News archive

The discoveries of Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman made possible the first COVID-19 vaccine. But it was just one of the many things that can be done with mRNA, explained the Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine in their Nobel lectures.

On the 4th and 5th of December, national and international researchers, experts, and stakeholders met to listen to and discuss good examples of suicide prevention interventions within railbound traffic. The event was organized by the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet and Region Stockholm.

A successful KI Alumni China Chapter 2023 networking event was arranged in Shanghai in November, gathering a large crowd from all over China.

Kaixuan Zhao at the research group Signal Transduction, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend her thesis "The role of T-type calcium channels in human pancreatic β cell maturity" on December 15, 2023.

Main Supervisor is Shao-Nian Yang.

As previously announced, IMM received research grants during the autumn from, among others, Forte and AFA Insurance. New grants have now been received from The Swedish Research Council, The Swedish Cancer Society, The Swedish Heart Lung Foundation and FORMAS.

Newer diabetes medicines do not appear to increase the risk of birth defects. The largest comparative study to date found no increased risk compared to treatment with insulin, which is considered safe during pregnancy. The study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

On November 9, the seminar ”How can Sweden contribute to Global Neonatal Research” was organized on the initiative of Global Youth and Child Health, a section of the Swedish Paediatric Society and the Swedish Network for Global Child Health. Around 50 physical participants and up to 70 online with different engagements in global newborn health attended the seminar. From researchers and academics to clinicians working for NGOs and public health specialists participated.

Tigist Wodaje from the Endocrinology Unit at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), is defending her thesis "Hereditary hypercholesterolemia and cardiovascular disease: functional and epidemiological aspects", on 14 December 2023. Main supervisor is Jonas Brink (MedH).

Congratulations to the six researchers from the Department of Medicine, Hudinge (MedH), who receive grants from the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation 2024-2026! Together they receive SEK 9 300 000 in grants.

Some people seem to age faster than others. Whilst “chronological age” describes the time that has passed since someone was born, “biological age” tells us how old their body appears. We can measure biological age using standard clinical data such as blood test results and blood pressure readings. Alternatively, we can measure biological age using information about DNA methylation, which are marks on our DNA that change over time.

A new method, developed at Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and SciLifeLab, can identify unique immune cell receptors and their location in tissue, a study published in the journal Science reports. The researchers predict that the method will improve the ability to identify which immune cells contribute to disease processes and open up opportunities to develop novel therapies for numerous diseases.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet has found no evidence that a common drug used to protect the ovaries of women undergoing chemotherapy increases their chances of having children after cancer treatment. The study is published in eClinicalMedicine.

In December, Kenneth Chien is leaving his professorship in cardiovascular research after ten years at Karolinska Institutet. He will now devote himself wholeheartedly to developing new mRNA therapies in the biotechnology industry.

As part of the Nobel Week, KI students were invited to a lecture on Alfred Nobel and on Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, this year's laureates in Medicine or Physiology. Thomas Perlmann, secretary of the Nobel Assembly and the Nobel Committee, shared his experiences of both the nomination process and calling surprised laureates in the middle of the night.

Ann-Helen Patomella, senior lecturer, receives SEK 4,400,000 from the Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Research & Charity for the project "Engagerande vardagsaktiviteter, livskvalitet och hälsosamt åldrande för hela befolkningen- Stroke prevention i primärvården" (Engaging everyday activities, quality of life and healthy ageing for the whole population - Stroke prevention in primary care). Congratulations!

We congratulate Daniel C Andersson, Johanna Lanner, Jon Lundberg, Carl Johan Sundberg, and Eddie Weitzberg, researchers at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology (FyFa), for securing grants from the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation in 2023. In total SEK 5,9 million has been awarded the researchers at FyFa.

Carl Henrik Ek has recently been appointed visiting professor of AI/machine learning at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset (KI SÖS), Karolinska Institutet. To take advantage of the new technology, development must take place in synergy between mathematics, computer science and medicine, says Carl Henrik Ek, who also leads a research group in machine learning at the University of Cambridge, UK.

Congratulations to Principal researcher and research group leader Francois Lallemend, who has been appointed Professor of Neurobiology of Sensory Systems at the Department of Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet from 1 December 2023.

Carsten Daub is newly appointed scientific director for SciLifeLab. He will act as the link for the collaboration between one of Sweden's largest research centers and Karolinska Institutet.

Sverker Johansson, Division of Physiotherapy, receives SEK 1 115 318 in the call Clinical Therapy Research. He receives the grant for his project ”One size” passar ingen – utveckling av en personcentrerad adaptiv mobilhälsolösning för fysisk aktivitet efter stroke eller transitorisk ischemisk attack”. Congratulations!

The use of AI makes it possible for women with a high risk of breast cancer to be identified in mammography screening examinations so that the cancer can be caught earlier. An international research group led from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden can now show that the method is effective in different European countries. The study is published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.

Eight researchers at the Department of Neuroscience have been awarded project grants from the Swedish Research Council in the category of medicine and health.

A new laboratory for MRI examinations was recently inaugurated at Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge. The purchase of a new MRI scanner, following a donation from the Erling Persson Foundation, creates completely new opportunities for the Stockholm Region and Karolinska Institutet for both doctors and researchers.

People with close relatives who have suffered from cardiovascular disease may benefit from eating more oily fish. This is according to a new study led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Circulation.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Cell reports shows that tumor-associated macrophages, which are white blood cells that are found in breast tumors, can both help and hinder the spread of cancer cells to other organs. The researchers found that macrophages that produce a substance called VEGF-C reduce the spread of breast cancer to the lungs but increase the spread to the lymph nodes. This may have implications for the prognosis and treatment of breast cancer.

