News archive

Do you want to stimulate young people's interest in higher education, research and innovation? Show how research is done and develop your communication skills? On 26 September, the Science Festival Forskarfredag (European Researchers' Night) and the Researchers' Grand Prix competition will take place.

KI has awarded this year's Sustainability Prize to Ester Gubi, a doctor and sociologist, and Ann Liljas, associate professor in global public health and assistant lecturer, both at the Department of Global Public Health at KI. They receive the prize for their outstanding contributions to sustainable development. The prize was awarded for the third time and in connection with KI's Sustainability Day on 2 April.

Our colleague Rita Fernholm, affiliated with the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, participates in the latest episode of the podcast Medicinvetarna, #168.

The Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) provides financial support to promising researchers in medicine who are at the beginning of their careers and supports both basic and applied research. Silvia Angori receives 3 million SEK distributed over three years for her project titled "Uncovering the role of SAMHD1 in tumor suppression and therapy resistance in cutaneous melanoma."

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have demonstrated how specific biomarkers in the blood can predict the development of dementia up to ten years before diagnosis, among older adults living independently in the community.

Applications to universities and colleges are now open, and KI welcomed prospective students to the Open Day at KI Campus Flemingsberg on March 26. There was great interest and many questions as visitors from Sweden and Europe learned more about their dream programmes.

Ebba Rehfeldt graduated from the midwifery program at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in January 2025. She has since moved from Stockholm to southern Sweden and started working as a midwife in a delivery ward.

Federico Triolo has received a postdoctoral grant from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF), a non-profit organisation that has supported medical research since 1919. The purpose of the grant is to help early-career researchers to build their independence and develop their own line of research. The grant amounts to 3,950,000 SEK over three years, including a two-year research stay abroad, followed by one year back in Sweden.

Research from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet shows that air pollution and traffic noise together may pose a greater risk for stroke than either factor alone. The researchers found that even at low levels – below the EU’s air quality standards and around WHO noise recommendation levels – the risk of stroke increased significantly.

On the 8-9th of May all new employees and employees with photos older than 5 years will have the opportunity to be photographed by the photographer Johannes Frandsen.

Jesper Säfholm has been appointed as docent in lung medicine and allergy.

Are you planning an event for autumn 2025 being aimed at the public? Schedule it between 3 to 13 October and be a part of Nobel Calling Stockholm! A week that offers inspiring events and educational meetings in the spirit of knowledge.

Congratulations Mikael Rydén, who has been granted an extension as a Wallenberg Clinical Scholar. The extension entails SEK 3 million per year for five years.

For two weeks in April, the water will be turned off in ANA Futura (coffee nodes, kitchen, toilets, labs). The shutdown means that it will not be possible to flush either taps or toilets. Emergency showers will also not work.

On 3 April, Formas will be bringing together experts and researchers for a breakfast seminar titled 'Research across borders - what is needed in turbulent times?' (in Swedish). The Centre for Health Crises will be one of the speakers.

Anna Schandl is a registered nurse and has worked in intensive care in the Stockholm Region for many years. She is an associate professor in nursing and research group leader in the research group for Perioperative Care and Intensive Care at Södersjukhuset. Anna works with data collected from regional and national cohort studies, but also with qualitative research; something she uses as an advisor within Clinicum's network.

This week, the third edition of the book “To start a research career within medicine and health” ("Att börja forska inom medicin och hälsa") is released. Author is Jonas F Ludvigsson, pediatrician and professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the book is aimed at doctoral students and prospective researchers in medicine and health.

Inga Rødahl from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM) at the Departmet of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is defending her thesis titled "Features of innate lymphoid cells in human fetal tissues and adult respiratory infection", on 4 April, 2025. Main supervisor is Jakob Michaëlsson (MedH).

Researchers at Swedish institutions, including Karolinska Institutet, have identified gene variants that increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The goal is for these new findings to enable earlier detection of atherosclerosis and improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

A recent study by KI-researchers Nadia Davoody and Sravya Katta reveals significant gaps related to healthcare professionals' awareness of gender diversity, proper communication strategies, the specific needs of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex (TNBI) individuals, and the societal and structural challenges they face.

In a new study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have shown that so-called interval cancers, which are detected between two screening sessions, account for a significant proportion of breast cancer cases and that certain risk factors may increase the likelihood of developing this type of cancer. The study was published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité) have entered into a bilateral agreement. The Internationalisation Board at KI has allocated limited competitive funds for KI faculty and staff for grant applications to strengthen collaborative interactions within research and education.

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.

Early diagnosis of COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, increases the quality of life of the patient and the efficacy of available treatments. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now shown that material from nasal lavage provides a basis for assessing COPD. The study, which has been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, could lead to a simple diagnostic method for early assessment of COPD.

