News archive

Professor Agneta Åkesson, Institute of Environmental Medicin (IMM) has been elected to the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the National committee on Nutrition and Food Science.

Gabriel Oniscu is increasing access to organs for transplantation by using a technique that makes it possible to preserve, evaluate and improve organs outside the body before they are transplanted into the recipient.

Dementia and stroke often cause problems with speaking and swallowing. Speech and language pathologist Per Östberg researches ways to improve our understanding of these problems and facilitate their treatment.

Better psychological treatments based on science – this is what Emily Holmes is passionate about. Her research concerns how we think and remember in mental images, and developing new treatments based on this knowledge. Among other things, Holmes’ group has developed methods for reducing the risk of intrusive memories (also known as flashbacks) soon after trauma.

Zaher Elbeck from ICMC at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is defending his thesis: "Redox and epigenetic modulators regulate cardiac function and remodeling in health and disease", 16 October 2023. Main supervisor is Christer Betsholtz (MedH).

Advanced surgery saves the life of children born with serious malformations of the gastrointestinal tract. Tomas Wester researches the risk of residual problems and the health outcomes for these patients.

The Swedish Childhood Tumor Biobank is a nationally established genomic biobank infrastructure in the field of childhood cancer that works to promote research on childhood tumors. Within the Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) Child Cancer project, the Swedish Childhood Tumor Biobank at KI and the Department of Oncology-Pathology receive SEK 5.13 million from the government.

The human sense of smell is both well-developed and important to our health. Johan Lundström is trying to unpack a sense that has long been neglected by science.

A recently published study shows how nanoclusters of insulin can control insulin activity. The results can lead to new types of insulin drugs, senior author Ana Teixeira at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) at Karolinska Institutet, says.

We wish to congratulate Professor Eckardt Treuter, at the Department of Biosciences and Nutriton, Karolinska Institutet, who has received the Novo Nordisk Foundation Project Grant in Endocrinology & Metabolism 2023, for a project on "Role of monocyte enhancers and silencers in inflammatory type 2 diabetes" (2 years, DKK 2 million).

On 22nd September 2023, KI celebrated the postgraduates from Saudi Arabia who have completed KI:s Course in Clinical Specialization in Orthodontics.

Researchers' Grand Prix is a competition where researchers from Swedish universities compete to see who can make the most engaging and easy-to-understand presentation of their research in just four minutes. The competitions are part of the science festival ForskarFredag. Johanna Mayer at the Division of Neurogeriatrics, NVS, won the Stockholm semi-final in the Researchers' Grand Prix on Friday 29 September. Now she is looking forward to the national final, which will take place on November 23.

On the 5th Wednesday after the start of each semester, Medicinska Föreningen's Sports Committee at KI organizes Sports Day for all students.

In autumn 2022, KI students had the opportunity to answer a survey about their experiences of and risks of discrimination and harassment. The results point to the need for more knowledge and active measures linked to lack of accessibility, discrimination and harassment in the study environment. This applies in particular to ethnicity and gender in connection with On-site training (VFU/VIL). KI is now working to strengthen its work with equal opportunities for all students.

Hi there Xin Xia! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Cardiovascular Health, Orthostatic Hypotension, and Cognitive Aging”. Could you tell us a little bit more?

Hi Michael Axenhus, PhD student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On October 20 you will defend your thesis ”Characterization of proteins involved in disease progression in Alzheimer disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded this year to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, whose research gave rise to effective mRNA vaccines that contained the COVID pandemic and saved millions of lives. A well-deserved honour, according to Karolinska Institutet.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends infants to be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development, and health. But in some contexts, such as in a humanitarian emergency, adopting and maintaining optimal breastfeeding practices could be challenging. Unpacking what the challenges and opportunities of breastfeeding support in humanitarian emergencies are, and how to conduct such support effectively, is the topic of Nieves Amat Camacho’s PhD.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oslo present a new type of immunotherapy that attacks cancer cells with a specific mutation. A study published in the journal Nature Cancer shows promising effects on patient cells in mice and offers hope for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a cancer that has proven difficult to treat.

The yearly StratNeuro retreat gathers neuroscience researchers from Karolinska Institutet, Umeå University, and the Royal Institute of Technology for a couple of days of networking and getting up to date with the latest research from across the spectrum of neuroscience topics aligning with the interests that the StratNeuro constellation represents. This year, our retreat took place on the 29th and 30th of May, at Djurönäset, in a picturesque location by the Stockholm archipelago.

Ángela Amorós Molina is a former Global Health master student who was invited to present at Rowan University that has hosted a workshop series about teaching and research on the Sustainable Development Goals. Her paper Integrating the United Nations sustainable development goals into higher education globally: a scoping review, sparked the workshop participants to reflect on the importance of raising awareness among the students of the role of the SDGs and increase their presence in university.

We congratulate Professor Anna Martling, Research Group for Colorectal Surgery, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, who has been appointed an honorary member of the European Society of Coloproctology (ESCP).

Due to organisational adjustments at the department, Global Disaster Medicine – Health Needs and Response becomes a research group of its own from the 1st of October. However, they have already existed for more than twenty years, but in the form of a team called Centre for Research on Health Care in Disaster. In connection to becoming a research team, the name has also slightly changed, to present the group’s focus clearer.

The Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman for their discoveries concerning nucleoside base modifications that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet have published a study in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy that addresses possible associations between chronic stress, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The study shows how people aged between 18 and 65 with a previous diagnosis of chronic stress and depression were more likely than other people to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.

