News archive

Our skin contains specialised long-lived killer cells that protect against intruders. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Copenhagen have now identified how these cells are formed, and shown that high levels of memory killer cells in cancer tissue correlate with a better survival rate in people with melanoma. The study is published in the journal Immunity.

KI is invited by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Singapore to nominate participants to the Global Young Scientists Summit in Singapore 8 – 12 January 2024.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that recombinant spider silk protein hydrogels have many attractive features. They allow encapsulation of cells and bioactive molecules simply by incubation at 37°C. They are transparent, which allows monitoring of encapsulated cells, and the fibrillar network mimics that of the extracellular matrix. The mechanical properties of these hydrogels match those of different tissues, and the gels can be used for continuous drug release.

Kristina Ösund will start her position as Head of Administration at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology on 14 August.

An estimated 150 KI employees took the opportunity to meet President Annika Östman Wernerson, Vice President Martin Bergö and University Director Veronika Sundström at two open dialogue meetings at the end of May. The conversations ranged over a wide variety of topics, such as resource distribution, skills supply, cooperation and security.

Hi there Jing Wu! You are about to defend your thesis entitled “Ambient Air Pollution and Transportation Noise: How They Affect Mental Health in Older Adults”. Could you tell us a little bit more about it?

Anna Wredenberg, Principal researcher in the Division of Molecular Metabolism at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at KI, has received a grant from Novo Nordisk; the Ascending Investigator Grant - Endocrinology and Metabolism 2023.

Welcome Patricia Degnell - new Financal controller at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) since May 2023. Patricia is part of the Economy team at the Central Administration at C2:94 in the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge.

Jenny Mjösberg at the Department of Medicine in Huddinge at Karolinska Institutet, receives the 2023 Eric K. Fernström Prize for young, promising and successful researchers, for her outstanding research on the role of innate lymphoid cells in various diseases.

There are many things going on at the moment, regarding sustainable development at NVS. Emma Swärdh and Sumonto Mitra have an ambitious commitment, which has led to several concrete results such as a survey, action plan and website.

In the largest survey to date, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have studied how diseases of the aortic valve affect prognosis in patients with various types of heart failure. The study was published in the European Journal of Heart Failure. Shared first authors are sisters Angiza and Bahira Shahim, who also presented the results of the study at the Heart Failure International Conference in Prague.

Older people with ischemic heart disease have an increased long-term risk of dementia and accelerated cognitive decline. A recent study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, suggests that the heart, the brain, and cognitive function are connected in the ageing process and that appropriate prevention and treatment of ischemic heart disease in older people might reduce the burden of dementia.

The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte) is allocating over SEK 91 million to KI research on elderly wellbeing and future working life. One of the researchers, who is to receive SEK 24 million, is Associate Professor Carin Håkansta at Karolinska Institutet and Karlstad University, who will be examining how the working environment is affected when some managerial tasks are taken over by algorithms.

Hi Nathalie Frisendahl, PhD student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On June 16 you will defend your thesis ”Injurious falls in older adults: early identification of individuals at risk of falls—from observational studies to implementation”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

The SiiUss project (Sustainability, Inclusiveness, Integration for University Support Services), is a collaborative initiative between Karolinska Institutet and the University of the Philippines Diliman. The project introduces the SiiUss course, a learning platform designed to enhance professional development and foster sustainability, inclusiveness, and integration within university support services. The course just started with participants from both universities.

In a recently published study, researchers at the Institute for Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet show that girls with childhood asthma or food allergies are at increased risk of premenstrual disorders in adulthood.

This year marks one hundred years since Frederick Banting and John MacLeod were awarded the Nobel prize for the discovery of insulin. The discovery has saved the lives of millions of people with diabetes worldwide, but the price is also one of the most debated. In their photo documentary, Professors Lars Rydén and Jan Lindsten talk about the history of the discovery, the problems associated with the award, and the importance the findings have had for today's treatment of diabetes.

In a nationwide Swedish study involving more than 12,000 individuals with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), researchers found a significantly increased risk of severe infections requiring hospital admission. The study was published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

The KI Housing office is closed on Monday, June 5, and Tuesday, June 6, due to the Swedish National Day holiday (on June 6). If you have any urgent maintenance issues when the office is closed, we ask you to use the on-call service for your area.

Hanna Karlsson and Sara Widén are the first ever recipients of KI’s new Sustainability Award, which they have earned in recognition of their efforts to support the KI faculty on issues of sustainability.

Research Network 'KI Lifestyle4Health' collaborates with the University Library to create KI authors- MeSH terms networks.

All Ladok users need to upgrade their user accounts (KI-ID) to a higher authentication assurance level before 1 July for continued access.

In FORTE's call in the field of Elderly 2023 (Knowledge and working methods for a more equal, dignified and participatory ageing), four researchers at NVS and one affiliated researcher will share just over SEK 60 million. NVS congratulates them all!

Since attending KI’s capacity-building programme for leaders in women’s and children’s health, Tiwonge Gondwe-Mwangonde has used knowledge gained from the course to reduce the incidence of birth injuries in Malawi. She is now launching a new training programme for the region’s midwives.

