News archive

Rune Brautaset has modernised optometry studies at KI and laid the groundwork for an optometric research environment at the university. He is currently researching how neurodegenerative diseases can be detected in the retina.

Marie Löf, at the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, is a new Professor in Nutrition as of February 1st, 2022. Yesterday, October 13th, 2022, the inauguration of new professors at Karolinska Institutet took place with an installation ceremony in Aula Medica.

Four research projects coordinated from Karolinska Institutet have been awarded project grants by Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) in 2022. This means that, over SEK 135 million are allocated to KI research in the fields of immunology, neuroscience, and stem cell biology.

Professor Kevin Eva of the University of British Columbia, Canada, is this year’s winner of the Karolinska Institutet Prize in Medical Education. He received his accolade in KI’s Aula Medica in conjunction with the university’s installation ceremony on 13 October. Among its many consequences, his research has helped to improve the admission processes at medical universities.

A study at Karolinska Institutet shows that the coronavirus variant BA.2.75.2, an Omicron sublineage, largely evades neutralizing antibodies in the blood and is resistant to several monoclonal antibody antiviral treatments. The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggest a risk of increased SARS-CoV-2 infections this winter, unless the new updated bivalent vaccines help to boost immunity in the population.

The multiple sclerosis (MS) research consortium at Karolinska institutet is
further strengthened by the recruitment of the distinguished MS scientist, Roland
Martin.

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco investigates the cells that produce myelin, the vital insulation that ensheathes our nerve cells. He has made unexpected findings that might help to explain what causes MS and eventually give rise to novel treatments.

Mattias Carlström researches the beneficial effects of nitric oxide on the body, including the cardiovascular system and kidneys, in order to understand the biological mechanisms and pave the way for the clinical use of different forms of nitrate that can increase concentrations of nitric oxide.

The prefrontal cortex is the centre for advanced cerebral function – it is here our impressions of the world are formed, plans forged and decisions made. By studying the real-time activity of neurons, Marie Carlén maps the functions of the prefrontal cortex.

Congratulations to the winners of this year’s KI Lifestyle4Health Best paper award for junior researchers. In this occasion, two, of many fantastic publications that were nominated, shared the first place:

Katalin Dobra researches cancer of the lungs, especially the part played by the protein Syndecan 1. Education is an important aspect of her professorship and she is in charge of the pathology module of the new medical programme.

For two days in the first week of October, Karolinska Institutet for the first time invited members of the public to partake in guided tours of the Nordic region’s largest zebrafish facility. More than 40 people took the opportunity, offered as part of Nobel Calling 2022, to visit more than 20,000 tropical freshwater fish that are helping to solve medical mysteries.

KI is still the Nordic Region’s highest ranking university, but has dropped ten places from 39 to 49 in this year’s Times Higher Education (THE) overall rankings over all subject fields. Other EU universities have also dropped, while those in Asia, especially China, have advanced. The UK and USA remain relatively stable. Universities with a technological profile have also fared better than the average.

Good health in the future through the development and application of the best possible medical education is the guiding star for Anna Kiessling’s work – for both research and quality work at Karolinska Institutet.

Transporting drugs to the right place and into the right cells is a major challenge. Samir EL Andaloussi researches how tiny vesicles called exosomes, which naturally transport material between cells, can be used for this purpose.

Pedagogical issues, in both dental education and dental care, are along with patients’ experiences of periodontitis two main themes in Annsofi Johannsen’s research. She is also head of KI’s dental hygiene programme.

Thanks to modern treatments, people with haemophilia live a normal life. But what will decades of medication mean for them as they reach old age? Jovan Antović researches blood clotting and haemophilia, especially in relation to elderly health.

Jacob Hollenberg conducts research to increase the survival rate after cardiac arrest. He leads the KI Center for resuscitation science, which develops and studies new innovative methods and treatments along the entire cardiac care pathway.

Molly M Stevens is Professor of Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. By combining knowledge in material design and biology, her research group generates new technologies for repairing the body.

Jenny Mjösberg researches innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), a previously unknown part of the immune system. She wants to understand the part they play in different kinds of inflammatory disease, and ultimately contribute to new, improved therapies.

Lars E Eriksson researches earlier detection of lung cancer through the charting of early symptoms and biomarkers. He also researches organisational issues in healthcare as well as stigma and quality of life in patients with chronic infections like HIV.

Gerald McInerney researches the molecular-level battle between human cells and viruses. He is also a teacher who is passionate about developing the study of virology at KI.

Brjánn Ljótsson researches cognitive behavioural therapy , CBT. He has helped to develop and establish online CBT, and researches how CBT can improve the lives of people with physical disease.

Marie Löf’s research covers ways of improving health and reducing overweight and obesity in pregnant women and children. She develops apps that help individuals and families to make vital changes in their dietary and exercise habits.

Johan Hartman is developing new diagnostic methods for predicting therapeutic responses and judging relapse risk in cancer. The methods range from patient-derived three-dimensional tumour models to AI-aided risk assessment.

Anders Kvanta researches cell and gene therapies for diseases of the retina that currently lack effective treatments. His discovery that the pathologic formation of new blood vessels in the retina is attributable to the growth factor VEGF has saved the eyesight of millions of people.

