News archive

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have studied the mechanism of action of a drug used to treat multiple sclerosis. The results, which are published in the journal Nature Communications, show that the drug affects cells in the innate immune system and that there is an unexpected link between therapeutic effect and an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species.

Extra support for parents led to better weight development in young children with obesity than current standard treatment, researchers from Karolinska Institutet report. The researchers hope that the results, which are published in the journal Pediatrics, can help to improve care for families with very young children with obesity.

A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that the protein alpha-synuclein, which accumulates in patients with Parkinson’s disease, occurs bound to lipoprotein particles in cerebrospinal fluid, which may explain how the disease spreads in the nervous system. The study is published in the scientific journal PNAS.

The American Journal of Sports Medicine has nominated the paper “Operative Repair of Medial Patellofemoral Ligament Injury Versus Knee Brace in Children With an Acute First-Time Traumatic Patellar Dislocation: A Randomized Controlled Trial” to the most outstanding paper of the year 2018.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a new mechanism behind the immunological activation in atherosclerosis. The results are expected to lead to new treatment options for cardiovascular disease.

As part of the EU Horizon 2020 funded project IMPACT TB, Knut Lönnroth, Olivia Biermann and Kerri Viney from the Department of Public Health Sciences participated in the IMPACT TB consortium meeting and policy dialogue in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The standard treatment for aggressive skin cancer is to surgically remove the tumour. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now show that a 2 cm operational margin is sufficient, as opposed to the close to 4 cm margin previously applied by surgeons. For the study, which is published in The Lancet, the researchers monitored over 900 patients for an average span of 19 years after surgery.

In June six master candidates successfully defended their thesis and passed the examination.

Karolinska Institutet is granted funding from Vinnova to start a new centre of excellence. The centre will focus on developing next-generation immunotherapy based on NK-cells for the treatment of cancer.

Patients who have undergone surgical replacement of the heart’s aortic valve have a shorter life expectancy than the normal population, the loss in life expectancy being particularly marked in the young. This according to a registry study published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

The risk of suicide attempts and suicides among individuals with autism spectrum disorders is significantly higher than among the population in general. An especially high risk of suicidal behaviour is noted among women who in addition to autism also have ADHD. These are the findings of a population-based study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the journal Psychological Medicine.

On July 3, Professor Jonas F Ludvigsson will participate in a seminar in Almedalen. At the seminar, participants will discuss the government investigation ”complementary and alternative medicine” (the KAV report), which was handed to the Swedish government in May this year.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found a way of using gene expression conserved across species to divide patients with the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis into two distinct groups. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications, and the researchers hope that the method can also be used to subdivide other autoimmune diseases.

Lung cancer cells use antioxidants, endogenous or dietary, to spread in the body by activating a protein called BACH1 and increasing the uptake and use of sugar, Swedish and American researchers report in two independent studies. The studies, which are published in the eminent scientific journal Cell, pave the way for new therapeutic strategies for lung cancer.

Jenny Löfgren from the group Vascular Surgery, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, has together with researchers from Ghana, USA and Sweden, conducted a study on inguinal hernia surgery recently published in JAMA Surgery. The study shows no statistically significant differences in inguinal hernia surgery completed by medical doctors vs. surgeons.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have studied which genes are expressed in overactive immune cells in mice with asthma-like inflammation of the airways. Their results, which are published in the journal Immunity, suggest that the synthesis and breakdown of fats plays an important part in the process.

Patients with biliary tract cancer have altered genetic architecture in some immune system receptor systems. This has been shown by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden in a new study published in the journal Gastroenterology. It is hoped that the discovery will lead to new effective immunotherapy for these difficult to treat tumour types.

Using a method called Mendelian randomisation, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that there is a causal association between high BMI and several heart and blood vessel diseases, especially if the fat mass is high. The greatest risk increase was observed for a condition known as aortic valve stenosis. The study is published in the European Heart Journal.

Gonçalo Castelo Branco, at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, is leading one of 38 projects that received a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Seed Networks for the Human Cell Atlas grant. The project, investigating how oligodendrocytes can be different in the human brain and spinal cord, will be part of the Human Cell Atlas, a global consortium of scientists whose mission is to create comprehensive reference maps of all human cells.

Good news! 9 researchers from ANA Futura received CIMED grant 2020-2022.

KI-researcher Åsa Wheelock has been awarded a grant of SEK 15 million for molecular research on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) has distributed 2 MSEK during 2019 to support a collaborative project between Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm.

The grants are distributed over three years: 2010-2022.

