News archive

Shared family factors, such as genes and upbringing, are likely to explain a large part of the link between high screen use and mental health problems in young people. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Human Behaviour.

A digital educational escape room developed through the BalticSeaBioMed collaboration is now available for educators and students. In Saving Alex, players work through a biomedical mystery by uncovering clues, solving problems, and applying scientific reasoning, critical thinking, and ethical judgement.

A nationwide study from Karolinska Institutet shows that genetic testing can identify germline predisposition underlying childhood leukemia. The findings, published in Nature Communications, could help enable more personalized treatment and long-term follow-up.

Johan Björkegren investigates the causes of cardiovascular disease in complex gene-regulatory networks, rather than in individual risk factors.  Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 8 October.

Different autoimmune diseases often share genetic risk factors, but not through a single common genetic vulnerability. In a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and collaborating institutions show that autoimmune diseases instead form genetic clusters that largely reflect the tissues or organs they affect.

Inflammation, altered gene regulation, and exposure to substances in tobacco smoke may all contribute to the development of cluster headache. This is demonstrated by two new studies from Karolinska Institutet, which improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms behind this painful condition.

Two patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) can face very different futures. One may live for decades without needing treatment, while another may develop rapidly progressing disease. In a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Blood Neoplasia, American Society of Hematology, researchers map what distinguishes the two patient groups.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University have developed a new tool that estimates a cell’s biological age by analysing its gene activity. In the journal Advanced Science, they also demonstrate how the tool can be used to identify substances that influence cellular ageing.

A gene variant inherited by modern humans from Neanderthals causes the body’s cells to respond more strongly to growth hormone. In a study published in Current Biology, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and several international universities report that adults who carry the variant have, on average, slightly greater muscle mass.

Children with an inherited variant in the TP53 gene show a high level of adherence to recommended medical surveillance for early cancer detection. At the same time, surveillance often leads to the investigation of suspected findings that ultimately prove to be harmless. This is shown by a new Swedish study from Karolinska Institutet, recently published in the journal Genetics in Medicine.

How do autistic people and their relatives view genetic research? A study published in the journal Autism shows broad support, but also clear concerns about issues such as discrimination and eugenics.
"When my colleagues and I asked autistic people and parents of autistic children in Sweden how they feel about genetic research in autism, one response stood out: ‘I hope genetic research finds new ways to help us, not erase us,’" says Samuelle Fajutrao Falk, researcher at Karolinska Institutet.

Ljubica Matic, Associate Professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a grant from the Leducq Foundation, one of the largest international grants in the field of cardiovascular research. The grant, 9 million USD for totally 5 years, will be used within the international network ATHENA, which brings together researchers from the USA and Europe, and is coordinated by Prof Thomas Quertermous, Stanford and Helle Jørgensen, Cambridge.

Karolinska Institutet and the Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB) at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece, have signed a formal agreement to strengthen and expand their academic cooperation in research, education, and innovation.

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).

Genetic markers may be the key to more precise surveillance programs for individuals with the hereditary cancer syndrome Li-Fraumeni. In a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Alexander Sun Zhang shows how tailored follow-up strategies can reduce the burden on patients, particularly children. These findings have already influenced the Swedish national guidelines.

Older people with a genetic risk of Alzheimer's disease did not experience the expected increase in cognitive decline and dementia risk if they consumed relatively large amounts of meat. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The results may contribute to the development of more individually tailored dietary advice.

New findings from Karolinska Institutet reveal how the gene HNRNPU coordinates several fundamental molecular processes during the earliest stages of human brain development. The study is published in Nucleic Acids Research and helps explain why children with pathogenic variants in HNRNPU often develop severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism, and epilepsy.

A new study from Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University shows suspected small vessel disease in young patients with Wilson’s disease. The study was recently published in Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Richard Rosenquist Brandell has been named Pharmaceutical Profile of the Year 2025 for his dedicated work in building a national infrastructure for precision medicine. The award is presented by Läkemedelsmarknaden in collaboration with Dagens Medicin and Dagens Industri.

A new study shows that children born preterm who are later diagnosed with autism often present with more extensive support needs and a higher number of co-occurring conditions than autistic children born at full term. Surprisingly, however, the researchers found no differences in genetic variants across the genome, nor in specific genes already linked to autism, between the groups – a result that contradicted their initial hypothesis.

Depression in young adulthood has a stronger hereditary component and is associated with a higher risk of suicide attempts than depression that begins later in life, according to a new study published in Nature Genetics by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, among others.

Congratulations to the 5 researchers at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery who have been awarded research grants from the Swedish Cancer Society in the latest call on November 10, 2025.

The arrival of agriculture coincided with a sharp rise in a gene variant that protected against the virus that causes winter vomiting, researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Linköping University report after analysing DNA from over 4,300 prehistoric individuals and cultivating ”mini guts”.

By analyzing large amounts of data, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a system for classifying individuals into different risk groups for atherosclerosis. The results enable early detection of the disease, which can lead to personalized preventive care.

Fatty liver results from overweight and obesity and it is a common disease leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Stefano Romeo is investigating the genetic basis of the diseases to identify novel therapeutic strategies. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.

A new study has identified genetic variants linked to brain function, immune defence and metabolism that contribute to the development of frailty in older people. The study, published in Nature Aging by researchers from Karolinska Institutet, provides new biological insights into the onset of frailty.