In a recently published study, researchers at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) at Karolinska Institutet have questioned the old paradigm surrounding isotopes of light elements—carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. These isotopes have now emerged as more powerful than one thought.

Professor Johan Ärnlöv receives SEK 7,5 million in the call Research competence in primary care 2023. He receives the grant for his project "Chronic pain and the development of cardiovascular diseases". Congratulations!

The UTokyo-KI LINK programme was officially launched at a kick-off symposium at the University of Tokyo on November 9, 2023.

The Swedish Research Council has decided on the applications to be awarded grants within clinical therapy research. In total, almost SEK 210 million is granted for the years 2023-2027 to 28 researchers. Ten of them are researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Counting down to Christmas, a calendar of delight,
Each day's a surprise, keeping you active and bright.
Jump, walk, dance - a festive move to unfold,
In this active calendar, warmth and wellness to hold!

A study has shown that the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in Sweden has changed a lot since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. This is largely due to the migration of already infected people to Sweden. The study focused on people who migrated from Ukraine, so that the care can be adapted to their needs. The results provide important information for future analysis and treatment.

Hi Emelie Mälstam, doctoral student at the Division of Occupational Therapy. On December 8 you will defend your thesis "Make My Day – Exploring engaging occupations in stroke prevention and promotion of health". What is the main focus of the thesis?

Hannes Hagström at the Gastroenterology and Rheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, receives the Rising Star Award 2024, from the United European Gastroenterology (UEG).

In conjunction with KI's visit to Tokyo in February 2023, connected to a workshop within Stockholm Trio for a sustainable future, we hosted an alumni event for about seventy guests from KI, KTH and SU. The evening offered, among other things, a talk with KI alumnus Takeaki Dohda, currently director of investments at Google in Tokyo (left in picture). With alumni, students, researchers and university representatives on site, collaboration was the thread of the day.

The global and professional alumni network of KI engages former students, researchers and employees of KI, promoting knowledge, research, education and interaction. We hope to inspire alumni involvement, professional networking and international collaboration, all vital to a dedicated and sustainable alumni network. On November 9th, we hosted an alumni dinner in Tokyo for this very purpose, strategically in conjunction with the launch-event for the new UTokyo-KI Link collaboration.

The Greater NY-Region Alumni Network recently met for its second time at The Rockefeller University in conjuction with the annual Nicholson Lecture organized by the university. This year, Professor Rickard Sandberg, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, was invited to give a lecture on “Single-Cell Technologies to Study Transcriptional Bursting and Alternative Splicing Regulation”.

Professor Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and Professor Jonas Frisén, Karolinska Institutet, are awarded distinguished professor grants from the Swedish Research Council, totalling just over SEK 62 million for the years 2024–2031.

Skin-to-skin contact between parent and child during the first hours after a very premature birth helps develop the child's social skills. This is according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and others. The study also shows that fathers may play a more important role than previous research has shown.

Professor Robert A. Harris is made honorary doctorate at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMF) Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The honour is given in recognition of Bob Harris’ exceptional contributions to the development of the university, especially in the context of the European University Alliance NeurotechEU project.

People in Sweden of non-European descent have almost three times as many eating disorder symptoms as people born in Sweden. But despite this, they have significantly less access to specialist treatment. This is according to new research from Karolinska Institutet published in BJPsych Open.

Eating disorders are debilitating conditions characterized by dysregulated eating and/or weight-control behaviors leading to significant impairment of psychosocial functioning and/or physical health. Both environmental factors and variation in multiple genetic variants influence eating disorder etiology and maintenance.

KI researcher Goran Papenberg has been granted a project grant from the Swedish Research Council for his research on the brain's ability to produce new neurons and its relevance for long-term memory and depression in aging.

Of the 31 researchers appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellow this year, five will be active at Karolinska Institutet. The five-year grant is awarded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and provides young, promising research leaders with long-term research funding in Sweden.

A workshop was done 28-29 September on education for sustainable development that involved students, teachers, researchers and managers from the four universities.

A large proportion of patients who start taking ADHD medication, especially young adults, stop within the first year. However, people who use ADHD medicine for a long time and in higher-than-average doses seem to have a higher risk of some cardiovascular diseases. This is according to two new studies led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and published in The Lancet Psychiatry and JAMA Psychiatry.

Vinnova (the Swedish governmental agency for innovation systems) is to finance the project "For efficient and sustainable use of health data through the integration of the DIGITAL-projects and GMS in Sweden (DIGIfor1healthSE)" with a grant of SEK 12 million over a period of four years. The project, which is designed to gather Sweden’s expertise on health data, involves TEF-Health at Karolinska Institutet and has SciLifeLab as the national coordinator.

This year we welcome our international students to participate in a global survey called the International Student Barometer. The survey opens on Monday 27 November and the deadline is 18 December.

Giovanna Perinetti Casoni from the hematology unit, at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), is defending her thesis "Regulation of cytotoxic lymphocyte effector functions" on 1 December 2023. Main supervisor is Yenan Bryceson (MedH).

The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research has awarded an 8 million SEK ASPIRE II Award to the Bennie Lemmens Research Group at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics (MBB) at Karolinska Institutet. Supported by a previous ASPIRE I award, the team of Bennie Lemmens established state-of-the-art microscopy and DNA labeling techniques to study how human cells copy their DNA and respond to anticancer therapies, with unprecedented precision in time and space.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Kanazawa University in Japan have made a new discovery which could improve breast cancer treatments. The researchers studied cancer stem cells (CSCs), which can resist chemotherapy and form new tumors. They found a type of CSCs that are vulnerable to drugs that target a pump in the cells. These drugs could potentially kill these CSCs and help patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a hard-to-treat form of breast cancer.