News archive

Biomedicum’s evacuation drill provided valuable insights into procedures, alarm systems and technical improvements that strengthen ongoing fire safety work in the building.

Karolinska Institutet is investing in a new centre for immuno-oncology. The aim is to create an internationally leading research environment where knowledge of the immune system can be translated into new treatments for both solid tumours and blood cancers. The centre, based at the Department of Microbiology, Tumour and Cell Biology, will be headed by Professor Karl-Johan Malmberg.

On 9 September, around 20 teachers and school staff gathered at The Cell in Stockholm for an evening focused on life science, education and how research can become more accessible and useful in the classroom.

On September 15, colleagues from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) gathered at Svarta Räven to celebrate the department’s three recipients of the ERC Starting Grant 2026: Florian Rosenberger, Amanda Andersson Rolf, and Bjørt Kragesteen.

The heart undergoes major changes during the first weeks of life. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now shown that a previously unknown metabolic vulnerability in mitochondria can disrupt heart development. The study, published in Science Advances, could improve our understanding of rare mitochondrial diseases that affect the heart.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which accumulate in many tissues as we age, can actively contribute to impaired heart function. Until now, it has been difficult to determine whether these mutations are a cause of age-related heart dysfunction or simply a consequence of aging. The findings published in Science Advances, provide direct evidence that acquired mtDNA mutations can themselves drive tissue dysfunction and cause heart failure.

Florian Rosenberger, Assistant Professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB), has been awarded a prestigious SciLifeLab Fellowship. The fellowship comes with substantial research funding, and access to the SciLifeLab community, creating new opportunities for collaboration and scientific development.

In a recent study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report that the molecular machinery responsible for cellular energy conversion is more interconnected than previously understood, shedding light on how mitochondria adapt under stress.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped key steps in the assembly of the mitochondrial ribosome, offering new clues to how defects in this process can lead to disease.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have contributed to an international study published in Science Translational Medicine demonstrating how artificial intelligence (AI) can accelerate the discovery of new antibiotics against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterium that causes gonorrhoea.

Facility management (FM) staff from KI's three research buildings: ANA Futura, Biomedicum and Neo gathered at Häringe Slott on 27–28 May for the first-ever joint FM conference. During the conference, it became increasingly clear that collaboration is the key to success.

On 16 June, Hayley French will defend her thesis "Schizophrenia and Copy Number Variation Syndromes: From Genetic Risk to Cell Type-Specific Mechanisms". Meet her in this short interview.

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.

As a member of staff at KI, you play a vital role in preventing theft, vandalism and incidents that compromise safety on campus. Please follow the guidelines when receiving visitors at KI.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have created the first detailed map showing how genetic activity is controlled in individual cells of the adult human brain and spinal cord. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, show that oligodendroglia, the cells that form the brain’s insulating myelin, retain an “epigenetic memory” of developmental programs long after these genes are no longer active.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a rapid and cost efficient sequencing method that can identify antibiotic resistance within the same working day. The technique, called s5PSeq, measures how bacterial ribosomes respond within minutes after exposure to an antibiotic, offering a molecular readout of growth instead of waiting for traditional cultures.

A new research initiative at Karolinska Institutet aims to understand how chronic pain arises and how it might be switched off at its source. The project, “A Game-Changing Therapy for Lasting Pain Relief”, has now received support from the Promobilia Foundation.

Two Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships and a Walter-Benjamin-Postdoctoral Fellowship (German Research foundation, DFG) have been granted to outstanding early-career scientists at the Division of Molecular Metabolism (MolMet) at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. The fellowships are highly competitive and prestigious.

The healing of the spinal cord depends on carefully timed interactions between injured nerve cells and their surrounding environment, according to a new study published in Science Advances by researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a technique that shows how proteins interact with RNA, the molecule that carries genetic instructions inside our cells. The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research, offers new insight into an important layer of gene regulation that can lead to better understanding of disease mechanisms.

New funding from Region Stockholm in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet will support advanced research into cluster headache at the university. By combining genetic studies with sleep and circadian rhythm research, the project seeks to improve care for a patient group with a high disease burden and risk of misdiagnosis.

In a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, researchers have identified the neurogenic progenitor that give rise to dopaminergic neurons, the primary neurons affected in Parkinson’s disease. These findings could help improve how dopaminergic neurons are produced for transplantation in Parkinson’s disease.

A Swedish study, recently published in the scientific journal Neurology, has found that individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury are more likely to face periods of work disability that can last for up to five years following the injury.

Birgitta Henriques- Normark, at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a medal, 12th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim, by HM the King.

Professor Birgitta Henriques-Normark, Gates Foundation awardee at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, met with Bill Gates when he visited Stockholm at the end of January.

Among the 102 recipients at Karolinska Institutet who received research grants in medicine and health from the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet), five researchers from the Department of Neuroscience were included.

