News archive

A combination of immunotherapy and targeted cancer treatment given before and after surgery may reduce the risk of recurrence and improve survival in patients with muscle‑invasive bladder cancer who cannot tolerate conventional chemotherapy. The findings come from a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Anna Embring has been appointed docent in cancer and oncology at Karolinska Institutet. She is based at the Department of Oncology Pathology and is a member of the Clinical radiotherapy research group, led by Åsa Carlsson Tedgren. She also works as a specialist physician in oncology with a focus on radiotherapy at Karolinska University Hospital.

Seven researchers at the Department of Oncology‑Pathology (OnkPat) have been awarded funding in the Swedish Cancer Society’s 2026 call. In total, 26 researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded funding as part of the Swedish Cancer Society’s 2026 call, which totals SEK 135 million. The call also includes research schools, one of which is affiliated with OnkPat.

The Swedish Cancer Foundation supports young researchers early in their careers by funding research positions that make it possible to combine clinical work with research. We congratulate Christel Hedman, Mirna Abraham-Nordling and Fredrik Jäderling who receive support from the Swedish Cancer Foundation in the 2026 call.

Niek van Bree, previously a doctoral student at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded the 2025 Dan Grandér Research Prize for his thesis “Development of Translational Models and Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets for Medulloblastoma”. This annual award recognises the best doctoral thesis in cancer research at Karolinska Institutet.

Meis Omran has been awarded the Pfizer and Swedish Society of Oncology (SOF) postdoctoral research fellowship. The SEK 250,000 award supports her study exploring how patients with a hereditary risk of cancer experience the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare.

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.

A new method makes it possible to generate gene-targeted CAR-T cells inside the body to attack tumours, report researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in Nature. The study demonstrates that several types of cancer in mice can be treated without the immune cells needing to be extracted and processed in a laboratory.

Many women with breast cancer receive endocrine therapy, also known as anti-hormonal therapy, to reduce the risk of the disease returning. However, for a significant group, the treatment does not work as intended. A new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet maps tumours from patients who have experienced a relapse in their disease despite ongoing endocrine therapy, to understand why the treatment fails and how these patients can be identified earlier.

Despite a strained healthcare situation and concerns about delayed diagnoses, childhood cancer survival in Sweden remained stable during the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of diagnoses varied somewhat between cancer types, but researchers found no evidence of poorer survival during the first year after diagnosis.

HPV vaccination reduces the risk of cervical cancer for at least 18 years, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in The BMJ. There were no signs of waning protection over time.

More cases of colorectal cancer are detected at an early stage with screening, according to a randomised clinical trial by researchers at Uppsala University and Karolinska Institutet. The study has been published in Nature Medicine.

The most common way to treat cancer with radiation is with photon beams, which are light-like beams. The technology now allows radiation to be aimed very precisely at the tumor. This protects healthy tissue but demands extreme precision. Small errors in measurements, machines, or software can lead to slightly high or low doses. This thesis examines several areas where such errors may arise.

Immunotherapy given before or after surgery is increasingly used across several cancer areas. In an article published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers at Karolinska Institutet present a comprehensive review of studies across seven tumour areas, showing how the field is moving towards earlier treatment.

On 1 February, Christofer Juhlin took up a combined professorship in tumour pathology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology. The new position was initiated by Radiumhemmet Research Fund, who are also partially financing it. We asked Christofer a few questions about his new role and ongoing research.

Breast cancer tumours can contain different cell types and structures, which may influence how the disease develops and responds to treatment. In a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Qiao Yang at the department of oncology pathology uses computer based methods and multi omics data to map this variation in large, untreated breast tumours. The findings may help support more comprehensive diagnostic strategies and inform future treatment decisions.

Cancer is complex and hard to treat, with many forms that change over time. This makes treatment complicated: a drug may help one patient but not another. Developing new cancer drugs is also slow and costly, often taking years and failing before reaching patients. This thesis explores how advanced laboratory models and artificial intelligence could make the process faster.

A new study in Nature Communications reveals how immune cells rapidly shut down their response after activation, preventing damage to healthy tissue. Researchers from Karolinska Institutet, sheds light on a molecular ‘kill switch’ that could help control infections or autoimmune diseases.

Long-term use of medications for heartburn and acid reflux, known as proton pump inhibitors, does not appear to increase the risk of stomach cancer, according to a new study published in The BMJ. The results are based on extensive Nordic health data and may provide reassurance to patients who need long-term treatment, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

A simple blood test can help detect cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain or weight loss. This is according to a Swedish study from Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital and others, published in Nature Communications.

Girls who are vaccinated against HPV are not only well protected against cervical cancer; they are also less likely to develop severe precancerous lesions of the vulva and vagina, particularly if they were vaccinated before the age of 17. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Oncology.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified small molecules capable of influencing a hard-to-target receptor family linked to cancer development. The findings have been published in Nature Communications and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

At the beginning of 2026, Karolinska Institutet announces research grants from the Hildegun and Mats Guldbrand research foundation for research in immune regulation and women's diseases.

