News archive

In a sense, Göran Stiernstedt will have come full circle when he takes up office as KI chairperson on 1 May 2020. He once took his medical degree at KI, and now he’s back.

During a digital ceremony last Thursday, May 28, 19 international students in Sweden received the Global Swede award. One of them is KI Health Informatics student Winner Ng!

In a population-based cohort study from Sweden and Denmark of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during 1969-2017 and matched reference individuals from the general population, Ola Olén, Jonas F Ludvigsson and colleagues found that IBD patients had an increased risk of small bowel cancer.

Researchers at the Medical Management Centre (MMC), Karolinska Institutet, have been granted funding for the research project "The quandary of low value care: health professionals’ decision-making on abandoning ineffective practices". We asked project leader Henna Hasson to tell us a little more about the project.

Alexander Fyrdahl from the group Clinical Physiology, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend his thesis "Applications of the golden angle in cardiovascular MRI" on June 5th, 2020. Main Supervisor is Andreas Sigfridsson.

The anaesthetic drug ketamine has been shown, in low doses, to have a rapid effect on difficult-to-treat depression. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now report that they have identified a key target for the drug: specific serotonin receptors in the brain. Their findings, which are published in Translational Psychiatry, give hope of new, effective antidepressants.

The focus of Isabella Ekheden's thesis is on gastric and esophageal cancer – gastroesophageal cancers - that are some of the most fatal malignancies in the world. Understanding the cause of these diseases is key to interventions such as primary prevention and/or surveillance with the potential of lowering the disease burden.

NextGenNK sets out to deepen its interactions with health care units. Activities, when applicable, will be integrated with the Vinnova funded CAMP, that focuses specifically on GMP-bioprocess development, production and distribution logistics.

Hi there Anna Bergström! The research project "Building capacity for implementation within health and welfare organizations – a longitudinal evaluation of methodological support in implementation for working groups" is one of the 14 projects awarded funding from Forte. Can you tell us a little more about it?

A new study has been initiated to evaluate whole-genome and RNA-sequencing as a first line diagnostic approach for patients in Sweden with acute leukemia. The study is conducted jointly by the national R&D platform Genomic Medicine Sweden and the biotech company Illumina – and is coordinated from Karolinska Institutet.

Research from Karolinska Institutet published today in Nature shows that an RNA molecule involved in preventing tumour formation can change its structure and thereby control protein production in the cell. The finding can have important clinical implications as it opens for new strategies to treat different types of cancer.

Informing children of their parent's illness: A systematic review of intervention programs with child outcomes in all health care settings globally from inception to 2019

Anders Franco-Cereceda, Professor of Thoracic Surgery and Head of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, has been elected member of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery.

Key factors for health systems to maintain health services when faced with challenges are collaboration, clear decision-making for health system workers as well as flexible response plans, according to a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet.

One in three women in Europe inherited the receptor for progesterone from Neandertals – a gene variant associated with increased fertility, fewer bleedings during early pregnancy and fewer miscarriages. This is according to a study published in Molecular Biology and Evolution by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany and Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Hello Ingmar Ernberg, co-editor and professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor- and Cell Biology (MTC). Congratulations to your new book “Kvantfysiken och livet” that has just been released. What is it all about?

The fragmented Swedish healthcare system with its various levels of care, principals and care providers can lead to negative consequences in a person’s care and rehabilitation. This is especially relevant when several providers are involved in a care trajectory, such as in people with stroke.

Jakob Skov from the group Experimental and Clinical Neuroendocrinology, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend his thesis "Epidemiological studies on comorbidity, heritability and co-aggregation in organ-specific autoimmune diseases" on June 5, 2020. Main Supervisor is Sophie Bensing.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a new sequencing method that makes it possible to map how DNA is spatially organised in the cell nucleus – revealing which genomic regions are at higher risk of mutation and DNA damage. The technique is described in an article published in the scientific journal Nature Biotechnology.

Victor Bloniecki Kallio, PhD-student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On May 27, 2020, you will defend your thesis "Using CSF biomarkers to understand mechanisms of behavioral changes and effects of drug treatment in dementia", what's the main focus of the thesis?

A simple blood test may help predict which people with multiple sclerosis (MS) will get worse during the following year, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published online in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

It is highly likely that children can transmit the new coronavirus, which causes COVID-19, but several factors suggest that children are unlikely to be the main drivers of the pandemic. Opening up schools and kindergartens is unlikely to impact COVID-19 mortality rates in older people, according to a systematic review that spanned 47 publications and was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The paper is published in the scientific journal Acta Paediatrica.

Childhood environment and socioeconomic status affect cognitive ability and brain development during adolescence independently of genetic factors, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report in a new study published in the journal PNAS. The study demonstrates how important the family environment is, not just during early infancy but also throughout adolescence.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University have conducted a single cell RNA sequencing study of human pluripotent stem cell-derived grafts in an animal Parkinson’s disease model. This is the first study of its kind, and the results are now published in Nature Communications.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are coordinating a recently initiated multi-national clinical trial that will evaluate the effect of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBO) in severe cases of COVID-19. A total of 200 adults admitted to hospital with moderately severe COVID-19 pneumonia will be recruited. The trial could start as early as next week at a hospital in Region Blekinge, Sweden.

