News archive

Professor Jan Henriksson elected fellow of new global physiology academy

Luan Vo recently marked an important milestone in his PhD journey by successfully completing his half-time review. His project, titled "Evaluating Private Sector Engagement through an Intermediary Agency Model for Enhanced Tuberculosis Care and Prevention in Viet Nam", explores innovative ways to strengthen TB care. In this interview, he reflects on his progress so far and shares his goals for the road ahead.

The Communications and Public Relations Office has appointed one communicator per office within the Professional Services. The communicators will help coordinate and strengthen PS’ communication, both within and between offices. By extension, this is a step towards improving internal communication and dialogue throughout KI.

The new Project Office will coordinate and streamline major projects within KI's Professional Services (PS). The aim is to create better conditions for prioritisation, resource planning and implementation of development projects.

Suganthi Jaganathan researches air pollution in India. Among other findings, she has shown that poor air quality caused 16.6 million deaths in India over a ten-year period.

Toxicologist Hanna Karlsson investigates the health effects of the tiniest particles in the air. Those found in Barcelona’s harbour appear to be more inflammatory than others.

A protein from the bacterium Helicobacter pylori has been shown to block the formation of harmful protein aggregates - known as amyloids - that are linked to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and type 2 diabetes, among other diseases, and bacterial infections. This is the result of a new study published in the journal Science Advances.

Anne-Sophie Merritt, a researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, has investigated how much air pollution people are exposed to depending on their mode of transport.

One plus one does not equal two - it is more. Researchers have developed a method to analyse the toxic effects of mixed air pollutants. The method reveals greater health damage from poor air quality than analyses of individual substances suggest.

On 2 June 2025, a group of 19 doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers from ARC came together for a one-day retreat at the Skepparholmen conference venue in Nacka. The retreat theme was visual communication in research.

We are now heading towards summer and holiday times! Here is some important FyFa information from Professional Services regarding service hours, handling of invoices, et cetera.

As the summer vacations are approaching, it is important for all staff in Neo to have information about the staffing of the service team and who to contact regarding various issues in Neo.

Two researchers at the Centre for Cluster Headache at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded two stipends and one grant to support their innovative research on cluster headache. The awards, granted by the International Headache Society, the Swedish Headache Society, H. Lundbeck AB, and Pfizer, aim to advance the understanding and treatment of headache conditions.

Global Bridges is a unique program that offers junior healthcare science researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI) the opportunity to invite an international scholar to Stockholm for a week of academic exchange and collaboration. Since its inception, the program has been held six times between 2013 and 2022, welcoming 37 international scholars from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America, alongside 48 junior researchers from KI.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet involving over a million women links difficult childhood experiences to the risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis later in life. The study shows a link between childhood exposure to violence and a twofold increase in the risk of developing this gynaecological disease.

Professor Niklas Björkström at the Institution of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the Eric K. Fernströms prize for younger, especially talented and promising researcher for "his outstanding research on natural killer (NK) cells in humans."

A new Swedish registry study shows that women who are affected by cervical cancer are not only at risk of mental health and financial difficulties themselves – their children and partners also appear to be negatively affected. The study is published in the prestigious scientific Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Infants who survive serious health problems in the first few weeks of life have a higher risk of dying during childhood and adolescence compared to children who were healthy as newborns. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

NordForsk has recently granted funding to five new research projects aimed at developing sustainable health and care systems for older people in the Nordic region.

Patients hospitalized for severe COVID-19 exhibit cardiac systolic dysfunction and small vessel disease at long-term follow-up. This is according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital published in Jama Network Open.

The European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) has named Professor Emeritus Olle Söder as the recipient of the 2025 Andrea Prader Prize – the highest international honour in the field of paediatric endocrinology.

From the 13th of October to the 16th, Final-year Master’s students in the field of neurotechnology, PhD candidates, post-doctoral and early-career researchers are invited to attend 3 days of training at the Université de Lille and one optional day dedicated to a cultural visit.

Degree ceremonies for students on KI’s Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes were held on 5 and 6 June, and as tribute was paid to the graduates, an atmosphere of joy, expectation and pride filled Aula Medica.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men globally. Diagnosing prostate cancer involves examining tissue samples under a microscope, a process that can be inconsistent and yield different results by different pathologists for the same sample, potentially affecting patient treatment. In some unclear cases, extra testing called immunohistochemistry (IHC) is used, but it adds cost, time, and lab work.

Mats J Olsson, professor at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience (CNS), has accepted an extension of his appointment as Head of the Department.

The Lancet has announced a new commission aimed at reorienting frailty in clinical practice, public health, and policy. Davide Liborio Vetrano is one of two experts from Karolinska Institutet, who are involved in this important initiative.