The 2026 funds for the category of women's diseases refer to research in gynecological cancer.

A new international study published in The Lancet Oncology shows that artificial intelligence (AI) can be more accurate than experienced radiologists in detecting pancreatic cancer on computed tomography (CT) scans. The study is a collaboration between Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands, Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, and the University of Bergen in Norway.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Shandong University (SDU) held their Joint Symposium in Jinan, China, on November 17–18, 2025, on the theme of cross-disciplinary medical research.

The Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) hosted their annual joint symposium in Stockholm on October 21–22, 2025, bringing together leading experts to strengthen high-level research collaboration.

One of the promising young researchers receiving Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation’s basic research grant this year is Camilla Engblom at the Department of Medicine, Solna. She will use the funding to study a piece of the puzzle that could help develop more precise and personalized treatments for cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Artificial Intelligence that detects breast cancer, enables medical imaging in low-resource countries and that identifies the patients who require advanced treatment even at the point of diagnosis – these are just a few examples of AI research at Karolinska Institutet that is impacting an entire world. Parts of this work were presented during the conference AI@KI, Advances in Artificial Intelligence at Karolinska Institutet, on 2 December.

Sara Mijwel Cardinale and Maria Hagströmer are the recipients of the grants.

The Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden) has announced its research grants for 2025. Around 73 million has been awarded to researchers at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet.

A puzzling experiment in the 1970s led to the discovery of a new type of immune cell. In 2025, the NK cells celebrate their 50th anniversary. Rolf Kiessling tells the story of the serendipitous finding that changed the course of his career.

In the Swedish Cancer Society’s latest call, research grants totalling SEK 34 300 000 were awarded to 11 researchers at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) for the years 2026–2028.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered how cells can adjust their gene activity to survive when oxygen runs low. The study, published in Nature Cell Biology, reveals that cells use a previously unknown mechanism to control which proteins are produced – and how quickly.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in npj Precision Oncology, shows that support cells in the adrenal gland can regenerate hormone-producing tissue after birth. The same cells may also act as a starting point for adrenal tumors, offering new insights into cancer development and potential treatment strategies.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Albert Einstein College of Medicine have shown that glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, not only affects the brain but also erodes the skull and alters the immune system in the bone marrow. The findings are published in Nature Neuroscience.

Welcome to the annual KI-CAMS joint symposia on Respiratory Medicine, Cardiovascular Research and Population Medicine.

Hi Melissa Kotte, doctoral student at the Division of Nursing. On October 24, you will defend your thesis ”Reaching cancer survivors where they are : effects and experiences of live-remote exercise”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Businessman Fredrik Lundberg is donating SEK 30 million to Karolinska Institutet and a research project looking into how the immune system can combat colorectal cancer and prevent it spreading.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancer types. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, in collaboration with the Department of Pathology at Karolinska University Hospital, shows that tumour cells grow not only in the connective tissue–rich environment typical of the disease, but also in damaged parts of the pancreas where normal tissue is altered. The findings may provide new insights into tumour development and treatment.

A study led by Vincenzo Condello and Christofer Juhlin, has been published in Endocrine Pathology. The researchers explored why some papillary thyroid cancers don’t respond well to radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy - a key treatment used after surgery to eliminate remaining thyroid cancer cells.

The greatest challenge facing current treatments of leukaemia is drug resistance. Hong Qian studies the microenvironment where the cancer cells are formed with the aim to find new treatment pathways. 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 Swedish-led research team at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital has shown in a new randomized clinical trial that a low dose of the well-known medicine aspirin halves the risk of recurrence after surgery in patients with colon and rectal cancer with a certain type of genetic alteration in the tumor.

It is the spread of tumours, metastases, which is the usual cause of cancer-related death. Jonas Fuxe researchers the mechanisms driving this process, with a focus on how cancer cells interact with their surroundings and mutate in order to take new paths. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 9 October.

According to a study by Karolinska Institutet, nearly three times as many people under the age of 50 in Sweden are diagnosed with colorectal cancer today compared with the early 1990s. The study also shows that mortality is elevated in both younger and older patients for up to ten years after diagnosis.

A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital shows that patients diagnosed with the rare skin cancers mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome face a significantly higher risk of dying from lymphoma and infections compared to the general population. The study was recently published in the British Journal of Dermatology.

People who have survived cancer as children are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19, even decades after their diagnosis. This is shown by a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

Pathologists' examinations of tissue samples from skin cancer tumours improved when they were assisted by an AI tool. The assessments became more consistent and patients' prognoses were described more accurately. This is shown by a study led by Karolinska Institutet, conducted in collaboration with researchers from Yale University.

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.

Håkan Mellstedt, Professor at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, has passed away at the age of 82.
He is mourned by his wife Eva and Håkan’s brother with family. He leaves behind a long and exceptionally successful legacy as a colleague, researcher, and friend.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University have identified a new treatment strategy for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. By combining two antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, they have converted cancer cells in mice into healthy nerve cells. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).