Support KI's research on coronavirus

Scientists around the world are working diligently to uncover solutions to slow the spread of the coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19. At Karolinska Institutet, researchers are trying to develop effective treatments and vaccines, and to increase knowledge to better understand the course of the disease. Would you like to contribute to this work?

Thank you for supporting Karolinska Institutet's research! Your contribution makes a huge difference and together we can advance our efforts to improve human health through research and education.

Three research areas in need of support

Increase knowledge about the virus and disease

We urgently need to increase knowledge about the coronavirus in order to better understand the disease progression of COVID-19, risk factors, prognosis, as well as how to optimize the choice of treatment. KI strives to define the long-term effects for individual patients, as well as patients' immunity during acute infection and over time. We can accomplish this with the help of patient samples, registry studies and experimental studies.

We want to understand the factors that influence the development of the disease, and the mechanisms that cause severe illness, with the aim of quickly obtaining data for the treatment and prevention of severely ill patients. One factor that can affect the development of the disease is a concomitant bacterial superinfection, which we are also researching. The overall goal is to reduce the risk of severe illness and to reduce total mortality.

The research projects have been developed from a carefully conducted analysis by infectious disease doctors, ICU doctors and researchers in the field with an international perspective and extensive knowledge base.

Treatment of coronavirus disease, COVID-19

At present, there is no adequate treatment for COVID-19, although trials are underway with existing antiviral drugs for HIV, Ebola and malaria with mixed success. At KI, several research groups are currently working on developing new treatment methods, which include several with antibodies. Antibodies are proteins used by the body's immune system to detect foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria, and help the white blood cells to fight the threat. At KI, work is also underway to create treatments that block the inflammatory hyperreaction that COVID-19 patients can suffer.

Vaccine research

In January, KI started with the development of vaccines against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. A research team has already produced the first vaccine candidates and is now performing the first experiments in animal models. At KI, researchers are using the latest genetic technology in vaccine development, with plans to send an application to the Swedish Medical Products Agency for permission for human studies within 9-12 months.

In parallel, KI is developing additional vaccine candidates to attack viruses in different ways. This work is very important for both this and future outbreaks of coronavirus, so the production of vaccines will be faster each time. KI has previously succeeded in taking vaccine candidates from the laboratory all the way to clinical trials in humans.

Development Office

If you have any questions or would like to know more about how you can support Karolinska Institutet, please contact our Director of Devleopment Jenny Löhr or send us an email at do@ki.se