News archive

The Rwanda Clinical Trial Capacity Strengthening Team has visited Addis Ababa University. The team included members from the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Biomedical Center, and Rwanda FDA. The purpose of the visit was to learn how The Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) set up a clinical trial training program. The visit was facilitated by Professor Eleni Aklillu from Karolinska Institutet and Professor Eyasu Makonnen from CDT Africa.

Epidemiologist Moa Herrgård has spent six months seconded to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Centre for Health Emergencies in Amman, Jordan. The overall focus of her work has been to enhance health emergency preparedness and response in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Region. Looking back, she thinks the secondment has taught her a lot that will benefit work at KI.

The WHO has classified the ongoing outbreak of Mpox as an international health emergency. Mpox is caused by a DNA virus belonging to the Ortho poxvirus. Mpox is divided into two types: clade 1 and clade 2. So far, there has been one case of clad 1 in Sweden. The WHO considers the risk of widespread infection in Europe to be low.

Dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy can improve survival for patients with high-risk breast cancer, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet and others. The international PANTHER study, which included over 2000 patients where 97% had metastasis to the lymph nodes in the armpit, compared two different chemotherapy regimens and found that the dose-intensive treatment reduced the risk of recurrence and spread of the disease. The results are presented in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The external review of the previous internal investigation into the freezer failure in Neo during the Christmas holidays 2023, supports the conclusions and recommendations of the internal report. This was clear when the external investigation was presented to KI's management and affected staff on 20 August.

Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer should be treated primarily with second-generation hormone drugs, which offer better treatment response and longer life expectancy than chemotherapy. However, the effect depends on which mutations the patient’s tumour carries. This is shown by results from the ProBio study, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings are published in Nature Medicine.

A new study published in Nature Medicine shows that partic-ipating in an exercise program can reduce pain and fatigue, and improve the quality of life for individuals with metastatic breast cancer.

The renovation of the balcony (outside meeting room Von Behring) on floor 9 is complete.

A new machine learning model can predict autism in young children from relatively limited information. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The model can facilitate early detection of autism, which is important to provide the right support.

In the wake of the green transition, new risks are emerging in people's work environments, says Karin Broberg, professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. "It goes very quickly from a pilot to being scaled up to become the next generation of fuel or to become the next plant for how to recycle plastic," she says. At the end of the year, her research team will publish a study on the work environment in Sweden for those involved in recycling metals.

We invite you to participate in Akademiska Hus tennis tournament. Join us for a day filled with exciting matches and enjoyable company.

We welcome Wilfrid Nicholasiva Farrel Dhanesvara to join the group as an exchange student. Farrel is doing his master study in University of Potsdam in the Netherlands. He is visiting our lab for 3 months with the supports from the Erasmus program. Welcome Farrel! We hope you will enjoy your stay in Stockholm!

Are you interested in contributing to the development of Karolinska Institutet’s (KI) overall collaborations with Brazil, particularly in the São Paulo region?

Personalized medicine is transforming cancer treatment by tailoring therapies to the genomic profile of each tumor. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is key to this approach, but its complexity and inconsistent reporting have been hurdles. A recent paper in Annals of Oncology introduces new guidelines to standardize NGS reports, aiding clinicians in making informed decisions and improving patient outcomes.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at Karolinska Institutet reveals that different antiretroviral therapies (ART) influence the gut and oral microbiome, as well as body mass index (BMI), in people living with HIV. The findings highlight the importance of considering microbiome changes when selecting ART regimens.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls

Karolinska Institutet is ranked 43 in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai ranking.

Thomas Helleday, Professor of Chemical Biology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the 2024 Anders Jahre Award for Medical Research. He receives the prestigious Senior Jahre Award for his discoveries of mechanisms for cancer development in humans, which have been applied in the follow-up and treatment of patients.

The collaborative work of KIRI Fellows was chosen as one of the top 20 breakthroughs abstracts of the year.

Carina Boström, docent and senior lecturer at the Division of Physiotherapy, has been appointed an Honorary Member of EULAR.

Researchers have developed an industry-standard tool to facilitate drug development and translational research in collaboration between labs at Karolinska Institutet and the Gygi Lab at Harvard Medical School.

The purpose of this training is to increase knowledge about the salary-setting process and how to conduct Performance Appraisal 2 (MS2) at KI. This training is provided by the HR Office at the Professional Services and is aimed for those who are salary-setting managers in both research, education and administration.

Researchers at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, recently published a book “Mass Spectrometry Based Single Cell Proteomics”, for researchers planning to perform SCP analysis.

Certain genetic variants that have previously been linked to the lung disease COPD can explain reduced lung function already in children and adolescents, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The results are presented in the Lancet's sister journal eClinicalMedicine together with fifteen other European research centres.

We are happy to announce that our new sorter, Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX SRT is now in operation. This acquisition expands our sorting capacity, allowing us to better accommodate the needs of our customers.

As of Monday August 12th Pendelbussen will run by it's ordinary timetable.

AI, artificial intelligence, can be used to identify molecules with great potential to be developed into new drugs for mental illnesses, according to researchers from Karolinska Institutet, among others. The study, which has been presented in the journal Science Advances, and conducted on mice, shows that AI with high precision can contribute to more effective future treatments for conditions such as psychosis.

