News archive

Immunotherapy given before or after surgery is increasingly used across several cancer areas. In an article published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, researchers at Karolinska Institutet present a comprehensive review of studies across seven tumour areas, showing how the field is moving towards earlier treatment.

On 1 February, Christofer Juhlin took up a combined professorship in tumour pathology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology. The new position was initiated by Radiumhemmet Research Fund, who are also partially financing it. We asked Christofer a few questions about his new role and ongoing research.

A Swedish study, recently published in the scientific journal Neurology, has found that individuals who have experienced a traumatic brain injury are more likely to face periods of work disability that can last for up to five years following the injury.

Neurosurgeon and researcher Elham Rostami is back at FyFa, where she once began her career. She now combines her research into traumatic brain injuries with her clinical work and her role as director of FyFa's new HumanLab.

In January 2026, the President of Karolinska Institutet appointed Lars Holmgren as the new Integration Director for SciLifeLab at KI. In this role, Lars Holmgren will serve as chairman of the SciLifeLab Committee at KI.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified a circular RNA in mitochondria that plays an important role in the healing of chronic wounds. The study is published in Advanced Science.

A doctoral thesis at Karolinska Institutet investigates how an AI-enhanced social robot can be used as a virtual patient to improve the clinical reasoning and communication training of medical students.

New findings from Karolinska Institutet reveal how the gene HNRNPU coordinates several fundamental molecular processes during the earliest stages of human brain development. The study is published in Nucleic Acids Research and helps explain why children with pathogenic variants in HNRNPU often develop severe neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism, and epilepsy.

People with lower kidney function may have higher levels of several blood markers often used in research on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. This is shown in a new systematic review and meta‑analysis published in The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Hi Alexander Kvist, doctoral student at the Division of Physiotherapy. On March 6 you will defend your thesis ”Evaluating complex walking in aging and neurological disease : from motor behavior to brain activity”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Wednesday, 16 April, it is time for KI’s Sustainability Day. This year’s theme explores how what we eat connects sustainable development with human health. Employees and students are invited to a day in Campus Flemingsberg with inspirational lectures, group discussions and several award ceremonies.

Anna Sandström is Associate Professor and researcher in the research group Reproductive, Perinatal and Pediatric Epidemiology at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet and work as an Obstetrician at Karolinska University Hospital, Solna. The overarching goal of the group’s research is to increase knowledge and promote evidence-based care for women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and the neonatal period.

Welcome to Charilaos Chourpiliadis' presentation of his thesis ”A novel evaluation of potential risk and prognostic factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis”.

Katarina Berinder at the Experimental and Clinical Neuroendocrinology research group, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, became docent in endocrinology and diabetes on January 27, 2026.

Katarina's research is primarily focused on pituitary diseases, with a particular focus on hyperprolactinemia. She conducts clinical and epidemiological studies in the pituitary area as well as other endocrine diseases, including adrenal diseases.

Since May 2025, Alexandra Kambler and Ingrid Öberg have been working as student and doctoral ombudspersons at the Medical Students’ Association. Their role is to make it easier for KI students to access support in time, prevent problems from escalating, and contribute to clearer and safer processes throughout their studies.

From 30 March to 17 April, a new round of the employee survey will be conducted to provide an update on our workplace environment. The survey is an important part of KI’s systematic work environment efforts and a way to follow up on working environment, wellbeing, and leadership. It is also a central tool in the ongoing dialogue that drives KI’s continued development – which we do together!

Anna Stoltenberg is a statistician at the Department of Medicine, Solna, and an advisor in the Clinicum network.

Below is information about automatically charged monthly permits, changed garage codes in Flemingsberg, and fines/control fees issued in January.

The application period is now open for both the KI Global Master’s Scholarship and the KI‑DIS Fellowship. These merit-based scholarships cover the full tuition fee for students admitted to one of Karolinska Institutet’s global master’s programmes.

On 2 February, Per Anders Nilsson Strandberg took up his post as Head of Unit for the Faculty Unit for Education. He comes most recently from Mälardalen University.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have announced the second cohort of Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health for postdoctoral researchers. The two-year exchange programme offers promising young researchers the opportunity to grow and test their wings in other research environments. Behind the initiative is ice hockey legend Mats Sundin, whose engagement lays the groundwork for the next generation of leading researchers.

Kristiina Tammimies, Senior Lecturer and Associate Professor of Medical Genetics at Karolinska Institutet, has been appointed Vice Chair of the steering group for the Strategic Research Area in Neuroscience (StratNeuro). The decision was made by the Committee for Research in connection with the new term of office that commenced in January 2026.

A large-scale multi-omics study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Genome Medicine, provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying unstable atherosclerosis, one of the most important causes of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.

The Swedish Higher Education Authority (UKÄ) will be auditing KI’s quality-assurance processes in education and research over the coming two years. The audit will be based on a self-assessment, which will now commence.

