News archive

The Infrastructure Board has adopted its strategy for the development of KI's research infrastructure. The aim of the strategy is to ensure that KI's researchers have access to the most advanced and relevant research infrastructure, which is crucial for conducting research of the highest quality.

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.

The Infrastructure Board at Karolinska Institutet (KI) has decided to fund nearly 30 of KI's core facilities with up to SEK 117 million for the period 2025-2028.

Researchers at the Department of Cell and Molacular Biology, Karolinska Institutet have made a major discovery in how human cells produce energy. Their study, published in the EMBO Journal, reveals the detailed mechanisms of how mitochondria process transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules, which are essential for energy production.

They work with highly specialised equipment for facilities that they have often built up themselves. Although not themselves researchers, their expertise, experience and international contacts render them indispensable for research at KI. A year ago, new titles were created for this important category of employee.

The KI Biobank in Solna turns 20 this year. No fewer than 8.5 million samples from 750,000 individuals are preserved in its freezers. “The biobank is absolutely crucial to meeting tomorrow’s research needs,” says Sanela Kjellqvist, head of the KI Biobank.

We are happy to announce that our new sorter, Beckman Coulter CytoFLEX SRT is now in operation. This acquisition expands our sorting capacity, allowing us to better accommodate the needs of our customers.

The Virus Tech Core Facility has acquired the plasmids necessary for the production of the new variations of the AAV9 pseudotype viruses.

We have developed a lenti/retroviral titration method measuring transducing units, or number of proviral copies in the infected cells.

We are excited to announce that we are in the process of acquiring a new sorter for our Flow Cytometry Core Facility at Biomedicum. This acquisition aims to expand our sorting capacity, allowing us to better accommodate the needs of our researchers.

We are thrilled to announce the latest additions to our core facility. We have recently acquired two Sony ID7000 spectral analyzers, Alice and Howard. These analyzers are equipped with advanced features, including five lasers and an array of 147 detectors, enabling high-resolution spectral analysis.

A new Swedish biobank act comes into force on July 1. It is expected to make it easier for researchers to use biobanks – i.e. collections of samples of human and fetal tissue – and to collaborate.

Modern research often uses high-tech methods and tools that require particular expertise. Despite this, there has been no career paths in Sweden for individuals interested in the technical and methodological development needed to operate and develop the research infrastructures of the future. Starting April 1, 2023, such a career path will be available at KI, possibly the first of its kind in the country.

For two days in the first week of October, Karolinska Institutet for the first time invited members of the public to partake in guided tours of the Nordic region’s largest zebrafish facility. More than 40 people took the opportunity, offered as part of Nobel Calling 2022, to visit more than 20,000 tropical freshwater fish that are helping to solve medical mysteries.

EU-OPENSCREEN is a European network that provides infrastructure for high-capacity screening in chemical biology and early identification of drug candidates. As of July 2022, Sweden is represented in the network, through the Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden (CBCS) at Karolinska Institutet, one of two selected Swedish nodes.

Karolinska Institutet has signed a collaboration agreement with the European research infrastructure EBRAINS, which offers digital tools and services for research into the brain. The purpose of this agreement is to give KI's researchers access to new digital technology and state-of-the-art resources, as well as the opportunity to contribute to the further development of the area of neuroscience within the EU.

Several substantial appropriations have been awarded to KI through the Swedish Research Council’s national research infrastructure initiative.
The Swedish Twin Registry (STR), Chemical Biology Consortium Sweden (CBCS) and the National E-infrastructure for Aging Research (NEAR) were all awarded funding through the Research Council.

To succeed in the international competition, researchers at Karolinska Institutet need secure access to cutting-edge technology as well as a wide range of basic core-facilities. The Research Committee has therefore adopted a strategy for activities related to core-facilities and research infrastructure until 2024.

The corona pandemic put a stop to the planned inauguration-reception this autumn, but now Karolinska Institutet's new 3D-EM core facility is fully operational after all. In the basement of Wargentin House on Solna campus there are several cryogenic electron microscopes of the latest models, that can be used by both KI researchers and external customers. Martin Hällberg, PI at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and director of the 3D-EM facility, is enthusiastic.

Twin Research and Human Genetics has just published an overview article of the Swedish Twin Registry (STR). The registry has developed into an infrastructure of broad utility, aiming to provide a resource for epidemiological and molecular studies of twins.

With the start of 2019, the Karolinska Genome Engineering facility (KGE) has opened its doors as a core facility for researchers from both within and outside of Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital. The facility, led by Bernhard Schmierer, is located in Biomedicum 9B at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, and provides various gene editing services in cells.

Karolinska Microscopic Imaging in Thrombosis & Hemostasis, KARMITH, Core Facility.