News archive

The occurrence of microscopic colitis in Sweden has risen steadily over the past decades, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. The findings show that the disease is more common than previously recognised and affects mainly older adults, especially women.

The first stage of the migration from Kaltura (My Media/Media Gallery in Canvas) to Canvas Studio is now complete. Your videos have been copied to your personal Studio library, in a collection: “Migrated videos [username]”.
The next stage will be Search and replace, where existing Kaltura links and embeds in Canvas will be replaced with the corresponding Canvas Studio videos.

KI Health Hub offers free bike servicing on campus, to encourage physical activity and sustainable transportation habits.

On 1 May, Ann Christin von Vogelsang will assume the role of Head of the Divisionof Nursing at NVS. She sees the assignment as both rewarding and demanding and highlights the importance of education, research, and good working conditions.

Elli Mouchtaridi from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), defends her thesis titled "Adaptation of human MAIT cells to tissue site and cytokine cues in the microenvironment", on 8 May 2026. Main supervisor is Johan Sandberg.

The 2026 Karolinska Institutet Employee Survey has now been completed. The response rate was 68 per cent, providing a robust basis for continued dialogue and development of KI’s organisation and working environment. Overall, the results indicate stability and consistently high levels across several key areas.

For a week, a conference room at the old Långholmen prison in Stockholm and the lawn outside were transformed into the fictional country of Marconia, when Sweden’s new emergency medical team initative met to conduct a training exercise. The week-long exercise was planned and carried out by the research group Global Disaster Medicine Karolinska Institutet (KI), which is a designated centre of expertise in the field by the National Board of Health and Welfare.

Treating pregnancy-related iron deficiency anaemia with a one-time iron infusion provides better health outcomes and greater value than standard iron tablets, according to a new study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health. The findings may help guide healthcare decisions in low-resource settings.

A health impact assessment from the Institute of Environmental Medicine shows that proposed changes to Sweden’s traffic noise regulations could lead to adverse health effects. The proposal, developed by the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, includes removing the requirement for a quiet side in noise-exposed dwellings.

People with severe asthma have nearly twice the risk of dying prematurely compared to other asthma patients. This is shown in a new study published in the European Respiratory Journal.

This year, the Swedish Rheumatism Association is awarding almost SEK 14 million in funding for research into rheumatic diseases. One third of the funded projects are being carried out at Karolinska Institutet.

An enzyme in the liver may partly explain sex differences in the body’s handling of cholesterol and the risk of developing atherosclerosis. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, based on experiments conducted in mice and human liver cells.

Small abnormalities in blood sugar, blood lipids and inflammation several years before pregnancy are linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy and pre-eclampsia, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The findings may contribute to earlier risk assessment and preventive measures in antenatal care.

Low doses of the investigational medicinal product endoxifen reduce breast density to the same extent as the standard treatment tamoxifen, but without causing such troublesome side effects. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The results may have implications for future preventive treatment of breast cancer.

MINI is a tool for structured interviews available for support in diagnosing psychiatric conditions within healthcare. At present, KI advises against using this tool as there is uncertainty regarding the licensing requirements.

After nearly four decades as a photographer at Karolinska Institutet, Ulf Sirborn is retiring. In a photo exhibition in BZ, he now shares moments from his photographic life – and the stories behind the images. The exhibition will be on display throughout the semester, until June.

Stefanie Renken from Vecura presented her talk, “Clinical Manufacturing of Gene-Modified NK Cells for Allogeneic Therapy,” at a full day conference organized by Flemingsberg Science in Campus Huddinge.

From 1 May, a new framework agreement with Dustin will apply for the purchase of licences and cloud services. The framework agreement has been signed jointly with other higher education institutions and replaces the previous framework agreement with SoftwareONE.

On Earth Day 2026, the Student Association for Sustainability hosted a conference featuring lectures and an interdisciplinary panel discussion under the theme Community visions for tomorrow. Three PhD students from the Global Child Health & the Sustainable Development Goals group contributed by sharing research insights and engaging in discussions on sustainability, health equity, and climate vulnerable contexts.

During one week in April, Emelie Norke visited the Global Child Health and the Sustainable Development Goals research group as a PRAO student, under the supervision of Carina King and Jill Åhs. At the end of her placement, she shared her experiences and reflections from the week.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with colleagues at The Scripps Research Institute and Emory University, have developed a new vaccine strategy that has generated antibodies capable of neutralising highly divergent HIV variants. The study, published in the journal Nature, provides new insights into how the immune system can be guided towards a particularly protected part of the virus.

Problems with Tortalk as a pedagogical accommodations for students with disabilities during digital exams have been noticed lately. Now there is a temporary solution that can be used by students during a digital exam.

A genetic alteration that is already routinely analysed in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia can be used to identify patients who respond to a new targeted therapy, according to a study published in the journal Discover Oncology.

“What We Saw in Gaza” was the title of a seminar organised on 21 April by the Centre for Health Crises and the research group Global Disaster Medicine – Health Needs and Response. Researchers and healthcare professionals who had recently been working in humanitarian healthcare in Gaza, shared their experiences and answered the many questions posed by the engaged audience. The closing words – never to accept that a situation like this becomes normalised – echoed through the hall.

Healthcare professionals, artists, and cultural experts from across the Nordic and Baltic regions gathered in Stockholm on April 20–21 2026, for the second Nordic–Baltic seminar on art in hospital environments. Hosted at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, the event focused on how art can enhance well-being for patients, families, and healthcare staff.

