News archive

Only about five per cent of the babies born to mothers with hepatitis C are themselves infected by the disease. A possible reason for this low figure is that the baby’s immune system has already destroyed the virus before birth. A new study from researchers at KI and published in tje journal Gut reveals clear adaptations of the uninfected babies’ immune system that can lead the way to new treatment methods.

Märta Dahlström, PhD-student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On April 30, 2020 you will defend your thesis: "Drug discovery targeting non-amyloid pathways in Alzheimer’s disease", what's the main focus of the thesis?

Physical exercise can act prophylactically for people with the metabolic syndrome and protect them against cardiovascular diseases, a new study from the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, GIH, and Karolinska Institutet published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reports. Even light physical exercise has been shown to have good prophylactic effects, for both women and men.

During the new coronavirus outbreak many researchers at Karolinska Institutet are contributing their competence and views to the public flow of information. Sharing knowledge is important. But researchers, particularly, must also base their reasoning on facts and express themselves clearly, including about matters of uncertainty, says Jan Albert, professor of infectious disease control at Karolinska Institutet and convenor of KI’s COVID-19 expert team.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have together with researchers in China developed a new diagnostic test for COVID-19. The test can be performed without advanced laboratory equipment and deliver the result in about half an hour, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Chemistry. The researchers are now working on verifying the test results on confirmed COVID-19 patients at the Karolinska University Hospital.

Patricia Eustachio Colombo, doctoral student with the Department of Global Public Health at KI, is first author of the cross-sectional study based on data from the Swedish national dietary survey “Riksmaten ungdom” published in Public Health Nutrition.

Christina Dintica, PhD-student at the Division of Aging Research Center. On May 8, 2020 you will defend your thesis: "Oral health & olfactory function : what can they tell us about cognitive ageing?", what's the main focus of the thesis?

The enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), an essential component for the de novo pyrimidine ribonucleotide biosynthesis, has reemerged in the last few years as a target for the development of small molecules with anticancer and antiviral activity.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with a lab in San Antonio USA, have uncovered how a specific population of lymphocytes promotes autoimmune disease by giving up their regulatory role in the immune system. The newly discovered mechanism is published in PNAS from research led by Dr. Saikiran Sedimbi and Prof. Mikael Karlsson.

The outbreak of the new corona virus is the cause of much anxiety, an anxiety that can lead to insomnia. Yet sleep is essential to our mental and physical health. Two psychologists at Karolinska Institutet have now collected some evidence-based tips for getting a good night’s sleep in the pandemic era.

In order to simplify planning for both teachers and students, the Committee for Higher Education has decided that teaching at the basic and advanced levels will take place via distance for the remainder of the spring term.

Three new honorary doctors have been appointed by the Board of Research at Karolinska Institutet. Pascale Cossart, Sven Hagströmer, and Thomas Sakmar will have their doctorates formally conferred at Stockholm City Hall on 13 November 2020.

Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) have studied whether radiofrequency fields from mobile phone use affect sleep.

Hi there Luke Woodham. You recently defended your thesis "Exploring the impact of virtual patient design: medical students' small group learning around medical error". Can you tell us what it is about?

We’re to keep a physical distance to reduce the risk of infection, but it’s now on an emotional level that we need to get closer” says Danuta Wasserman, director of the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet.

On 8 April, Matilda Ernkrans, Minister for Higher Education and Research, visited KI and SciLifeLab, which are coordinating a major COVID-19 diagnosis and research initiative. Under the direction of KI’s president, the Minister observed, amongst other things, how a laboratory at KI is built up to increase its analysis capacity for the testing of hospital staff and patients.

Karolinska Institutet’s president Ole Petter Ottersen has set up a resource team for research ethics in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team comprises four experts from KI, one of whom is Niklas Juth, senior lecturer and docent of medical ethics and group convenor.

Children of parents suffering from mental illness have a higher risk of injuries than other children, according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal BMJ. The risk is elevated up to 17 years of age and peaks during the first year of life. The findings highlight the need for parents with mental illness to receive extra support around child injury prevention measures as well as early treatment of mental morbidity among expecting parents.

People with celiac disease have increased risk of dying prematurely, despite increased awareness of the disease in recent years and better access to gluten-free food. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and Columbia University in the U.S. published in the prestigious journal JAMA. Celiac disease was linked to increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease.

Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital are the first institutions in Sweden to be accredited as a Comprehensive Cancer Centre by the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI).

We have lost our former director, colleague and friend, Professor emeritus Folke Sjöqvist, who passed away peacefully on 30 March at the age of 86 after a protracted illness. He is sorely missed by his wife Margareta and four children and their families, as well as friends and colleagues in Sweden and around the world.

The Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) announce Christopher Cederroth as the recipient for The Geraldine Dietz Fox Young Investigator Award at the 2020 ARO Annual MidWinter Meeting. Christopher Cederroth got the prestigious award for his hearing and tinnitus research.

A new method of evaluating and prioritizing treatment for patients with suspected acute stroke, which has been used by the Stockholm health authority since 2017, has led to faster health interventions and better patient care, shows a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Two weeks ago Karolinska Institutet launched two COVID-19 courses in Swedish for care providers, medical personnel and providers of social services and care of elderly as well as personnel working in connection to these services, following a request from the National Board of Health and Welfare. So far over 65 000 people have completed the courses. Now both courses are available in English. The first course is also available in Arabic, Persian and Russian.

The National Board of Health and Welfare annually distributes grants for research aimed at mental illness prevention and treatment of habits of living. This year, the research project “Tobaksavvänjning på recept” (Tobacco Cessation on Prescription) receives 2,3 MSEK.

