News archive

The Cities Partnerships Programme Stockholm, comprising UCL (University College London) and the Stockholm trio (Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology & Stockholm University) invite you to express interest in two days of workshops 17-18 April in Stockholm.

Each year, NOF offers travel grants to young researchers attending the regional (NOF, CED, PER) IADR congress and invites young researchers to enter the Nordic Hatton Award Competition.

Minister for Education Mats Persson met researchers and students when he visited Karolinska Institutet on 1 February. Topics of discussion with the students included the conditions relating to clinical placements, student funding rules and the situation for overseas students and doctoral students. The researchers, for their part, talked about the progress being made in areas such as precision medicine and about KI’s preparedness for new health crises.

The Department of Physiology and Pharmacology (FyFa) awards two pedagogical prizes annually, one for junior teachers and one for senior teachers. The pedagogical prize 2022 were awarded Eric Emanuelsson (junior prize) and Jessica Norrbom (senior prize) during FyFa Christmas mingle on 20th December 2022.

CAR T-cell therapy, a certain kind of cancer treatment in which the immune system’s T cells are programmed to attack tumour cells, is effective in mice with ovarian cancer, according to a study published in The Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. The researchers, who work at Karolinska Institutet, hope that the discovery will pave the way for a clinical trial to see how effective the treatment is for women with the disease.

A research internship enables doctors on an internship to combine their regular clinical internship (in Swedish Allmäntjänstgöring - AT) with up to 12 months of research at KI.
Apart from being eligible for an internship, candidates must also at the time of the application, hold a medical degree and either as a registered doctoral student at KI or a PhD engaged in research at KI.

PhD student Pradeepa Pushparaj, in Gunilla Karlsson Hedestam’s group at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, is the first author of a study recently published in Immunity. The study explains how antibody genes can influence the ability to make neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2.

There is currently no drug for treating non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects many people with type 2 diabetes and which can result in other serious liver diseases. A study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet has now identified a drug candidate for the treatment of fatty liver. The preclinical study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, indicates that an antibody that blocks the protein VEGF-B presents a possible therapeutic option for fatty liver disease.

Patients can experience 30 per cent fewer serious adverse reactions if their drugs are tailored to their genes, reports a study published in The Lancet. A European collaboration involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet suggests that a genetic analysis prior to drug therapy could significantly reduce suffering and healthcare costs.

This newsletter is primarily addressed to doctoral students. The purpose is to inform about news and practical details regarding doctoral education at KI.

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

ARFID is strongly influenced by genetic factors, according to a twin study examining this relatively new type of eating disorder. The study has been published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Dariia Chernovska was following her dream, studying medicine at Bogomolets National Medical University in Kyiv, when Russia invaded Ukraine and she was forced to flee. Now she is carrying out an internship at the department of physiology and pharmacology in Daniel Andersson's lab and has her sights set on studying medicine at Karolinska Institutet in the autumn.

You can drown in someone's eyes, or they might burn a hole right through you. The gaze is a shortcut to people's inner world, something researchers try to exploit to learn more about, for example, autism.

A research residency (forskar-ST) provides financial support for a period of research during a clinical residency, and can be applied for by doctoral students at KI on a residency programme within Region Stockholm.

Frailty can be defined as an aging-related syndrome of physiological decline, characterized by marked vulnerability to adverse health outcomes. It is becoming an important public health concern as the aging population increases.

We are currently in an agreement renewal with Microsoft. While our order is being processed, notifications that the account needs to be renewed may appear when you use Microsoft applications. Messages such as "Renew your Subscription" or "Subscription expired" may appear.

Beta blockers, which are widely used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure, are associated with a lower risk of being charged with a violent crime, according to a new register-based study from Karolinska Institutet and the University of Oxford. The results have been published in PLOS Medicine.

Hi Yang Gao, PhD student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On February 24 you will defend your thesis "Alzheimer Disease: Subcellular Aβ mechanisms and treatment strategies", what is the main focus of the thesis?

On January 26th, the Centre for Health Crises welcomed a distinguished panel of both national and international researchers and civil servants to the second KI Contributes seminar. The seminar featured short presentations and discussions around the complex issue of extreme heat, with a focus on how to shape and evaluate heat adaptation plans.

Two KI researchers – Simon Elsässer and Magda Bienko – have been awarded 2022 European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grants totaling four million euro (nearly 45 million Swedish kronor). The funds will support two ambitious basic research projects that aim to further our understanding of the complex nature of our cells.

The Swedish presidency of the EU began in the new year and so much is evident, especially when it comes to issues of healthcare. Anna Martling, chief physician and professor of surgery at Karolinska Institutet, will be leading the EU Cancer Congress, which kicks off in Stockholm on 1 February.

Five separate evacuation drills were carried out between 12-15 December 2022. The evacuation drills were documented by the Facility Management team and the reception in Biomedicum to better analyse the organisation’s current status, deficiency and needs.

