News archive

A large proportion of babies born very early need intensive care, which can be painful. But the healthcare system fails to provide pain relief to the full extent. This is shown by the largest survey to date of pain in neonatal care, now published in the journal Pain.

Times Higher Education in the UK has published its World University Rankings by Subject 2025. The ranking is based on both hard data and reputation surveys. KI improves its position in several categories.

Professor Gunilla Karlsson Hedestam and her research group have been awarded a Proof of Concept grant by the European Research Council (ERC) to investigate how vaccines can be adapted to genetic variations in people around the world. Their research paves the way for more effective protection against disease on a global scale.

Eminent cancer researcher and Karolinska Institutet professor Eva Klein has passed away at the age of 99. She is survived by her and her late husband Georg Klein’s three children. Eva Klein won numerous prizes and awards over the years for her important discoveries in cancer research. She was elected onto the Royal Swedish Academy of Science in 1987.

Felipe de Oliveira Galvão received the Sten Orrenius Prize 2024 for Best Publication in Toxicology.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have uncovered new insights into the mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study, recently published in Cell Reports, explores how changes in dopamine (DA) neurotransmission in the brain contribute to the behavioural symptoms of autism.

The application process for the fourth KIPRIME Fellows Initiative is now open for participants from Karolinska Institutet and other Swedish universities. This unique initiative, co-financed by the Gunnar Höglund and Anna-Stina Malmborg Foundation and KI, aims to nourish the next generation of Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education winners by offering an inspirational curriculum of mentoring and development activities for outstanding midcareer medical education researchers.

When children with obesity undergo weight-loss treatment, the effects have repercussions later in life and the risk of serious health problems and premature death is lower as they reach young adulthood. However, this is not the case for depression and anxiety, a study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Pediatrics reports.

Autism affects 2-3% of U.S. children and there is no cure. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to its etiology. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have received an NIH grant of 2.5 million USD for the 5-year project "Autism in Preterm Birth".

Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet have taken an important step toward understanding how microglia, the brain's immune cells, change with age and how these changes may contribute to age-related neurological diseases.

With the new EU-funded grant, Sezgin team seeks to examine the virus-host interaction of Marburg virus (MARV) and establish a blueprint for the targeted development of antiviral strategies for newly emerging viruses.

Since 1987, researchers have followed thousands of older residents in Kungsholmen through the "Swedish National study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen" (SNAC-K). The results show that today's 80-year-olds are healthier than previous generations, but health varies depending on where in the district they live.

On 20 January, a new group of participants gathered at Karolinska Institutet (KI) for the first lesson in a slightly different course. The participants are all potential future medical humanitarian aid workers and will be taking the course this spring. It will prepare them for future work in health crises, disasters and low-resource areas.

The geroscience hypothesis focuses on extending the healthy lifespan by targeting aging mechanisms. Recent advances in biomarkers for biological aging give rise to tools for measuring aging and assessing treatments. Alzheimer’s disease, a major health issue, may benefit from common drugs and early interventions.

The sun was shining over Aula Medica on 17 January when it was time for the formal graduation ceremonies for four of KI's educational programmes.

2024 marked the fifth anniversary of the University Alliance Stockholm Trio – a partnership between Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, and Stockholm University. To mark this milestone, Stockholm Trio has launched a new website where you can follow our work to strengthen collaboration between the universities.

Until July 2025, Annika Östman Wernerson, President of Karolinska Institutet, holds the chair of the University Alliance Stockholm Trio.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital in Sweden have determined how children’s immune systems react to different kinds of cancer depending on their age. The study, which is published in the journal Cell, reveals significant differences between the immune response of children and adults, and has the potential to lead to new tailored treatments for children with cancer.

In a groundbreaking study published in the medical journal The Lancet, researchers have explored the possibility of treating acute, non-perforated appendicitis in children with antibiotics instead of surgery.

In the latest issue of Newsweek Magazine, there is an article on the implementation of whole genome sequencing in the USA, "Scientists and Doctors Reveal How Genes are Mapping Cures for Cancer". One of the persons being interviewed is Richard Rosenquist Brandell, Professor and research group leader for clinical genetics and director of Genomic Medicine Sweden.

During the inauguration of the new initiative "Advances in Artificial Intelligence - AI@KI", on Dec 18, 2024, the first award for an important advancement in AI made at KI during the past year was handed out. Among many nominated candidates, Dr Sara Hägg was evaluated as the most outstanding contribution from a panel of reviewers.

For children battling both congenital heart defects (CHD) and cancer, the road to recovery is far more precarious than previously understood, according to a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The research reveals that these children face a higher risk of death within five years after a cancer diagnosis compared to their peers without CHD. Although their survival rates have improved over recent decades, lymphoma mortality remains disproportionately high.

Hi Elinor Nemlander, doctoral student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care. On January 31 you will defend your thesis ”Early cancer detection through symptoms and signs”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

In diabetic kidney disease, fat accumulates in the kidneys, leading to lipotoxicity and kidney damage. A recently published study by Ulf Eriksson's research group at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet shows that elevated levels of the protein VEGF-B in the kidney and adipose tissue correlate with increased fat accumulation in the kidney and impaired kidney function in patients with diabetic kidney disease.