Researchers at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) have been granted funding from the Kamprad Family Foundation.

At the Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals' team meeting May 17, students supervised by team members were invted to present their thesis. All students gave excellent presentations on various topics within global health, followed by questions and discussion in the team. Thank you to all the students that joined us to present and congratultions on your great work.

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

A new study demonstrates that the dietary fatty acid gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) derived from the mother's milk triggers a metabolic shift essential for heart cell maturation in newborn mice. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet contributed to the study published in Nature in May 2023.

While the relevance for human heart development still needs to be addressed, GLA is found in human breast milk and the GLA-activated nuclear receptors are highly conserved between mice and humans.

Hi Jakob Norgren, PhD student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On June 12 you will defend your thesis ”The impact of macronutritional composition and ketosis on cognitive health : from normal aging to Alzheimer’s disease”, what is the main focus of the thesis?

Students from the study programmes in nursing, radiography, medicine and psychology attended the new elective course in Sustainable Health and Development, 7.5 credits, which is offered for the first time in the spring term of 2023. The course is developed by the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health, which is a cooperation between KI and Makerere University.

Bipolar disorder underlies roughly five percent of all suicides among young people. Previous studies also show that there is often a long delay between the onset of bipolarism and its correct diagnosis and treatment. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now show that fewer boys commit suicide in Swedish regions where bipolar diagnoses are more common. The study, which is published in JAMA Psychiatry, could contribute to more proactive care for reducing the number of suicides.

Graduation time at Karolinska Institutet. At KI, more than a thousand students graduate this summer. We asked some of them what they are going to do after graduation and, of course, asked them to share some of their favourite memories from their time as a KI-student.

We would like to remind you never to leave your belongings out of sight.

Professor Stefan Swartling Peterson was invited to present on “prevention” in Warsaw, Poland, as the World Bank’s Anna Koziel organized a seminar May 19th to inspire prevention stakeholders from Poland and Western Ukraine. The challenge is to conceive an Non Communicable Disease prevention agenda that involves more than health care and to develop Primary Health Care. We foresee further collaboration opportunities as this initiative develops.

The Aging Research Center at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with the National Competence Centre for Relatives (Nka), is launching a nationwide survey to gain a better understanding of the characteristics of older informal caregivers in Sweden.

Terese Stenfors and Lena Engqvist Boman are awarded the 2023 prize in recognition of their many years of contribution to excellent educational leadership in KI's educational activities. The prize will be officially awarded at KI’s installation ceremony, which is to be held in Aula Medica in October 2023.

Therese Scott Duncan, postdoc at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, is in a new study investigating how Lead Patients self-care has been received by healthcare professionals. The study, ”Empowered patients and informal caregivers as partners? A survey study of healthcare professionals’ perceptions”, is published in BMC Health Services Research.

In a nationwide Swedish study of more than 12,000 patients with microscopic colitis (MC), researchers from Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet found an increased risk of acute pancreatitis compared to the general population. The study has been published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Movement and physical activity were in focus when the KI Impact Challenge event was arranged for the first time after the pandemic. About 45 students from Karolinska Institutet were tasked to come up with what is needed to make young people become more physically active. To help them, they had 30 high school students and the various steps in design thinking, a systematic problem-solving method.

Are you planning an event for the fall of 2023 being aimed at the public? Schedule it to 2 to 9 October and be marketed as part of Nobel Calling Stockholm! Nobel Calling Stockholm offers inspiring events and educational meetings in the spirit of knowledge.

Vaccines against smallpox given until the mid-1970s offer continuing cross-reactive immunity to mpox (previously known as monkeypox), researchers from Karolinska Institutet report in a study published in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.

A new Swedish study on the etiology of neuromuscular disorders has been published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Neurology. The study was carried out by researchers in the Rare Diseases group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with doctors at Karolinska University Hospital.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a molecular method able to detect whether or not bacteria respond to antibiotics within minutes. The findings are presented in the journal Nature Microbiology and the researchers now hope to develop a simple test for doctors to use.

This year’s Grand Silver Medals are awarded to Göran K Hansson och Jan-Inge Henter. The medal can be awarded to a person who has made tremendous efforts to support the activities of Karolinska Institutet’s mission and is awarded during the installation ceremony in Aula Medica on October 12.

Karolinska Institutet awards grants from a large number of foundations and funds. The foundations and funds award research and travel grants.

Unit for Teaching and Learning organizes two courses about teaching at an international university. You can now apply to the courses given during the Autumn term.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have found further evidence for how the Epstein-Barr virus can trigger multiple sclerosis or drive disease progression. A study published in Science Advances shows that some individuals have antibodies against the virus that mistakenly attack a protein in the brain and spinal cord.

The first-ever career program at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is now launching! The program aims to help junior researchers/postocs to advance their career within research and academia. Applications are open between 17 May and 8 June 2023.

The European University of Brain and Technology, NeurotechEU, of which Karolinska Institutet is one of nine partners, is pleased to announce the availability of ten competitive funds for short-term travel for faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, students and/or trainees between the partner institutions to plan or conduct collaborative projects.