Anna Bergström is the new head of the Institute for Environmental Medicine (IMM).

In the afternoon on the following dates the evacuation alarm will be tested, whole or in part.
More information will come closer to the test date:

2023-02-13
2023-05-10
2023-08-11
2023-11-13

In September 2O22 the HoliCare project was launched under the coordination of KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden and gathering 14 partners across Africa and Europe including Karolinska Institutet. The project’s ambition is to tackle the challenge of diagnostics, treatment and prevention of Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs), the leading cause of death in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs).

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate levels of inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Symptoms of ADHD often persist into adulthood and psychiatric comorbidities as well as adverse somatic outcomes can emerge across the lifespan.

Memories to cherish, new friends, and a fantastic experience. Aurora Hirvonen and Lorete Krasniqi are two KI students who went on exchange during their studies at KI. Their description of their respective exchange experience is inspiring and also award-winning. They recently got chosen for KI's best travel report 2021/2022.

The Purchase and Procurement Unit offers basic education in procurement.

Prostate cancer is a major global health concern and is the most common cancer-related cause of death in Sweden. Prostate cancer screening using PSA reduces prostate cancer mortality but also leads to significant overdiagnosis and overtreatment of low-risk cancers. The pathological evaluation of prostate biopsies determines the therapeutic course of treatment for prostate cancer patients.

In this digital course you´ll get a brief overview of the process and suggestions of how you can structure your dialogues. You´ll also find links to all steering- and supportive documents regarding the process. 

Dads are more likely to feel depressed when their kids are toddlers if their coparenting relationships are poor in the months after birth, a new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows. The findings are published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet have compared high dose exercise therapy versus low dose in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. The study published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine show that both groups had similar results. However, high dose exercise therapy provided superior outcomes related to function in sports and recreation in the short term, with results subsiding after six months.

KI follows the national trend of more applicants to 2023 year’s international master’s educations compared to 2022.

On January 27 Emma Cedstrand presents her thesis "Evaluating occupational health interventions: design, implementation, and effects".

Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet are creating Sweden’s first innovation environment for the development of precision medicine technologies. The decision to establish a join innovation environment for healthcare, research and precision medicine technologies in Solna and Huddinge is a vital step in growing the field of precision medicine.

Hi Sandra af Winklerfelt Hammarberg, PhD student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On February 17 you will defend your thesis "Aspects of common mental disorders in primary care" what is the main focus of the thesis?

An internal investigation has been carried out following the incident that occurred on 17 November 2022, when the evacuation alarm with spoken message was activated due to a smoke-filled microwave on floor 5, in Biomedicum.

From January 1st, 2023, the Swedish government has changed the regulations regarding which categories of international students and researchers that may be offered accommodation from the universities.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

Due to planned system maintenance, the bibliometrics system will not be available from Tuesday 24/1 at 13:00 to Wednesday 25/1 at approximately 13.00. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Nataliia Petryk ran a private clinic in Kyiv helping women give birth when she was forced to flee Ukraine when Russia invaded her country. By following a call by the European Research Council for EU teams to take in Ukrainian scientists, she is now able to conduct research to prevent miscarriage at Karolinska Institutet. Her experience is an example of how science knows no borders.

Welcome Erik Pettersson, new Educational administrator at the Department of Medicne, Huddinge (MedH). Erik started on January 9th 2023 and is filling in for Josefine Berg who is on parental leave. Erik will mainly work with administration for the new medical program (läkarprogrammet).

Biomedicum’s own choir, Biomusicum, now welcomes new members. The choir is open for all staff and students at Biomedicum and both beginners and experienced singers are welcome. No previous experience required. If you have always wondered about singing in a choir, but have never taken the step, then this is your opportunity!

Who actually needs protein shakes? Tommy Lundberg, researcher in physiology, clears up misconceptions about a controversial nutrient.

From the 31 January 2023, all new clinical trials shall be registered in the EU-joint web portal Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS). CTIS is replacing the old web portal EudraCT. Everything regarding the clinical trial is now managed in one system, compared to the previous procedure for clinical trials applications.

Welcome to Marcus Dahlquist's doctoral thesis defence on Friday 27 January 2023 at 9:00 in aulan, Danderyds hospital.

High levels of mucosal IgA antibodies in the airways protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least eight months. Omicron infection generates durable mucosal antibodies, reducing the risk of re-infection. These are the findings of a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital in Sweden. The results raise further hope for the feasibility of future nasal vaccine platforms to protect against infection.

The world is quickly approaching a tipping point when it comes to preventing many of the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. We see the effects of it on the environment and our planet, and in recent years the discussion on the effects of climate change on human health has grown. But what do we know about the effects on children? Doctoral student Daniel Helldén, presents at the Global Child Health conference organized by University of Calgary.