Certain widely used drug combinations may either slow down or worsen the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but their effects differ between sexes. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the leading journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, highlights these important findings.

PhD student André Thunberg is researching how healthcare workers in rural Malawi identify and manage critically ill children. On March 26, he successfully completed his half-time review, and we had the opportunity to discuss his PhD journey so far.

On March 25, KI's Professional Services (PS) gathered for a digital staff meeting. The agenda included news within PS, security issues, the Microsoft 365 license, the government's research bill for the next four years and KI's prioritised focus areas.

Viktor H. Ahlqvist, postdoc at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), receives 3,000,000 SEK in a Postdoctoral Grant from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) for the project “Advancing cardiovascular drug safety in pregnancy through cutting-edge computational statistics, causal inference, and drug-target genomics (DRUG-SAFE).

In a study published in Nature, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab, among others, have identified a new mechanism for how cells deal with stress. This could have implications for treating certain hereditary, neurodegenerative diseases, but may also be relevant for future cancer treatment.

Helene Lindfors, PhD student at the Endocrine Surgery research group, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend her thesis "Tumor burden, thyroglobulin and Ki-67 as prognostic indicators in papillary thyroid cancer" on April 2025.
Main supervisor is Ivan Shabo.

The tennis courts in Solna are now open for you as staff och student at KI.

The Swedish Society for Virology has awarded the Pandemifonden Fenyö Prize for 2024 to Daniel Sheward, Assistant Professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new mechanism behind blood vessel damage in type 2 diabetes. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that small vesicles from red blood cells can transfer harmful signal molecules to the blood vessels and impair their function.

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.

The debate on nature versus nurture has never ceased, particularly in discussions about neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These lifelong conditions emerge in childhood, and while they mostly have genetic nature, environmental factors may play a role.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in BMJ Global Health, shows that one in eight patients admitted to hospitals are critically ill, and most of these patients are cared for outside intensive care units. The researchers behind the study believe that simple but underutilised care could save many lives at a low cost.

A number of new classes are now available at KI's Health Hub, both in Solna and Flemingsberg. The classes are open to both staff and students.

The room in Biomedicum at Karolinska Institutet campus in Solna was packed on 20 March, when researchers and members of staff from government agencies and county councils gathered to share their experiences of register-based research and data release during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many had encountered similar problems, especially with long lead times and the difficulty of obtaining real-time data, but there were also several successes to highlight and learn from.

A comprehensive study from Karolinska Institutet shows that people with fatty liver disease have almost twice the mortality rate of the general population. They have an increased risk of dying from both liver diseases and common diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease, according to the study published in The Journal of Hepatology.

In a study on ovarian cancer cells, researchers from Karolinska Institutet demonstrate how the tumor environment influences how cancer cells respond to drugs by using AI. The study has been published in the journal Communications Biology.

Paul Petrus and his research group will move from MedH to FyFa in May. He is looking forward to the transfer and to engaging more closely with other research groups at the department.

This year, the Swedish Rheumatism Association (Reumatikerförbundet) is awarding almost SEK 14 million to research into rheumatic diseases. What unites many research projects is a clear focus on personalised diagnostics and treatment. Of the total of 87 research projects in this year's allocation, 32 are conducted at KI.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine offers PhD graduates the possibility to conduct postdoctoral research at SJTUSM.

Shandong University, China, offer PhDs and postdocs at KI the possibility to participate in an exchange program.

Andri Papakonstantinou has been awarded the Pfizer and Swedish Society of Oncology’s (SOF) research scholarship in oncology for postdoctoral researchers in 2025. The scholarship was presented at SOF's annual meeting in Sundsvall on March 20th.

Shandong University offers the possibility to apply for an internship in Basic medical Science during July 7-20, 2025

Professor Rolf Kiessling at Karolinska Institutet has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the immune response to viruses and cancer cells.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) find it harder to get pregnant, have more frequent miscarriages and have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. Now, in a new study published in Nature Medicine, Swedish researchers have shown that the uterine lining of these women differs in terms of both the composition of individual cells and gene expression. The results open the door to new drug treatments.

In an evaluation presented on 19 March, the Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) states that certain areas of biomedical analyst programmes throughout the country need to be improved in order for students to receive the best possible education. At the same time, there are strengths in the programmes that can inspire further development, according to the results from UKÄ.

Karolinska University Hospital has recently adopted a new RDE (research, development and education) strategy. The strategy is now firmly anchored with Karolinska Institutet. For us, collaboration with Region Stockholm is a priority – strong regional collaboration and partnerships with the private sector are essential if Sweden is to reinforce its international position in medical research and development.