Every year, the Bengt Fridlund Prize is awarded to an individual who has made a significant scientific contribution in the field of cardiovascular medicine. This year’s recipient of the prize is Andreas Claesson, who works at the Department of Clinical Science and Education at Södersjukhuset.

A new research project at Karolinska Institutet will examine whether digital interventions can help parents manage anger in everyday life and thereby prevent negative consequences for children.

The Autism Research Network at Karolinska Institutet (AutNetKI) warmly congratulates our member Miriam Martini on receiving an award from the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) for her doctoral thesis.

The KI Housing office will be closed on the 1st of May.

KI researcher Mai‑Lis Hellenius has been named the winner in the Health category of the Most Promising Over 60 award 2026. She receives the award in recognition of her long‑standing and dedicated work to make research on lifestyle and health understandable, relevant, and accessible to a broad audience.

Forte has announced long-term funding for two national research centres aimed at strengthening knowledge on care and support for people living with dementia. One of the centres, Tracedem – KI Transdisciplinary Research Center for Personalized Dementia Prevention & Care, has been operating at Karolinska Institutet since January 2026.

Elections for academic representatives to KI’s collegial bodies are taking place between 28 April and 3 May. Around 180 candidates were nominated for the elections to the Faculty Board and the committees, and 22 seats are to be filled. Find the full candidate list below.

The sun glittered over Stockholm City Hall and the waters of Lake Mälaren as 143 doctoral graduates and two honorary doctors were conferred in the Blue Hall on Friday 24 April. During the ceremony, they received their hats and were celebrated with strings, singing and a cannon salute, before the festivities continued with a banquet in the Golden Hall.

Laura Bub from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), defends her thesis titled "Regulation of lung macrophage differentiation and function by cholesterol metabolites", on 29 April 2026. Main supervisor is Tim Willinger.

Federico Iovino has been awarded a five-year consolidator grant from Karolinska Institutet for his research on bacterial infections that affect the brain. The funding will enable long-term planning in studies of conditions such as meningitis and encephalitis.

Professor Anna Martling at Karolinska Institutet has been elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Surgical Association (ASA), one of the world’s most prestigious surgical organisations. The election was conferred at the ASA Annual Meeting in Seattle on 23 April 2026.

Are you a student at KI and would like to share your views on environmental and sustainability issues in a focus group? You’ll receive a cinema ticket as a thank you for taking part!

The first phase of the external evaluation of research at Karolinska Institutet has now been completed. The review is conducted by an international expert panel, which highlights the need for a clearer strategic framework, stronger internal communication, and further development of leadership and career pathways.

Older people, particularly women, who start treatment with thiazide-type diuretics are at increased risk of developing low sodium levels in the blood. This is shown by a large registry study from the Karolinska Institutet published in the journal JAMA Network Open.

What does an anthro-ethnologist and zoonotic virologists have in common? In the case of those who attended the Nordic Universities Health Crises Network’s two-day meeting at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in April, the common denominator was that they work in areas that connects research and policy, with a special focus on crisis. The meeting explored how universities can remain relevant during crises and strengthen societal engagement, so that they can be a supportive partner to the rest of society

New clues from genetic research may help explain what causes the most common heart defect present at birth. Researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska Institutet have identified rare DNA changes during fetal development that can lead to the aortic valve forming with only two cusps instead of three, a condition known as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV).

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that gene analysis of breast cancer tumours can identify patients who do not benefit from chemotherapy given before surgery. The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, could in the long term contribute to more personalised treatment.

Amanda Andersson-Rolf at Karolinska Institutet has been awarded the Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant 2026. With this funding, she will study acinar cells in the pancreas – research that may contribute to new treatments for pancreatitis.

The Activity Report 2023–2025 provides an overview of ARC’s multidisciplinary research on brain ageing, dementia, mental health, geroscience, multimorbidity, frailty, health inequalities, care organisation, and social relations in older age.

Adopted children who have grown up in more favourable family environments than their siblings are at lower risk of mental health issues, criminality and social problems – benefits that, in some cases, extend to the next generation. These are the findings of a new study of Swedish siblings published in The BMJ.

Blood protein levels change markedly already during childhood and adolescence, and differences between girls and boys become increasingly pronounced with age. This is shown by a new study in Nature Communications from Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with colleagues from SciLifeLab and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The results suggest that blood protein levels change over the course of a lifetime, rendering adult reference values inadequate for children and adolescents.

How do you design, plan and conduct a successful clinical study? This question was at the centre of a well-attended seminar on statistical and practical methods in clinical studies, jointly organised for researchers at Karolinska Institutet and within Region Stockholm.

Torbjörn Tomson, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, has been awarded the European Epileptology Award. The award is presented by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), and Tomson is receiving it in recognition of his work to advance knowledge of anti-epileptic drugs and epilepsy during pregnancy, amongst other achievements.

Autism and ADHD are defined based on diagnostic criteria that focus on difficulties. In a new doctoral thesis at Karolinska Institutet, psychologist Lovisa Alehagen shows how a focus on everyday functioning can provide a more comprehensive picture of the individual, using the WHO classification ICF and a digital platform for functional assessment.

Are you planning an event for autumn 2026 being aimed at the public? Schedule it between 5 to 12 October and be a part of Nobel Calling Stockholm. A week that offers inspiring events and educational meetings in the spirit of knowledge.