KI researcher Saida Hadjab has been awarded funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation for her project “A Game-Changing Therapeutic Target for Lasting Pain Relief”, which addresses a major unmet medical need in chronic pain and headache disorders. Designed to fast-track the commercialisation of cutting-edge research in sustainability and health, the grant aims to support bold innovations that have real-world impact.

This spring, KI will begin replacing access cards (KI cards) and implementing a new system for managing access to premises – for a safer campus for both staff and students. The Professional Services (GVS) will be the first to replace cards, followed by the departments.

For more than a century, maps of the brain have been based on how brain tissue looks under the microscope. These anatomical maps divide the brain into regions according to structural variations in the tissue. But do these divisions really reflect how the brain works? A new study on mice from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Neuroscience, suggests that this is often not the case.

KI researcher Federico Iovino has been awarded the Pioneer Innovator Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Designed to fast-track the commercialisation of cutting-edge research in sustainability and health, the grant aims to support bold innovations that have real-world impact.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals how rhythmic brain waves known as alpha oscillations help us distinguish between our own body and the external world. The findings offer new insights into how the brain integrates sensory signals to create a coherent sense of bodily self.

Professor Tore Midtvedt, Oslo, passed away on December 2nd at the age of 91. He is mourned by his wife Kari, his sons Karsten, Per and Öyvind with their families, as well as a large circle of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.

We are approaching the annual closing of the books for 2025 and would like to take the opportunity to remind you of some important facts. Take notice of the deadlines both regarding HR and Finance.

Veijo Salo, new research group leader at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet has received SSMF (Svenska Sällskapet för Medicinsk Forskning) starting grant 2025.

Children who spend a significant amount of time on social media tend to experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate. This is according to a comprehensive study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Pediatrics Open Science, where researchers followed more than 8,000 children from around age 10 through age 14.

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritised for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own – through the brain’s integration of what we see and what we feel.

Welcome to the Lucia celebration in Biomedicum on Monday, December 15th at 3:00 PM in the atrium.

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and Sten Linnarsson from the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics are on the Clarivate list of highly cited researchers in 2025.

As part of the Swedish government’s long-term strategy and action plan to counteract and reduce virus outbreaks and pandemics, the Swedish Research Council is undergoing a ten-year national research programme in Viruses and Pandemics. In the latest funding round, researchers at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, have been granted over 20 million SEK.

We congratulate the seven researchers at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, who have been awarded grants from the Swedish Cancer Society (Cancerfonden) for the period 2026-2028. Together, the MBB researchers are awarded grants of 25,6 million SEK.

In a new study published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, a research team at Karolinska Institutet has performed a large-scale genetic screen to uncover the hidden roles of tiny proteins, so-called microproteins. Cell stress and protein misfolding are involved in many diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders, and the study could one day contribute to new therapeutic strategies.

The Torsten Söderberg Foundation recognises outstanding achievements in medicine through its annual grants. Two researchers from the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded grants in medicine to support their innovative research into brain health and infectious diseases.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet, Columbia University and the University of San Francisco, have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism by which dopamine, a key brain chemical vital for movement and motivation, can affect brain activity indirectly, by boosting serotonin. The study was recently published in Sciences Advances.

Minister for Upper Secondary School, Higher Education and Research Lotta Edholm visited KI on 12 November. While being escorted around the Biomedicum research building, speaking with researchers in multiple sclerosis and finding out more about precision medicine, she asked questions concerning animal experimentation and KI raised the issue of Ahmadreza Djalali, the KI researcher still incarcerated in Iran.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviours in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are available. The study has been published in the journal Science Advances and may contribute to increased knowledge about obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction.

KI president Annika Östman Wernerson honoured professor emeritus Hugo Lagercrantz with this years KI Cultural Award at a ceremony on November 6th. With this award KI celebrates individuals at KI whose efforts have brought culture and science together in meaningful ways - both within our university and in our engagement with society

Professor Ola Hermanson, who served as a distinguished member of the neuroscience community at Karolinska Institutet, passed away on 2 October 2025 at the age of 60. His career was marked by scientific excellence, visionary leadership, and a deep commitment to the advancement of neuroscience both in Sweden and internationally.

In a new study published in Nature Communications, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Queen Mary University of London have investigated how the physical structure of fat tissue helps ovarian cancer cells invade the body, offering potential new treatment strategies.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Communications, reveals that cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) promote DNA replication licensing in human cells by relieving inhibitory signals from RB tumor suppressor proteins. The findings add a new layer to our understanding of how cancer drugs work and may lead to better targeted cancer therapies in the future.

New research from Karolinska Institutet, published in Cell Reports Medicine, reveals that mantle cell lymphoma is more diverse than previously thought, highlighting the need for personalized therapies.