Mikael Rydén and Paul Petrus, Unit for Endocrinology and Diabetes have in collaboration with researchers from the University of British Columbia conducted a study on Type 2 diabetes, published in EBiomedicine.

Per Södersten's long term research at NVS has been translated into treatment of patients with anorexia and other eating disorders in collaboration with Cecilia Bergh since 1993. Starting from nothing, the Mandometer Clinic has grown over the years. The treatment is based on neuroscience and has been evaluated in clinical studies and the results have been verified in large groups of patients.

Laura Kremer, postdoc in Nils-Göran Larsson’s research group at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics has received an EMBO Long-Term Fellowship to study basic mechanisms for the inheritance of mitochondrial DNA in mammals. The fellowship runs over 24 months.

A symposium to discuss the role of family caregivers and how they can be supported in caring of older persons was held on May 16 and organized by the research group “Caring in Community Care”, Division of Nursing.

Birgitta Henriques Normark, Rickard Sandberg and Sten Eirik Jacobsen have been elected as members of the EMBO organization.

INFRAFRONTIER is the European Research Infrastructure for phenotyping and archiving of model mammalian genomes. The INFRAFRONTIER Research Infrastructure provides access to first-class tools and data for biomedical research, and thereby contributes to improving the understanding of gene function in human health and disease using the mouse model.

Antibodies that exist in the joints before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis can cause pain even in the absence of arthritis, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report. The researchers believe that the finding, which is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, can represent a general mechanism in autoimmunity and that the results can facilitate the development of new ways of reducing non-inflammatory pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Muhammad Irfan from the research group Growth and Metabolism will defend his thesis "Roles of SNAP-25 isoforms in activity-dependent long-term synaptic plasticity" on June 19th, 2019. Main Supervisor is Christina Bark

News stories on medical research are affected by the quality of university press releases, but both sources often omit important information about the actual scientific study described, researchers from Karolinska Institutet report in the journal PLOS ONE.

The Svedbergpriset 2019 is awarded to Magda Bienko for her studies on how our DNA is organized in the cell nucleus and how this affects the expression of genes in different cell types in our body.

Dr Kostas Stamatopoulos has been appointed Visiting Professor at the research group Clinical Genetics, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, from June 1st, 2019.

Neither the sex nor pregnancy history of red blood cell donors appear to influence the risk of death among patients who receive their blood, according to a large observational study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet. These findings, published in JAMA, suggest that current red blood cell transfusion practice is safe.

Memories of events, episodic memory, is better amongst women compared to men, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have found in a new overview published in the scientific journal Psychological Bulletin. However, results vary depending on what is to be remembered.

Professor Klas Kärre from MTC has been awarded the HM King Carl XVI Gustaf medal for his outstanding contribution to medical research.

The medal was presented at an award ceremony at the royal palace on Monday June 10th.

People with undetected glucose disorders run a higher risk of both myocardial infarction and periodontitis, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The results demonstrate the need of greater collaboration between dentistry and healthcare, say the researchers, and possibly of screening for diabetes at dental clinics.

KI work actively to try to raise awareness within KI regarding agenda 2030, and to strengthen the work with environment and sustainable development at campus. One of KIs environment and sustainable development goals is that waste should be reduced and recycled.

Cells prepare for different developmental paths and make multiple choices on their way to their final state, a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Harvard Medical School and elsewhere published in Science shows. The findings can help pinpoint where cells may “take the wrong turn” and become malignant.

ParkWell is a Swedish self-tracking app for improving neurology visits for Parkinson’s disease.

Christina Dalman and Kyriaki Kosidou, research group Epidemiology of Psychiatric Conditions, Substance use and Social Environment (EPiCSS), have together with researchers in Manchester estimated the prevalence of children and adolescents exposed to maternal mental illness in the UK between 2005 and 2017.

Hi Mahmod Panahi, PhD-student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics. On 14 June you will defend your thesis ”Cadasil: a pure model for studying cerebral small vessel disease”, what's the main focus of the thesis?

Jorge Ruas has, as one of four, been awarded the Ascending Investigator grant (10 MDKK) by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Alice Costantini from the research group Clinical Genetics will defend her thesis "Genetic causes and molecular mechanisms underlying rare metabolic bone diseases" on June 14th, 2019. Main Supervisor is Outi Mäkitie.

An interview with the NVS's delegates at the South Africa-Sweden University Forum Research & Innovation Week.

People who inject drugs and who are female, homeless or amphetamine users often share needles and syringes, and consequently run a higher risk of infection hepatitis C virus infection that affect the liver. However, as a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet demonstrates, early contact with a needle-exchange programme can have a protective effect.