A drug already tested against lung disease could potentially inhibit COVID-19 by reducing the coronavirus load that enters the lungs and other organs. That is according to a study in human cell cultures and organoids by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, published in the journal Cell.

Karolinska Institutet has now received the test material that will allow scientists to perform 5,000 analyses a day on patient samples. The lab will be ready next week thanks to the swift cooperation of KI researchers and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Qing Shen’s thesis aims to increase our understanding of cancer diagnostic workup, by investigating different stress-related health outcomes during the critical time period of cancer evaluation, diagnosis and treatment, and also provide evidence for a potential effective treatment approach to attenuate excessive risks of stress-related health outcomes.

Through a unique database, KI researchers have been able to study the risk of mortality among people with liver disease caused by too much alcohol. Principal investigator Hannes Hagström, associate professor at the Department of Medicine Huddinge and Solna and co-author Jonas F Ludvigsson, professor at Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics describe the study.

Some mammographic features - breast density, microcalcifications, and masses - are associated with increased breast cancer risk

In a small clinical trial just granted approval, about 30 COVID-19 patients at Karolinska University Hospital may soon begin to receive blood plasma from people who have recovered from the disease. Sweden’s Ethical Review Authority has approved the trial treatment, and its effectiveness will be evaluated in a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Karolinska University Hospital.

The ERC Advanced Grant is one of Europe’s most prestigious programmes for research financing. The grant has now been awarded to Ernest Arenas to tailor dopamine-producing brain cells for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

People continuously exposed to air pollution are at increased risk of dementia, especially if they also suffer from cardiovascular diseases, according to a study at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal JAMA Neurology. Therefore, patients with cardiovascular diseases who live in polluted environments may require additional support from care providers to prevent dementia, according to the researchers.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and St Erik Eye Hospital in Sweden have discovered a way to refine the production of retinal cells from embryonic stem cells for treating blindness in the elderly. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, they have also managed to modify the cells so that they can hide from the immune system to prevent rejection. The studies are published in the scientific journals Nature Communications and Stem Cell Reports.

With rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and a healthcare sector under increasing strain, healthcare personnel can find themselves facing difficult situations and moral challenges. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University have recently published a paper in the journal Prehospital and Disaster Medicine precising what is known about moral distress, its risk and protection factors and likely implications. They also present suggestions about how the adverse effects can be mitigated.

Land allocation competition for housing at Hälsovägen

The National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) wants to raise awareness about the potential increase in suicide and self-harm behavior as a result of the societal impact of the corona pandemic (COVID-19). Risks are linked but not limited to the social, economic and health-related consequences of the pandemic which will continue in the future.

Avectas and Vycellix Announce Collaboration to Advance Next-Generation Solutions for the Optimized Manufacture of Cell & Gene Therapies. NextGenNK catalyzed interaction among its industrial partners to advance NK cell-based immunotherapies

Children infected with the new coronavirus generally have less severe symptoms than adults, they rarely need intensive care and very few child deaths have been reported. This according to a systematic review of COVID-19 in children, based on 45 relevant publications and performed by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The review is published in the scientific journal Acta Paediatrica.

Through cooperation with a Chinese supplier, financial support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and coordination with the healthcare sector, Karolinska Institutet (KI) is taking concrete steps to strengthen healthcare capacity in virus diagnostics.

President of Stockholm City Council, Cecilia Brinck and the President of Karolinska Institutet Ole Petter Ottersen sign today, 23 March, a declaration of intent on a collaboration.

As part of the KI-K* Covid-19 resource group, and its actions towards need for organization of clinical sampling for diagnostics and research, a CIM Covid-19-task force has been established and is currently in full operation to support this action.

Two clinical researchers at KI have been appointed Wallenberg Clinical Scholars 2020. The individual funding of SEK 15 million from Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation provides Anca Catrina and Mikael Rydén with the opportunity to deepen their research and disseminate their results in healthcare.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Basel in Switzerland have produced a mathematical model that shows that the spread of the new coronavirus can decline in the summer and then return in the autumn and winter. The analysis has been published in the scientific journal Swiss Medical Weekly.

Karolinska Institutet has launched COVID-19 courses for care providers and medical personnel following a request from the National Board of Health and Welfare. After one week of intense preparation, two online courses are now available.

Two new studies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden underscore health risks associated with childhood obesity. Children with obesity have a three times higher risk of mortality in early adulthood compared with children in the general population and are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. The findings, published in PLOS Medicine and BMC Medicine, highlight the need to identify specific risk factors for children with obesity and find preventative tools, say the researchers.

Camilla Olofsson from the group Growth and Metabolism will defend her thesis "Diet and postprandial risk markers for complications in type 2 diabetes" on March 20, 2020. Main Supervisor is Neda Rajamand Ekberg.

Congratulations to Professor Jesper Lagergren, from the research group Upper Gastrointestinal Surgery and Professor Pernilla Lagergren, from the research group Surgical Care Science, both at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, who will be awarded the 2020 Hilda and Alfred Eriksson's Prize.

We are born with all the hair follicles that we will ever have in our lives, because after birth the skin loses the ability to create new hair follicles. If our skin is severely damaged it cannot form new hair follicles or associated sebaceous glands essential for keeping the skin moist. But now researchers at the Karolinska Institutet have revealed that controlled activation of the so-called Hedgehog-signaling pathway leads to new formation of hair follicles and hair in mice.

Patients with polyps have a higher risk of colorectal cancer, and those with sessile serrated polyps, tubulovillous adenomas, and villous adenomas had a higher colorectal cancer mortality.