A fully digital treatment for physical activity is well received by people who have suffered a stroke and has a wide geographical reach, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the International Journal of Stroke.

As a junior researcher, you have the opportunity to apply for an Early Career Researcher (ECR) Scholarship in connection with the Swedish Suicide Research Conference taking place in May 2025.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that cells commonly associated with ageing and age-related diseases, known as senescent cells, may play a significant role in chronic pain and potentially headaches. This process has been linked to various conditions, including cancer and heart disease.

Anna Martling, Professor of Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, is today presenting the large ALASCCA study at a press conference during the ASCO-GI meeting in San Francisco. The study is a randomized drug trial that began in 2016 and has included approximately 3,500 patients from 33 centers in the Nordic region. The study is evaluating the value of adding aspirin to patients who have a specific genetic change and whether this can reduce the risk of recurrence.

We congratulate Ulf Hedin, Professor of Experimental Vascular Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, who has been elected Alexander W. Clowes Distinguished Lecturer 2025.

Histopathological evaluation of tumour specimens has long been essential in diagnosing breast cancer and guiding clinical decision-making. However, one of the key challenges in routine diagnostics include the inter-observer and inter-lab variabilities present in the assessment of prognostic markers that could lead to under- and over-treatment of patients.

Researchers in the group of Associate Professor Ninib Baryawno, Department of Women's and Children's Health, KI, have made significant strides in the fight against pediatric cancer by studying tumors of the nervous system, particularly neuroblastoma. The study is published in Cancer Research, the journal of the American Association for Cancer.

The ability to plan several steps ahead and promptly adapt to a rapidly changing environment is essential to being an elite footballer, a new study led from Karolinska Institutet reports. The paper, which is published in the scientific journal PNAS, also shows that it helps not to always be so agreeable.

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer care. However, in recent decades, Sweden has fallen behind in this area, both in terms of healthcare resources and research. Medicinsk Vetenskap has interviewed researchers who want to continue developing a bright idea.

Radiation oncologist Alexander Valdman conducts research at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet. He works to ensure that patients with rectal cancer experience fewer side effects from their treatment.

Radiotherapy can cause long-term skin damage in cancer patients. New research shows that radiation creates a memory in skin cells that hinders healing, but also that antibodies can help restore the damage.

Neuroblastoma is a rare disease that affects children, often before the age of two. Some are born with the disease. Paediatric surgeon Jakob Stenman is investigating whether targeted radioactive drugs can slow down the disease in those with the most severe form.

When Louise Karlsson was treated for breast cancer, she suffered radiation damage to her lung. Now she wants more people to know that it can happen.

As a child, Loke Lassen underwent harsh treatment, including whole-body radiotherapy. Today she lives with the side effects of the treatment that saved her life.

Hi Charlotta van Eggermont Arwidson, doctoral student at the division of nursing. On January 23 you will defend your thesis ”New Beginnings, New Challenges: Health & Housing of Asylum Seekers and Refugees in their Early Post-Migration Period in Sweden.” What is the main focus of the thesis?

A new study from Karolinska Institutet and Mayo Clinic has revealed important insights into brain degeneration in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). This research, published in JAMA Neurology, could help doctors better monitor and treat this serious brain disease.

Pete Williams, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital, has been awarded a research grant from the American Glaucoma Foundation to develop a treatment for glaucoma and other eye diseases. With the grant of USD 75,000 (SEK 840,000), the Foundation wants to recognize groundbreaking, innovative glaucoma research. This is the second time Pete Williams has received the grant.

On Friday, 17 January 2025, the graduating classes of four programmes at Karolinska Institutet will receive their diplomas. These programmes are the nursing programme, the medical programme, the physiotherapy programme, and the occupational therapy programme. Two of the graduating students, Måns and Niklas, have answered questions about their time at university and future plans.

Patients with celiac disease face an increased risk of developing any chronic liver disease. This risk increase can persist for at least 25 years after celiac diagnosis. The findings from a national study from Karolinska Institutet published in Lancet Regional Health - Europe underscore clinical vigilance to signs of liver disease in patients with celiac disease to prevent major adverse liver outcomes.

Ten innovation projects in life sciences have received grants within the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation's and SciLifeLab's Proof-of-Concept Program. Four of the projects are run by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The Proof-of-Concept Program aims to bridge the gap from academic research to innovations in the life sciences.

A new international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that AI-based models can outperform human experts at identifying ovarian cancer in ultrasound images. The study is published in Nature Medicine.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet maps the cellular and molecular dynamics of human wound healing in exceptional detail. The study was published in Cell Stem Cell.

An international research team, including researchers at Karolinska Institutet, has mapped the genes expressed in the brain cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The atlas, which is presented in the journal Neuron, is hoped to contribute to more personalised treatment of MS in the future.

This year, the Asthma and Allergy Association's Research Fund is distributing SEK 8.8 million to important asthma and allergy research. Eight of the researchers who receive grants work at Karolinska Institutet.

Using an AI tool, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have analysed brain images from 70-year-olds and estimated their brains’ biological age. They found that factors detrimental to vascular health, such as inflammation and high glucose levels, are associated with an older-looking brain, while healthy lifestyles were linked to brains with a younger appearance. The results are presented in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

Researchers at the Institute for Environmental Medicine (IMM) have received a large number of grants from various research financiers during the autumn.