To take an exam, you must be able to verify your identity. E‑ID cards, service ID cards and national ID cards (from countries within the EU, EEA or Schengen) are now also accepted as valid forms of identification.

NeurotechEU, the European University alliance that KI is part of, is launching a new self-paced online training on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) to help students, educators and support staff in intentionally designing more inclusive higher education learning environments.

The licence cost for Microsoft 365 Copilot, which gives you access to all AI features developed for M365, has now been reduced. The new price is SEK 175 per user and month.

When the AI service Sundi is now being launched in Sweden, users will receive individualised support to achieve their personal health goals. The advice is based on the latest research that is updated and reviewed by doctors and researchers. Sundi is a non-profit initiative from Bosch Health Campus (BHC) in Stuttgart and Charité – Universitätsmedizin in Berlin in collaboration with researchers from Karolinska Institutet who review the research content.

The Conference "Women of NeurotechEU: Empower, Lead, Innovate" is an international event organized by the “Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Cluj-Napoca, under the umbrella of the NeurotechEU European University Alliance, in connection with International Women’s Day.

Lina Davies is an Associate Professor and Senior Consultant, specialized in internal medicine and infectious diseases at the Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet.

The first staff meeting for Professional Services (GVS), which now includes the KIB University Library, took place in Aula Medica. The agenda included current issues at KI, a status report from the GVS management team and an in-depth look at the Karolinska ATMP Centre with its director, Knut Steffensen.

You can now watch the recordings from the hearings on 4 February, where the candidates for the positions of dean for higher education, doctoral education and research presented their ideas for leading KI forward. If you are eligible to vote, use your opportunity to influence and vote by 11 February.

From January 1, 2026, there is a new arrangement for the safety courses in liquid nitrogen for Biomedicum, ANA Futura and Neo.

Anna Nilsson, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Senior Consultant at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, has been appointed Vice Director of the Board of Cancer Research KI (CRKI). The organisation brings together cancer research from more than 400 research groups across the university and works to ensure that new knowledge benefits patients.

The Lennart Nilsson foundation was established in 1998 in order to bestow an award in recognition of the world-renowned Swedish photographer Lennart Nilsson and his extraordinary body of work. Its main aim is to promote education, training and research within the medical, biological and engineering sciences through the use of images.

Breast cancer tumours can contain different cell types and structures, which may influence how the disease develops and responds to treatment. In a new thesis from Karolinska Institutet, Qiao Yang at the department of oncology pathology uses computer based methods and multi omics data to map this variation in large, untreated breast tumours. The findings may help support more comprehensive diagnostic strategies and inform future treatment decisions.

How hereditary Alzheimer’s disease develops in its early stages depends on which genetic mutation a person carries. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

People with ulcerative proctitis, a milder and more limited form of ulcerative colitis, are not at higher risk of developing rectal cancer than the general population. This is shown in a new Swedish registry study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Gastroenterology. The findings may contribute to more individualized follow-up of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Birgitta Henriques- Normark, at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a medal, 12th size with the ribbon of the Order of the Seraphim, by HM the King.

The prize is intended for newly graduated PhDs, or alternatively doctoral candidates in the final year of their doctoral studies. To be eligible for nomination, candidates must not have reached the age of 32 at the time of nomination.

On 14–15 February, KI’s system for plagiarism checking of theses, iThenticate, will (as previously announced) receive a new interface with partly new features.

People born outside the Nordic region use less mental healthcare than those born in Sweden, despite similar levels of poor health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Joseph Junior Muwonge at Karolinska Institutet.

At Dentmed and Unitand we continue to reduce our negative environmental impact. During the environmental audit, our environmental training for all employees was recognised as a positive observation. Help continue to make a difference by taking the environmental course today.

A new study published in Brain shows that damage to small blood vessels in the hereditary disease CADASIL may disrupt important brain functions in the hippocampus, a region involved in memory. The findings help explain why many people with CADASIL develop cognitive problems and dementia.

The information below is intended for those who require a Green Light for their KID application.

As of 2025, the Hagströmer Medical History Library is officially an integrated part of Karolinska Institutet University Library (KIB), with exciting plans to move to Campus Solna.
Listen to Anna Lantz, Thomas Perlmann and Sven Hagströmer in the latest episode of the KIB podcast!

After completing their first semester at Oviedo University in Spain, the new cohort Erasmus Mundus students have now arrived at KI. Representing diverse professional backgrounds and 17 countries, the students bring hands-on experience from humanitarian crises and global health challenges, setting the stage for a dynamic and collaborative semester of learning.

Carina King, an infectious diseases epidemiologist, has dedicated over a decade to improving the diagnosis and treatment of paediatric pneumonia in sub-Saharan Africa. Recently, she received a prestigious Consolidation Grant from the Swedish Research Council for a project that aims to refine referral guidelines for children with moderate hypoxaemia – a critical gap in current clinical practice.