Nina Bošković from the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit (GUT), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends her thesis titled "Oxygen levels regulating Embryonic Genome Activation", on 13 June, 2025. Main supervisor is Juha Kere (MedH).

Hi Vilma Alanko, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On June 13 you will defend your thesis ”Translational studies on biological signatures, risk profiles, and prevention of dementia.” What is the main focus of the thesis?

On May 27–28, over 270 researchers, clinicians, and students gathered at the scenic Djurönäset conference center for the StratNeuro Retreat 2025

The latest Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) has been recently released, in which health profession students evaluate planetary health content at their universities. KI has improved its scores in most areas, especially in support for student-led sustainability initiatives.

Fredrik Piehl, Professor of Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet and researcher at Karolinska University Hospital, has been named Neuroprofile of the Year 2025.

The prestigious Nordic Anders Jahre Award for 2025 goes this year to two researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Professor Sten Eirik Wælgaard Jacobsen is to receive the Anders Jahre Award for Medical Research for his work on normal and leukemic blood stem cells. William Nyberg is honoured with the Anders Jahre Award for Young Researchers for his work on the development of T-cell immunotherapy for cancer.

The rapid transformation we are now seeing in the healthcare sector brings a growing need for municipally provided health promoting and preventative activities, and, consequently, for research and education. On 3 June, KI signed collaboration agreements with Solna City and Upplands-Bro municipality, marking an important step towards reinforcing such strategic partnerships between the university and local government.

Hi there Isabelle von Saenger! On 13 June, you will defend your doctoral thesis entitled “Care and financial support in ageing families: the changing shape of inequality”. Can you tell us more about what it explores?

The Bridging Grant is a funding initiative through which StratNeuro provides support to promising researchers with outstanding scientific merits, offering them the opportunity to further consolidate and strengthen their research.

A new investigation from Karolinska Institutet shows that the majority of food and beverage advertisements that adolescents are exposed to on social media promote unhealthy products. The investigation is part of a new report from UNICEF Sweden and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Research on uveal melanoma - the most common form of eye cancer in adults - at St. Erik Eye Hospital and Karolinska Institutet has been ranked fifth in the world according to the 2024 ScholarGPS ranking.

Five people are to receive Karolinska Institutet’s Grand Silver Medal, and a further two KI’s Silver Medal. These two classes of medal are awarded to people who have made tremendous or excellent efforts, respectively, in support of KI’s activities and will be presented this year at the installation ceremony on 9 October.

The Foundation for Child Research at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital recently hosted a ceremonial event to present this year’s Hugo Lagercrantz Award alongside the fall research grants. It was an inspiring gathering that celebrated both groundbreaking research and emerging scientific talent in paediatrics.

Shengyuan Zeng from the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit (GUT), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends her thesis titled "Investigation of epigenome changes in quiescent fission yeast cells", on 5 June, 2025. Main supervisor is Karl Ekwall (MedH).

Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center (Karolinska CCC) will be the first center in Sweden to receive renewed accreditation. This milestone marks an important step in further strengthening the collaboration between Karolinska University Hospital and KI. Childhood cancer is now also part of Karolinska CCC.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified three types of nerve cells connected to the intestinal villi, suggesting that previously unknown neural networks regulate fluid balance in the gut. The findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, could lead to a better understanding of diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Newsletter for staff and affiliates at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, June 2025.

Despite many digital tools showing promising results in research aimed at supporting patients in lifestyle changes, self-care, and monitoring of common chronic diseases, they rarely make it into routine healthcare. A new correspondence article in Nature Medicine presents six concrete recommendations to help accelerate the path from research to real patient benefit.

The Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) recently provided a commentary on a review conducted at the Aging Research Center (ARC) in collaboration with affiliated researchers. The review focused on interventions to support informal caregivers—family members or close friends who care for older adults without formal compensation.

People with an autism diagnosis are at a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease early in life, a large-scale study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Neurology reports. The researchers believe that the two conditions can share underlying biological mechanisms.

The number of Achilles tendon injuries has drastically increased over the past 20 years. Simon Svedman's thesis shows that blood clots are a common complication that needs better prevention.

Biomedicum was transformed into a colourful studio on May 26th when children rolled up their sleeves for a Science Clay Workshop that turned cell biology into art.

Mayo Clinic and Karolinska Institutet are marking 30 years of collaboration by rescheduling their next joint research meeting to Fall 2026, aiming to focus on cutting-edge themes like RNA therapeutics, precision health, and decentralized care. The event will be held at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus and is designed to reflect the evolving strengths of both institutions.

Alphonsus Matovu, PhD student at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Global Surgery research group, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend his thesis "Groin Hernia Surgery in Women. Outputs, Factors, Methods and Costeffectiveness" on June 2, 2025. Main Supervisor is Jenny Löfgren.