News archive

Thomas Nyström is researching into cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes. His interests are focused on the intestinal hormone GLP-1. This is used as a diabetes drug, but has also been shown to have a protective effect on the blood vessels, heart and brain.

Magnus Nilsson conducts research on better treatments against cancer of the oesophagus and stomach. The objective is both to make the treatments more effective and save more lives, and to make them less invasive and contribute to the quality of life of the patient.

The use of bariatric surgery (surgery for weight loss) has increased dramatically in recent decades. Martin Neovius is studying how effective this type of surgery is, its associated risks and its cost effectiveness. One important element is the study of whether the obesity-related risks associated with pregnancy and delivery change after bariatric surgery.

Stephan Mielke is working in the field of cancer immunotherapy – how cancer cells can be attacked by using the immune system. His research focuses on exploiting the potential of the patient’s own immune system as well as on improved methods for transplanting blood stem cells from another person.

Johan Ärnlöv is studying kidney disease and its relationship with cardiovascular disease. He is involved in international consortiums that are mapping kidney disease globally. Ärnlöv is also conducting research on new biomarkers for early renal disease and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Jan Zedenius is investigating cancer in the thyroid gland. He wants to understand the differences between various forms of the disease and how to detect these differences early so that all patients receive the treatment that suits them best.

Lennart Blomqvist researches cancer imaging. His thesis on MRI – magnetic resonance imaging – of rectal cancer has contributed to the widespread use of the technique that enables better treatment selection and outcome for these patients. He has also helped to develop a method for the measurement of segmental liver function using MRI.

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded for work dedicated to the connection between celestial body movements and molecular fluctuations in our cells. Or, in simpler terms, to our internal biological clocks, also known as our circadian rhythm.

Forte, the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare, has announced the granted applications in the call ”Research in ageing and health”. Three researchers from Karolinska Institutet (KI), all active at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), were granted in total SEK 14 920 000.

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) have granted close to SEK 108 million to four research projects at Karolinska Institutet. In total this year, the Foundation has granted SEK 560 million to 18 research projects, which are considered to be of the highest international class, and offering potential for future scientific breakthroughs.

By reprogramming skin cells into nerve cells, researchers at Karolinska Institutet are creating cell models of the human brain. In a new study published in Molecular Psychiatry the researchers describe how cells from patients with the severe developmental disease lissencephaly differ from healthy cells. The method can provide vital new knowledge on difficult-to-study congenital diseases.

Is it less wrong to avoid tax if everyone else is doing it? A new study from Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that our view of what is morally right or wrong is shaped by how widespread a particular behaviour is. The results, which are presented in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, can improve our understanding of the psychological mechanisms behind attitudinal change in society.

This year, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW), one of Sweden’s largest funders of research, celebrates 100 years. Festivities include a joint jubilee symposium arranged by KI, KTH and the University of Stockholm in the Aula Magna on 15 September. One of the invited speakers is KI researcher Marie Carlén.

In contrast to what has been previously believed, development of blood stem cells to mast cells, a type of specialised immune cell, does not depend on a growth factor called stem cell factor. This has been demonstrated in a new collaborative study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University, and published in the scientific journal Blood. The results could pave the way for new treatments for certain types of blood diseases.

Obesity and reduced insulin sensitivity are common in polycystic ovary syndrome, PCOS. New research based on animal studies, and to be published in the journal PNAS, reveals that the hormone adiponectin can protect against these changes.

The dynamics among certain so-called G protein-coupled receptors, of vital importance for the function of cells in the body, are different than previously believed. This has been reported by researchers from Karolinska Institutet in the journal Nature Communications. As these types of receptors are the target for many different medicines, the new finding opens the doors to completely new opportunities within pharmacology and pharmaceutical development.