A treatment given during pregnancy has the potential to prevent a rare but serious disease in fetuses and newborn babies caused by maternal antibodies. This is according to the phase 2 UNITY clinical trial involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The study is published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Pete Williams is one of few researchers in Sweden concentrating on glauComa. The goal is an effective treatment, something that stops the degenerative process in the nerve cells of the eye.

TERMINET has been honored with the prestigious Strategic Liaisons award for Maturity of Results, Presentation, and Exploitation of Outcomes at the EUCloudEdgeIoT Open Continuum Conference. This significant achievement highlights the exceptional work and groundbreaking advancements of the TERMINET project, showcasing its contributions to the next generation of IoT technologies.

Women with epilepsy are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and their babies are 50 percent more likely to suffer illness or death. These are the findings of a major new study led by Karolinska Institutet and published in JAMA Neurology. The researchers believe that better care of women before, during and after pregnancy can reduce the risks.

Students, alumni and staff from KI participated in the colourful Pride parade under the universities' Adacemic Pride flag in Stockholm on 3 August. The atmosphere was great and this year's theme was clear – we are stronger together.

We welcome Philipp Valina Allo to join the group. Philipp finished his Master study in Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research Leipzig in 2024 and officially starts his work in our lab today. Philipp will work together with the team to investigate the mechanisms involved in MASLD development. Welcome Philipp!

Anders Ekbom, Professor of Epidemiology and former Vice President of Karolinska Institutet, has died aged 76. He passed on 29 July after a long illness. Anders Ekbom had several roles and assignments at KI. ”His importance for Karolinska Institutet cannot be overestimated”, says KI’s President Annika Östman Wernerson.

Fetuses whose mothers had COVID-19 or were vaccinated during the first three months of pregnancy are not at increased risk of birth defects. This is the result of a large Nordic study published in the British Medical Journal.

During the year, the Swedish Research Council will carry out a comprehensive national evaluation of the quality and importance of preclinical research in basic medical and pharmaceutical sciences. KI is one of seven Swedish higher education institutions that are being audited. The Swedish Research Council's evaluation refers to the results of research published during the years 2018-2024.

Unicef is launching a report written by two KI researchers that describes the devastating consequences of climate change for children's health globally. The report summarises research from the field and over 30 experts. It identifies the six main climate hazards and shows that they pose a serious threat to children's health and well-being.

The Stockholm3 blood test, developed by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, is equally effective at detecting prostate cancer in different ethnic groups, a new paper published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports. The test produces significantly better results than the current PSA standard.

Young Swedes are drinking less alcohol, but – as Isabella Gripe’s doctoral thesis shows – this is not because they have moved onto smoking hash.

A new e-mail list is now available for everyone working in Biomedicum: Forum Biomedicum. Here you can share and receive information about equipment, cultural events at KI, get advices etc.

Docent Georgios Sotiriou is awarded the ERC Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC). The aim of the project is to investigate whether a light-activated nanocomposite film can be an effective treatment for severe, infected wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. But also to prepare the step from innovation to medical device. This is the second time Georgios Sotiriou has been awarded the prestigious grant, and the third time he has received funding from the ERC.

What happens in the body when it gets very hot and how can health problems due to heat be prevented? These are examples of questions answered here by Petter Ljungman, cardiologist and researcher at the Institute for Environmental Medicine and expert coordinator at KI's Center for Health Crises.

A new study shows that women lose more years of life after a heart attack than men. A 50-year-old woman with a large heart attack loses an average of 11 years, while an 80-year-old man with a small heart attack loses an average of 5 months of life. The study was led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital and the results have been published in the journal Circulation.

Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour offers a 5-day course in MR Methods used in Cognitive Neuroimaging.

Researchers at the Center for Infectious Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge have developed a new strategy that can make cell therapy against cancer work longer in patients. The results are published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Nobel laureate and former president of Karolinska Institutet, Bengt Samuelsson, passed away at the age of 90. Bengt Samuelsson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982, along with Sune Bergström (1916–2004) and John R. Vane (1927–2004), for their discoveries related to prostaglandins – hormone-like substances that regulate several important processes in the body. Bengt Samuelsson also served as president of Karolinska Institutet from 1983 to 1995.

Research published in the Lancet Global Health describes the crucial role that pulse oximeters have in risk-stratification in both hospital and primary care or outpatient settings. Carina King, Associate Professor at the Department of Global Public Health has had a leading role in the newly published viewpoint.

We welcome Ryan Lyu to our lab for a visiting study. Ryan is a second year Master student at Nanjing University. He will stay with us for 3 months. During this time, he will mainly participate in the project to explore how epigenetic modulators control liver cholesterol metabolism linked with atherosclerosis. We hope Ryan will have a fruitful study trip and enjoy his stay in Sweden. Welcome Ryan!

Researchers at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet characterize a novel GTPase involved in ribosome production in mitochondria. The study, published in Nature Communication, provides new insights into the process that enables mitochondria to produce energy.

The National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm has compiled a summary of activities carried out during the 2023 operational year.