News archive

If a person damages the brain or spine, nerve cells do not regenerate spontaneously. The mechanism has been there since the embryonic stage, but is not activated. Enric Llorens Bobadilla and his research group at Karolinska Institutet are trying to find which genes should be turned on to create new nerve cells. A new film about their work is now available.

Meet Johan Björkegren, Professor of Systems Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) since 9 December 2025.

Currently, a PhD position within the ACHILLES program is announced at Karolinska Institutet.

A new study from Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet in collaboration with Uppsala University Hospital and Uppsala University shows suspected small vessel disease in young patients with Wilson’s disease. The study was recently published in Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance.

Tahnee Marquardt is an advisor in Clinicum’s network and works as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Compliance & Data Office at Karolinska Institutet. Tahnee provides support in areas such as REDCap, ethical issues, and the registration of clinical studies and trials.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that the nervous system's own immune cells help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage. The results, which may contribute to new knowledge about how certain neurological diseases arise, are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

The medals are awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to support KI's activities and are available in three categories: the gold medal, the large silver medal, and the silver medal.

That means users cannot log into UBW to approve/certify invoices or requisitions or make purchases in UBW e-commerce system etc. during this time.

A small set of common blood biomarkers predicts which older adults will develop specific combinations of chronic diseases – and how quickly, a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Medicine reports.

The protein p53, best known as the “guardian of the genome” for its role in preventing cancer, can affect blood vessels in different ways. However, it has not been clear how p53 can slow blood vessel growth in some cases and damage blood vessels in others.

Several decisions are now coming into force that aim to create clearer responsibilities and a more cohesive organisation at KI. Among the changes are new bodies and functions, and certain activities being relocated within KI. KI's organisational plan and the President's decision-making and delegation rules have been revised. Further revisions will also be made in 2026.

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) has awarded 102 grants in medicine and health in five categories to 101 researchers at Karolinska Institutet. In total, KI will be allocated just over SEK 526,6 million for the period 2025-2031.

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) has decided on four calls and awarded funding to 39 researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in the areas of clinical therapy research, international post docs within medicine and health, research into viruses and pandemics, and career grants within primary care.

Valentyna Yasinska at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, has been awarded a grant from the Asthma and Allergy Association's Research Fund.

Elisabeth Morén is a newly qualified doctor at the Department of Odontology at Karolinska Institutet. Here she talks about her research, her time as a doctoral student and what lies ahead after her thesis defence.

The Cancer and Allergy Fund (Cancer- och allergifonden) is awarding a total of SEK 3,3 million to 19 research projects in the field of cancer and allergy. Of these, eleven researchers at Karolinska Institutet will be awarded SEK 2 million. Several of these projects focus on cancers with poor prognoses, such as pancreatic cancer, where more research and knowledge are needed.

As the year draws to a close, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all of you for your commitment and professionalism. Together, we are advancing knowledge about life and working to improve dental health for everyone – work that makes a real difference.

Professor Tore Midtvedt, Oslo, passed away on December 2nd at the age of 91. He is mourned by his wife Kari, his sons Karsten, Per and Öyvind with their families, as well as a large circle of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.

On 18 November, the alumni relations office of KI, in collaboration with alumni relations at KTH and SU under the umbrella of the Stockholm Trio University Alliance, hosted an alumni mixer and panel discussion on the important topic of Compassionate Societies – Death is a public health issue.

The Swedish Research Council is investing SEK 60 million in Sweden’s first graduate school for biomedical laboratory scientists, with Karolinska Institutet playing a central role. The initiative aims to strengthen the supply of expertise and meet healthcare’s need for research-trained biomedical laboratory scientists.

Girls who are vaccinated against HPV are not only well protected against cervical cancer; they are also less likely to develop severe precancerous lesions of the vulva and vagina, particularly if they were vaccinated before the age of 17. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Oncology.

Hi Cecilia Johnsson, doctoral student at the Division of Occupational Therapy. On January 16 you will defend your thesis ”Complex paths of lifestyle change in stroke prevention : unveiling seeds and processes of engaging occupations”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

The Committee for Research at Karolinska Institutet has decided on recipients from the Jonas Söderquist scholarship foundation for basic research in virology and immunology. The awarded are Annika Niehrs and Thomas R. Müller at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, and Andrea Fossati at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology.

While in Sweden for psychological rehabilitation through the Repower project, Ukrainian combat medics visited Stockholm for a day of discussions and experience-sharing with Swedish healthcare professionals, decision-makers, and other actors within the Swedish total defence system.

The Promobilia Foundation is donating SEK 25 million to enable four research groups from Karolinska Institutet and Lund University to join forces in a major research project designed to develop new treatment strategies for the fundamental causes of Parkinson’s disease. The quartet will be using innovative methods, including advanced gene therapies and target-specific vectors, which are able not only to reach but also to protect the most vulnerable cells in Parkinson’s disease.