Gene therapy can improve hearing in children and adults with congenital deafness or severe hearing impairment, a new study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet reports. Hearing improved in all ten patients, and the treatment was well-tolerated. The study was conducted in collaboration with hospitals and universities in China and is published in the journal Nature Medicine.

Associate Professor Kristiina Tammimies conducts frontline research on the medical, genetic, and molecular underpinnings of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Among other things, she and her research team are working on the complex and much debated issue of heredity versus environment as a cause of autism.

An international team of researchers has found a genetic link to long-term symptoms after COVID-19. The identified gene variant is located close to the FOXP4 gene, which is known to affect lung function. The study, published in Nature Genetics, was led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland.

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), certain recurrent genetic alterations are known to influence disease progression and survival. One important abnormality is the loss of part of chromosome 11, del(11q), which is associated with a more aggressive disease course. However, it has remained unclear whether mutations in the ATM gene, which is also located in this region, have a similar impact.

A groundbreaking national initiative, Precision Omics Initiative Sweden (PROMISE), aims to connect research with healthcare and establish Sweden as a world leader in data-driven precision medicine. The vision was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet has developed a novel tool for genetic research. The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research, introduces BLU-VIPR, a method that allows researchers to control the gene-editing tool CRISPR using light. This innovation could significantly enhance our understanding of gene functions in complex organisms.

Carolina Maya-González, from the research group Rare Diseases at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend her thesis "Novel genetic causes of childhood cancer predisposition" on March 21st, 2025.
Main supervisor is Ann Nordgren.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped the genome of the Iberian ribbed newt and revealed how the composition and organization of the DNA are linked to its ability to regenerate entire body parts.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have developed a microscopy method that enables detailed three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at cellular resolution in whole intact mouse brains. The new method, called TRISCO, has the potential to transform our understanding of brain function, both in normal conditions and in disease, according to a study in Science.

In a new study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers at Karolinska Institutet show that genetic traits influence the cellular composition of atherosclerotic plaques, which over time will affect the risk of such lesions to cause a stroke or heart attack. The new knowledge can be used to improve the risk assessment and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis in the future.

Using a new technique, long-read sequencing, that allows DNA to be analyzed in much greater detail than before, a team of Swedish clinicians and researchers has discovered an unexpected complexity in chromosomal abnormalities. The study opens the door to more precise and effective treatment of patients with rare diseases that currently lack clear diagnoses.

Bothnia dystrophy is a form of hereditary blindness, prevalent in the region Västerbotten in Sweden. A new study at Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications shows that gene therapy can improve vision in patients with the disease.

Mitochondrial diseases are inherited and often affect children. With no effective treatment currently available, Anna Wredenberg hopes to discover more about mitochondrial function in order to improve both diagnosis and treatment. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Maastricht University have developed a technique that enables the examination of embryos for all known genetic abnormalities with a single test. The new method is more accurate and faster than existing techniques, increasing the chance of a healthy child for parents at increased risk of inherited conditions. The research was published today in Nature Communications

A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that 45 genes may play a crucial role in the prognosis of patients with adrenal cancer. The findings, published in the journal ESMO Open, give hope for a better diagnostic tool than is currently available.

Researchers from the Clinical Genetics Group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, have set up a collaboration with the Centre for Research and Technology in Greece to make publicly available resources in biology and cancer more accessible to the research community. The teams are developing a first-of-its-kind cancer knowledge graph, as part of the SciLake Project involving partners across Europe.

In an article published in Nature, researchers from Karolinska Institutet present an atlas of the early development of the brain. The atlas can be used, among other things, to find out what went wrong in the development of brain tumors in children and also to find new treatments.

Follow-up and treatment of children with cancer is significantly improved when inherited genetic causes are also investigated, according to a new Swedish study. The results of the research study involving some 50 researchers and clinicians from across Sweden have been published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

Umeå professor Oliver Billker is awarded the Medicine Doctor Axel Hirsch prize 2024 for his outstanding research in the field of malaria.

An investigation conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet has led to a discovery in breast cancer diagnostics and treatments that could reshape screening programs and clinical approaches. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, unravels the impact of rare genetic variants on interval breast cancers, providing new insights into tailored screening strategies.

The p53 tumor suppressor protein is encoded by TP53, the most frequently mutated gene in cancer. A review article published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology by professor Klas G Wiman and colleagues at the Department of Oncology-Pathology describes how p53 could be used as a target for new cancer therapies.

A new Swedish study shows that whole genome sequencing can detect clinically relevant genomic abnormalities in acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL, and has great potential to be implemented in the diagnostic setting. The study was carried out by researchers within the Clinical Genetics group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, the Genomic Medicine Sweden for haematology and published in the scientific journal Frontiers in Oncology.

An international team of researchers has developed a new method to deliver drugs into the inner ear, according to a new study in Science Translational Medicine. The discovery was possible by harnessing the natural flow of fluids in the brain and employing a little-understood backdoor into the cochlea. When combined to deliver a gene therapy that repairs inner ear hair cells, the researchers were able to restore hearing in deaf mice.

A new study in Nature by an international team including researchers at Karolinska Institutet has identified the first genetic variant associated with disease severity in multiple sclerosis. The finding opens the door to the development of treatments that fight disease progression – a great unmet need facing people with MS.