciences is now open! The visit is planned from 11 to 13 March 2024 and further details about the registration and the delegation are below and on the attached invite.

The authors of KI's first Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) are twelve students from KI's various educational programmes. The commitment comes from a common interest and concern for the environment, climate, and planetary health.

During October, KI together with Mayo Clinic organized an event designed to empower educators and learners to advance health professions education teaching and learning, through innovative use of generative AI. In the spirit of "We are better together" it was an opportunity to experiment with generative AI and together with 200 educators across the world co-constructe a repository of prompts.

Advice and suggestions on generative AI in teaching and assessment are now available. They can serve as a guide in questions related to the technology of generative AI.

THANK YOU to all 152 employees who responded to the spring survey on sustainable development with a focus on the environment and climate! Employees of different ages, professions, and positions and from all departments responded.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a common mental disorder, affecting around 20% of the population worldwide. Several causes that can lead to MDD, and patients display a wide range of symptoms as well as responses to treatments. This diversity makes it challenging to pinpoint the root causes, understand the underlying mechanisms, and tailor treatments effectively. Suicide is a pressing public health concern, impacting not only individuals living with MDD but also the general population.

The discoveries of Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman made possible the first COVID-19 vaccine. But it was just one of the many things that can be done with mRNA, explained the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine in their Nobel lectures.

On the 4th and 5th of December, national and international researchers, experts, and stakeholders met to listen to and discuss good examples of suicide prevention interventions within railbound traffic. The event was organized by the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm.

A successful KI Alumni China Chapter 2023 networking event was arranged in Shanghai in November, gathering a large crowd from all over China.