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A new study from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital shows that stem cell therapy can reduce fractures by up to 78 per cent in children with the rare condition osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), also known as congenital brittle bone disease.

A new form of CAR T-cell therapy has recently made headlines after a patient in a clinical trial became cancer-free in record time. The treatment was produced at Karolinska ATMP Center, a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. Production takes place at the affiliated manufacturing unit, Vecura.

A new memorandum of understanding has been signed by Karolinska ATMP Center and the ATMP Center Uppsala to deepen their collaboration in the rapidly growing field of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), which includes cell- and gene-based medicines. The aim is to enhance joint capacity and competitiveness in the Stockholm–Uppsala region.

Knut Steffensen heads up the newly opened Karolinska ATMP Centre, which has been established to convert research on cell and gene therapy into actual treatments. Equipped with experience from both academia and the pharmaceutical industry, he wants to combine the best of both worlds.

KI researcher Samir EL Andaloussi has been awarded the Swedish Society for Medical Research’s (SSMF) Jubilee Prize of SEK five million for his groundbreaking research in gene therapies that could revolutionise the treatment of hard-to-treat diseases. The recipient will also receive an honorary medal presented by H.M. The Queen on 17 October.

The Karolinska ATMP Center — a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Karolinska University Hospital — and St. Erik Eye Hospital have signed a letter of intent to strengthen their partnership in research, development, and clinical trials of cell- and gene-based medicines, known as Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs). The goal is to accelerate the transition from research to clinical application, particularly for retinal diseases that currently lack effective treatments.

Karolinska University Hospital has, for the first time in Sweden, begun preparations to treat a patient with multiple myeloma using CAR-T cell therapy in routine healthcare – an advanced form of immunotherapy where the patient's own T-cells are programmed to attack cancer cells. The treatment is aimed at patients who no longer respond to previous treatment options and offers new hope for a difficult-to-treat blood cancer.

Swedish cancer patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy show better survival rates and fewer side effects than seen in previous studies. This is shown in a new compilation of Swedish treatment results conducted by researchers in the SWECARNET network.

Karolinska Institutet is launching a two-week doctoral course designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the entire process involved in developing and producing cell and gene therapy products. From early-stage research to manufacturing, the program covers key aspects including process development, quality assurance, regulatory frameworks, and logistics.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a technique that enables efficient delivery of therapeutic proteins and RNA to cells. The method, presented in Nature Communications, shows promising results in animal studies to deliver gene editors and protein therapeutics.

Lindsay Davies, an researcher at Karolinska Institutet, has been elected Incoming Vice Chair for Europe within the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT), a global organization that brings together scientists, clinicians, regulators, and industry partners in the rapidly growing field of advanced therapies.

T-cells from the liver and lymph nodes show promising potential for future treatments of liver cancer, according to a new study. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated how immune cells react to tumor-specific antigens in the complex environment surrounding liver cancer.

Ten years ago, a cancer patient in Sweden was treated with CAR T-cell therapy for the first time. Today he is cured. Several challenges remain before the treatment can be given to everyone who could benefit from it, and how to achieve this was one of the questions discussed at the SWECARNET network’s annual education day.

Advanced Medicinal Therapy Products, ATMP, span broadly over medical fields and the aim of this symposium is to enhance networking within ATMP and to get a flavor of academic and commercial development of ATMPs in Stockholm and Sweden. NextGenNK and CCRM Nordic are inviting you to a mini-symposium with the focus on ATMP on January 22, 2025.

On 4 November, Knut Steffensen will be taking up office as the director of the Karolinska ATMP Centre, a leading centre for advanced therapy medicinal products, with research, manufacture and treatment all under one roof.

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.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have succeeded in delivering targeted cancer treatment via small membrane bubbles that our cells use to communicate. A new study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering shows that the treatment reduces tumour growth and improves survival in mice.

Sweden and the USA have previously enjoyed strong collaboration in the field of cancer care and research, and now it is further strengthened through a bilateral agreement. The purpose is to promote exchange between the two countries in both cancer research and the implementation of this research within cancer care, including both prevention and improved quality of life.

Karolinska University Hospital's Director Björn Zoëga and Karolinska Institutet's President Annika Östman Wernerson have signed an agreement to establish a joint center for advanced cell, gene and tissue therapies.