KI Holding and its subsidiary KI Innovations have now combed forces by creating a common board, to which they have added three new members and a new chairperson.

In order for students to continue their education, Karolinska Institutet (KI) has decided to make it possible to, during the summer, provide courses and activities that due to the prevailing pandemic could not be completed during the spring term.

EU-financed Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) has boosted funding for research on diagnostics, medicines and vaccines against the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Ali Mirazimi, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and Sweden’s National Veterinary Institute (SVA), coordinates one of eight projects provisionally selected among 144 applicants.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have compared two ways of delivering cognitive behavioral therapy to treat people with health anxiety, a condition that may increase in the wake of COVID-19. Out of about 200 study participants, half received Internet-CBT and half received conventional face-to-face CBT. The results, published in JAMA Psychiatry, show that Internet-delivered treatment had comparable effects, and may serve as an alternative in helping people who are worried about their health.

In a study recently published in Nature Methods, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Oxford University have developed a method to identify molecules that are attached to proteins in the membrane.

The focus of Johanna Sieurin's thesis was to investigate the relationship of personality and stress with subsequent risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD).

In a new study, researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Karolinska Institutet have found neurons in the brain that control how mice turn left and right. The studdy was recently published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that different measures of psychopathology can be combined into a single factor, “p”, which predicts the patient’s prognosis and need of extra support. The general factor of psychopathology reflects the overall risk of adverse psychiatric outcomes with an accuracy equal to that currently used for intelligence, they report in a paper published in World Psychiatry.

The Strategic Research Area in Health Care Science (SFO-V) announce call for funding in health care science 2020-2021.

Maria Hagströmer has been appointed Professor of Physiotherapy at the Division of Physiotherapy. She has also been ben named deputy head of division with a special assignment as research coordinator, starting April 15.

KI Researchers present new insights on the ability of humans and other mammals to adapt to food availability and exposure to cold temperatures in a study recently published in eLife. The findings could enhance the development of new methods to treat metabolic disorders such as obesity or type 2 diabetes.

Millions of people around the world use acid suppressants called proton pump inhibitors for conditions like heartburn, gastritis and stomach ulcers. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report how the long-term use of these drugs could increase the risk of developing dementia. Their results are published in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

In severe cases of COVID-19, a massive release of the endogenous protein HMGB1 in the lungs may contribute to pulmonary inflammation and tissue damage, according to a recent review article published in the journal Molecular Medicine. The researchers conclude that the inflammation could hypothetically be treated with an HMGB1 inhibitor.

Three questions to Mats Hallgren, assistant professor at the Department of Global Public Health, first author of several publications studying the effects of sedentary behaviour on mental health. Two related studies show that the context of these behaviours appears to be relevant.

Patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis frequently develop acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), a syndrome characterized by intense systemic inflammation, multi-organ failure and high short-term mortality. The Craig Wheelock group has now contributed to a study, recently published in the Journal of Hepatology, that associates specific profiles of circulating lipid mediators with the severity and prognosis of patients with acutely decompensated cirrhosis.

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) has revolutionized the ability to characterize cell types and their gene expression programs in organisms and tissues. Although great improvements in cellular throughput have been made, methods generally suffer from low sensitivity and quantification that is limited to short RNA pieces. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have released Smart-seq3 that greatly improves the quality in scRNA-seq. The study is published in Nature Biotechnology.

According to many observations, certain virus infections may play a part in the autoimmune attack that leads to type 1 diabetes. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and their Finnish colleagues have now produced a vaccine for these viruses in the hope that it could provide protection against the disease. The study is published today in the scientific journal Science Advances.

Many nerve cells in the brain region hypothalamus have unexpected origins and go through complex development programs, where millions of neurons assemble into a precisely knit network by birth. That is according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Medical University of Vienna published in the journal Nature. The findings may further our understanding of hormonal diseases and their origins, according to the researchers.

João Ramos from the group Clinical Physiology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery will defend his thesis "Pulmonary hypertension and heart failure : physiological markers assessed by cardiovascular magnetic resonance" on May 8th, 2020. Main Supervisor is Martin Ugander.

Sweden can contribute solid data to Solidarity, a global study run by the WHO to test the efficacy and safety of drugs considered for use in the treatment of COVID-19, says Soo Aleman, docent and consultant, and coordinator of the Swedish arm of the study.

The British Ambassador to Sweden, Judith Gough, visited KI on Walpurgis Eve to discuss the COVID-19 research being led by Lars Engstrand at KI and SciLifeLab in collaboration with KTH and with primary funding from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Use of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors to treat type 2 diabetes may help to lower the risk of serious kidney problems, according to a Scandinavian study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The findings, now published in the journal The BMJ, provide support for the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in a broad range of patients with type 2 diabetes, according to the researchers.

A drug that lowers levels of the male hormone testosterone in the body reduces the risk of men with pedophilic disorder sexually abusing children, a study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry shows.

Asle Hesla from the group Orthopaedics will defend his thesis "Ewing Sarcoma - treatment, prognosis and late effects" on May 8th, 2020. Main Supervisor is Henrik Bauer.