Anders Thorell’s research evaluates techniques of gastrointestinal surgery, leading to new clinical recommendations. He also studies mechanisms behind the effects of weight-loss surgery.

Screening programmes for childhood hearing loss need to become better at collecting data and measuring outcomes in order to increase quality, such as improving the percentage of follow-ups, a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet reports.

For those who currently rent a parking space and have a paper permit, it will no longer be necessary in the future. Now Aimo Park is digitizing these permits. The change applies as of October 1 for existing permits.

We recognise the images of health care and medical staff in PPE. Maybe we have even experienced an outbreak of the disease where we have lived. But what is it actually like to work in an ongoing Ebola outbreak? Anneli Eriksson, specialist nurse and research specialist at KI, answers three questions about working in the ongoing outbreak in Uganda.

A randomized study, known by the acronym NordICC – Northern - European Initiative on Colorectal Cancer - shows colonoscopy screening reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent. The reduction is much smaller than experts previously assumed. The NordICC study is now published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to K. Barry Sharpless, Morten Meldal and Carolyn R. Bertozzi for the development of click chemistry, a quick and efficient way to build molecules. Several KI researchers use the technology in their daily research, one of which has co-authored a study with one of this year's prize winners. Here, they comment on the prize.

At KI's Culture Day on October 19, Ina Schuppe Koistinen, researcher at the department of microbiology, tumor and cell biology, presents her new book "Vulva: facts, myths and life-changing insights".

The Docent Committee decided on the 22 of September 2022 to admit Milan Chromek as a docent in paediatrics.

Milan is affiliated to the Division of Paediatrics at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology - CLINTEC.

Professor Martin Bergö is re-appointed Academic Vice President for Research as well as Chairperson of the Committee for Research at Karolinska Institutet. On October 4th the president of Karolinska Institutet, Ole Petter Ottersen, appointed the academic vice presidents and deputy chairpersons for the three committees that report to the Faculty Board.

The two-day conference, Collaboration in Science 2022, is held on 6 and 7 October at KI’s Campus Flemingsberg. During the conference, participants will learn about the extensive research being conducted at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital.

During the Annual pediatric IBD meeting in Örebro on September 29-30, Jonas F Ludvigsson received this year’s honorary award "the Gut Feeling" SPGHN, the Swedish Association for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, amidst the cheers of the audience. The prize is awarded after voting by pediatricians in Sweden.

”Our study examines the association between older persons perception regarding satisfaction, treatment by staff, and sense of security in home care services (HCS), and factors in the working conditions of the HCS staff” says Anne-Marie Boström, docent at Karolinska Institutet, responsible for the study together with her research group. The results show strong associations between older persons' level of satisfaction with their care, and the level of satisfaction with working conditions reported.

The Horizon Europe grant programme for innovations has awarded the consortium DELIVER (DELiberative ImproVEment of oRal care quality five million euros to improve oral health.

On October 4, the president of Karolinska Institutet appointed academic vice presidents and deputy chairpersons for the three committees that report to the Faculty Board: The Committee for Higher Education, the Committee for Doctoral Education and the Committee for Research. The appointees’ term of office runs from 1 January, 2023, to 31 December, 2025.

Professor and senior physician Lars I Eriksson at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology receives the Franz-Koehler Inflammation Award 2022. Lars is awarded the prize for successful research into the pathophysiology, prophylaxis and treatment of inflammatory conditions in perioperative medicine.

Where do we originate from? And who are we? Thanks to Svante Pääbo, 2022 Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine, we know more about what make us uniquely human. We also know what we have in common with our, now-extinct, closest relatives.

On October 4, 2022, research group leader Niaz Ahmed was employed as an adjunct professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (CNS), the Division of Neuro.

From pregnancies and depression to COVID-19. Neanderthals are physically extinct, but their genes live on. For better or worse, they still affect our health today. We are publishing this timeline, previously published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap, due to the fact that researcher Svante Pääbo has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2022.

The Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) has awarded grants to five KI researchers. The grants give both prominent researchers the opportunity to strengthen their position and provide establishment support for younger researchers.

Professor Mikael Landén was awarded the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) Jubilee Prize for his valuable findings within psychiatry research. This prestigious prize is SEK five million, intended for research. He will also be awarded a medal at the prize ceremony on 21 October.

Many people were delighted to hear that Professor Svante Pääbo has been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, particularly so Hugo Zeberg, researcher at Karolinska Institutet. He has collaborated with Svante Pääbo for years, not least on the work to find Neanderthal genes that can influence how ill different people become after contracting the COVID-19 virus.

Web editors working with content on ki.se, education.ki.se, news.ki.se and staff.ki.se, can experience that it is slow to work in Drupal, the publishing system used to update existing and create new content on the website.

The research team Global Child Health and the Sustainable Development Goals in collaboration with the Nobel Prize Museum hosted a seminar on global child health as part of the Nobal Calling Stockholm week. Juliet Mwanga-Amumpaire from Mbarara University in Uganda and Tobias Alfvén, associate professor at the Department of Global Public Health, discussed why five million children die every year and what is needed for more children to survive.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2022 has been awarded to Svante Pääbo for his discoveries concerning the genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution.