News archive

We welcome Iréne Zettervall to our economics unit at LIME.

Centre stage at this year’s professorial installation ceremony at KI were stately academic tradition, prestigious medals and evocative entertainment – as well as intergenerational mingling between KI researchers and students at a much-appreciated hot dog truck outside Aula Medica on a chilly October evening.

If you have an interest in culture, there are several initiatives at KI to participate and get involved in. Giulia Gaudenzi, Assistant Professor at the Department of Global Public Health is also a member of the Cultural Council at KI and we asked her to list the cultural activities available at KI.

The Swedish Society of Medicine (SLS) awards Professor Lars-Olof Wahlund, Karolinska Institutet, the Bengt Winblad Prize 2024. The prize honors outstanding contributions in Alzheimer’s research, and Lars-Olof Wahlund is seen as a pioneer in MRI imaging of the brain.

The National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm is looking for middle and high schools in Stockholm County to participate in an interview study. The purpose of the study is to investigate the feasibility of later school start times.

A new study by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), with contribution from Karolinska Institutet, has revealed that one in three cases of oral cancer globally is linked to smokeless tobacco and areca nut use.

Stephan Rössner and Carol Tishelman are to be awarded the 2024 KI Silver Medal. The medal is conferred upon individuals who have made particularly commendable efforts in support of Karolinska Institutet’s activities. The researchers will receive their medals at the Diligence and Devotion ceremony next February.

Every year in October, when the recipients of the Nobel Prizes are announced, the Nobel Prize Museum organizes events and meetings in collaboration with, among others, Karolinska Institutet. This year Professor Tobias Alfvén from the Department of Global Public Health teamed up with Secretary General of UNICEF Sweden Pernilla Baralt for a seminar about vaccination.

On Saturday 5 October, the ARC Team, consisting of Franziska Steffens and Federico Triolo, took part in the 2024 Mental Health Run at Djurgården, in close to perfect weather conditions.

They work with highly specialised equipment for facilities that they have often built up themselves. Although not themselves researchers, their expertise, experience and international contacts render them indispensable for research at KI. A year ago, new titles were created for this important category of employee.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

On October 3-4, Biomedicum carried out evacuation exercises. We ask questions about the exercise to Jennie Eldh Bastman from Facility Management (FM), who is responsible for fire safety at Biomedicum.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Science Translational Medicine, shows that people with type 2 diabetes have lower levels of the protein that breaks down and converts creatine in the muscles. This leads to impaired function of the mitochondria, the 'powerhouses' of the cell.

David Baker, USA, has succeeded in creating entirely new proteins – the building blocks of life that control all biological processes in the body. He shares the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2024 with Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper of Google DeepMind, UK, who have developed the AI tool AlphaFold2. “Now it can take minutes instead of years to get a good idea of what a protein looks like and how it may function,” says KI professor Luca Jovine, who intitiated a collaboration with DeepMind early on.

Prof. Rikard Holmdahl granted DKK 5.9 million by Novo Nordisk Foundation

If you are reading this, you might be a student, an alumnus, or considering studying at Karolinska Institutet. Regardless, you probably have your own idea of what it is like to be a new student at KI, whether you have experienced it or not. Here, two students – one who is brand new and one who has studied a few semesters – answer questions about how it is, or was, to be new KI students.

To facilitate new and existing contacts between researchers and doctoral students as well as increase research collaboration across the NeurotechEU network, the KI NeurotechEU group is introducing the availability of limited competitive funds for a lab visit for PhD students and postdocs during Spring 2025.

Between 25-27 October the green tap water unit in the ANA 8 buildning will be cleaned.

When Times Higher Education in the UK publishes its ranking of the world's best universities, KI is ranked 49th out of more than 2,000 universities in 115 countries. This means that KI has the highest ranking in the Nordic region.

During the annual Inauguration of new Professors at Karolinska Institutet on Thursday, October 3rd, President Annika Östman Wernerson presented the 2024 prize for innovation and utilization to Jacob Hollenberg, Mattias Ringh and Leif Svensson. The trio received the award for their work in designing, technically developing, scientifically evaluating and subsequently implementing and operationalizing a system with volunteer lifesavers who are alerted via an app to sudden cardiac arrests.