The notion that some level of microbial exposure might reduce our risk of developing allergies has arisen over the last few decades and has been termed the hygiene hypothesis. Now, an article published in Science Immunology by researchers from Karolinska Institutet challenges this hypothesis by showing that mice with high infectious exposures from birth have the same, if not an even greater ability to develop allergic immune responses than 'clean' laboratory mice.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet who studied SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.2.86, found that the new variant was not significantly more resistant to antibodies than several other variants that are circulating. The study also showed that antibody levels to BA.2.86 were significantly higher after a wave of XBB infections compared to before, suggesting that the vaccines based on XBB should provide some cross-protection to BA.2.86.

In a new study from Karolinska Institutet, the researchers found that combining information from blood markers and genetics reveals distinct subgroups of patients with myositis, which may help to improve disease classification and treatment. The study was published in EBioMedicine.

This year's KLOK award goes to the Optometry program, which together with the St. Erik Eye Hospital has developed a clinical training clinic where students from several educational programs can broaden and deepen their knowledge in an interprofessional learning environment.

Swedes with lower income and education were at greater risk of deteriorating mental health during the pandemic. This is shown in a study conducted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg in collaboration with Professor Mats Lekander at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience.

Karolinska Institutet, in partnership with universities in Sub-Saharan Africa, has for the last three years implemented an impactful training programme on innovation for managers within the health sector. “We really need these kinds of efforts to achieve sustainable health. The programme empowers the participants to work together in addressing complex challenges,” says Dr. Rawlance Ndejjo, lead of one of programme's modules.

Bernard and Barbro Osher donate USD 2,100,000 (approx. SEK 23 million) to the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Karolinska Institutet. The donation follows an earlier donation in 2005 from the same donors.

As of January, next year, a new term of office for KI's Deans will begin. Deans have a line assignment and are appointed by the President. The role is undergoing change and development - an important task for the new Deans will be to participate in this process. As a Dean, you are part of the Faculty Board. It is the university management's intention to clarify the Dean's assignment in KI's line organization.

On September 19, Annika Bergquist was appointed Professor of Gastroenterology, focusing on hepatology, at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH). Annika is head of the Gastroenterology and Rheumatology Unit at MedH.

Medical student Julie Cheung from Karolinska Institutet (KI) recently won first prize at the prestigious Global Undergraduate Awards thesis competition in the category of Medical Sciences.

Mania is a possible but rare side effect of treatment with antidepressant medication in adults, but little has previously been known of this risk in depressed children and adolescents. A newly published paper in JAMA Psychiatry investigated this, finding no evidence of mania/hypomania induced by antidepressants by 12 weeks after treatment initiation. However, caution is necessary in treatment for children with more severe depression or where a parent has bipolar disorder.

The Swedish Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology annually awards the best doctoral thesis of the year. 2023 the award goes to Ritah Bakesiima, who completed her dissertation at the Department of Women's and Children's Health last year. Her research studies the barriers to contraception among adolescents, and enlightens the importance of peer counselling in increasing contraceptive uptake.

When the Times Higher Education (THE) in Great Britain publishes its annual university ranking, KI is ranked 50th among 1,904 institutions in the world and ranked 16th in Europe.

Thanks to the research conducted by Christian Rück and others there is currently research on all compulsive related disorders. He is now venturing into a perhaps even more difficult and important task: Suicide prevention.

A group of researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among other universities, are involved in a multinational project awarded 4 million US Dollars to investigate the link between neurodevelopmental conditions and neurodegenerative diseases. The award is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke (NINDS).

Anna Wedell, professor at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) Gold Medal 2023 for her efforts in precision medicine. This gold medal has been awarded since 1921 for outstanding achievements in technology, economics, business and society.

The seasonal flu will soon hit the country. The management has decided to offer all employees of the University Dental Service and the Department of Dentistry the opportunity to be vaccinated against seasonal flu free of charge.

According to a new international study, cleft palate surgery at the age of six months provides better conditions for speech and language development compared to surgery at twelve months. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, among others.

Olof Stephansson's research group receives Alvarenga's prize 2023 for the article: "Risk of postpartum hemorrhage with increasing first stage of labor duration" with the motto "How long it takes to give birth can affect the risk of bleeding". The prize is awarded by the Swedish Society of Medicine (Svenska Läkaresällskapet).

The Centre for Health Crises has received funding from the Swedish government to increase and support collaboration across the country’s universities on the topic of health crises. Initially, the Centre completed an online mapping of ongoing activities and existing health crises competences at a majority of the universities. We have also recruited Caroline de Groot, who is coordinating the work and is in the process of reaching out to key groups and individuals to learn more.

Childhood-onset type 1 diabetes (onset <age 18) and neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disability, globally represent substantial health challenges. The conditions also pose substantial challenges to the individuals, their families, and healthcare systems.

Professor Qiang Pan-Hammarström at Karolinska Institutet is one of six new members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Among other things, she has researched immunodeficiency diseases and worked to find treatments for covid-19.

Family members and close friends of people with COVID-19 have elevated symptoms of depression and anxiety, a study from Karolinska Institutet published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe reports. According to the researchers, the results of the study indicate a possible unmet public health need.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease, often with onset during childhood, that requires lifelong insulin therapy due to the loss of pancreatic beta-cells.

The Research School in Health Science 2023 kick-off event was a great success, bringing together supervisors, new doctoral students, and students from the 2021 cohort. Held on September 5th, this event marked a milestone for the research school.