The Swedish Cancer and Allergy Foundation has allocated SEK 3.3 million to support 19 innovative projects in the fields of cancer and allergy research. Among the recipients are three researchers from the Department of Laboratory Medicine, who will receive grants to advance studies focused on some of the most challenging and hard-to-treat cancer types.

After the Nobel week and the celebration of research that has been of greatest benefit to humankind, I feel nothing but immense gratitude and admiration for this year’s laureates. Particularly momentous was, of course, having the honour to present and listen to the Medicine laurates’ lectures in Aula Medica on 7 December, when Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi talked about their discoveries on how the immune system keeps itself in balance.

From the spring term 2026, new procedures will apply to all exams and tests held in examination halls at KI. You must be registered for the exam no later than 10 calendar days before the examination date in order to take part. Please read the rules carefully to ensure that your exam can be conducted without any problems.

The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden) has granted SEK 35,3 million to KI for childhood cancer research. This year, the Foundation distributed a total of SEK 145 million to relevant research projects.

Theresa Lemke is collecting data from a study in which schools have tried adapting to teenagers’ “internal body clock” – by starting morning lessons a little later.

The University Library (KIB) has been asked by the president to lead the process and develop a unified cultural program at KI. The decision follows a review of cultural activities during the fall of 2024 and spring of 2025, in which the report confirms the importance of culture for KI as a whole, highlights the need for a clearer organizational home, and emphasizes the importance of increased student engagement in cultural activities.

Göran Sterky, a renowned paediatrician, professor at Karolinska Institutet, and founder of IHCAR (International Health Care Research), passed away in November 2025 at the age of 95.

The Epilepsy Foundation (Stiftelsen Epilepsifonden) is awarding a grant of SEK 400,000 to the research project “MAP-KETO,” which is investigating the effects of a ketogenic diet on children with drug-resistant epilepsy.

The Property and Facillity Department at GVS would like to inform you that KI has procured a new restaurateur for all of KI starting 1 January 2026.

KI is now looking for a Director for research infrastructure. This is a new role that will be central to the development of Research Infrastructure at KI (RIKI), which will, among other things, meet the university's growing need for coordinated, quality-assured and secure core facilities. During the recruitment period, an acting director will be responsible for the work.

At the same time as more and more young people are affected by mental illness, the need for research in psychology and psychiatry aimed at children, young people and young adults is becoming ever greater. Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation and Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation have now decided to award grants to ten research projects in the area. Seven of these are run by researchers at KI.

A 47-year-long Swedish study at Karolinska Institutet reveals how fitness, strength, and muscle endurance change during adulthood. The results show that physical ability starts to deteriorate as early as age 35, but it is never too late to start exercising.

Administrative news for staff and affiliates at the Department of Neuroscience (December 2025).

This coming new year, Karolinska Institutet University Library (KIB) will become part of Professional Services (GVS) at KI, creating more opportunities for closer cooperation and broader skills exchanges.

The government has initiated an investment in new excellence clusters totalling SEK 2.5 billion. With five planning grants awarded by the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova, Karolinska Institutet (KI) is one of the institutions taking the next step towards strengthening Sweden’s position in medical research and innovation.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified small molecules capable of influencing a hard-to-target receptor family linked to cancer development. The findings have been published in Nature Communications and the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of newborns die from preventable complications during birth. A new doctoral thesis examines neonatal resuscitation practices in Vietnam and introduces innovative airway solutions that could save lives worldwide.

For teachers at KI interested in topics related to teaching for planetary health, sustainable development, and sustainable healthcare, there is now a resource bank with teaching materials and a network for support and knowledge exchange.

Forced to flee as a child, today Elham Rostami saves lives in emergency situations – and conducts research to understand why some patients with brain injuries recover unexpectedly well. 

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KTH have developed a computational method that can reveal how cells change and specialise in the body. The study, which has been published in the journal PNAS, can provide important knowledge about why this process sometimes goes wrong and leads to disease.

We are approaching the annual closing of the books for 2025 and would like to take the opportunity to remind you of some important facts. Take notice of the deadlines both regarding HR and Finance.

At the beginning of 2026, Karolinska Institutet announces research grants from the Hildegun and Mats Guldbrand research foundation for research in immune regulation and women's diseases.

The 2026 funds for the category of women's diseases refer to research in gynecological cancer.

During 1–10 December 2025, doctoral students participated in the hybrid doctoral course “Sustainable Health and the 2030 Agenda." The course provided students and early-stage researchers with an in-depth orientation to sustainable health within the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the interconnections between the Sustainable Development Goals and global public health. The course will be given again in December 2026.

Researcher Carolina Hagberg at the Department of Medicine, Solna (MedS), has been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant for her research on obesity and cardiometabolic health. By mapping the interaction between adipose tissue and atherosclerosis, her research group hopes to uncover new insights that can help prevent cardiometabolic diseases.

New parking provider and digital payment system on KI's campus from 1 January