Ulf Hedin, Professor of Vascular Surgery at Karolinska Institutet, and Christian Gasser, Professor of Biomechanics at KTH, are jointly leading a new research project focusing on technology to enable individual treatment of fatal forms of stroke and carotid artery disease. The project is now being granted research funding of SEK 4.5 million per year for five years by MedTechLabs.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Sweden, with about 10,000 new cases diagnosed annually. Despite advancements in diagnostics and treatments, managing prostate cancer remains challenging due to its often silent progression and the complexities surrounding early detection.

Team OT from the Division of Occupational Therapy won KI Fun Run 2024 in the Funny walk category.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has identified an RNA molecule that is important for skin wound healing. The research, published in Nature Communications, may have implications for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun share this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They are being awarded for their discovery of microRNAs, which play a crucial role in the development of complex organisms. Research is underway at Karolinska Institutet on how these small molecules can be applied clinically.

The Swedish Society of Medicine (SLS) awards Martin Schalling, Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, with the Ingvar Prize 2024.

Svenska Läkaresällskapet (the Swedish Medical Society, SLS) has decided to award Jana de Boniface, adjunct professor at Karolinska Institutet and senior physician and surgeon at the surgery and oncology clinic, Capio St. Göran's Hospital, with their prestigious Jubilee Prize. The awardee is rewarded with SEK 175,000 and the SLS century medal in silver.

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

A new donation professorship in prevention is being established at Karolinska Institutet. It will be named Prince Daniel's Professorship in Cardiovascular Prevention and will be awarded to researcher and obstetrician Ylva Trolle Lagerros, who took up the position on 1 October. The aim is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Sweden.

Currently, it is not possible to log in to KLARA while on campus. The login works normally from other locations.

On 27 September, the Science Festival Researcher Friday (Forskarfredag) was held at Albanova. During the day, many activities were held, including a Researchers‘ Fair and the Researchers’ Grand Prix competition. Many KI researchers participated in the programme and met curious high school students.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Charles University studying liver fibrosis have made an exciting new discovery, now published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. Their latest findings could pave the way for innovative approaches to treating this challenging condition.

This call aims to facilitate new and existing contacts as well as increase research collaboration with the University College London and Karolinska Institutet.

The Cities Partnerships Programme Stockholm which comprises of UCL and the Stockholm Trio (Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Stockholm University), invite you to express interest in two days of workshops in London, the 8-9 April 2025.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new comprehensive mapping of genetic activity for understanding the causes of chronic pain. The study, published in Nature Communications, opens way to more efficient non-addictive treatment for chronic pain and potentially headache disorders.

Welcome to Shifeng Lian's presentation of his thesis ”Biomarkers for early detection and prognostic prediction of hepatocellular carcinoma”.

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

The Science Festival Forskarfredag was organized at Albanova the 27 September. Many activities took place, for instance a Science Fair and the competition Researchers' Grand Prix.
Many researchers from KI participated and met curious high school students.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg have identified a biomarker that could become an important tool for healthcare in assessing patients with acute COVID-19 infection. The researchers have studied interleukin (IL)-26, a signaling substance in the immune system, which has been shown to reflect the severity of the disease, viral load, and the need for hospital care.

Researchers, including doctoral students in their last years of their doctoral education, at KI are invited to apply for short-term research exchange grants funded by Eurolife.

The Course and Programme Committee (KPK) is now accepting applications for funding for activities aimed at pedagogical development of doctoral courses.

The President has decided on a clarification of the instructions on the employment procedure for teachers at KI. The revision will make things clearer and more transparent for both the applicants and the ones assessing them. The updated instructions come into effect on 1 November 2024.

Johan von Schreeb, professor of Global Disaster Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the KTH Great Prize 2024 "for his efforts to reduce suffering in the world".

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a new potential risk marker for cardiovascular disease in women. A new study shows an association between low levels of an anti-inflammatory antibody and the risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease. The study is published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.

On Thursday, 3 October, starting at 7 PM, an update will be made to ki.se, including news.ki.se, staff.ki.se, and education.ki.se. During the update, there may be some downtime, and it will not be possible to log in and work in the web publishing system.

KI researchers Lea Stark and Erik Andersson have qualified for the final of the Researchers' Grand Prix to be held in November.