NextGenNK
NextGenNK is a Competence Center for the development of next generation NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies. The Center is coordinated by Karolinska Institutet and collaborates with the Karolinska University Hospital and prominent national and international industrial partners. The Center was launched in 2020, and is jointly funded by Vinnova, KI, and the Industrial partners.
News
Mördarceller – nytt hopp för barn med svårbehandlad cancer (Swedish)
Ebba Sohlberg och Karl-Johan Malmberg är två forskare vid Karolinska Institutet som just nu utvecklar en ny typ av behandling med så kallade NK-celler, kroppens naturliga ”mördarceller”. Läs mer om deras forskning på barncancerfonden.se
NextGenNK at the Inauguration of Karolinska ATMP Center
NextGenNK Director Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren presented on NK cell–based immunotherapies during the inauguration of the Karolinska ATMP Center on August 25, 2025, sharing experiences from past and upcoming clinical studies.
Niklas Björkström awarded the Eric K. Fernström prize 2025
Professor Niklas Björkström at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the Eric K. Fernströms prize for younger, especially talented and promising researcher for "his outstanding research on natural killer (NK) cells in humans."
Karl-Johan Malmberg Awarded King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize
Karl-Johan Malmberg, Professor, and co-director of NextGenNK, has been honored with the prestigious King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize for his groundbreaking work on how the body's own cells can detect and eliminate cancer.
KI professor elected as international member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Klas Kärre, Professor Emeritus of Molecular Immunology at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, has been elected as an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Rolf Kiessling receives a distinguished award for immunotherapy research
Professor Rolf Kiessling at Karolinska Institutet has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the immune response to viruses and cancer cells.
ATMP mini-symposium organized by NextGenNK and CCRM Nordic
On January 22, 2025, NextGenNK and CCRM Nordic hosted a mini-symposium at Karolinska Institutet, Campus Flemingsberg, focused on Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP). The event aimed to foster collaboration between academia, hospital, and industry, highlighting advancements in ATMP development in Sweden.
Awards and recognitions
Photo: PrivateCaterina Heinz wins Best Poster Prize
NextGenNK congratulates Caterina Heinz (PhD student in Ebba Sohlberg’s team) who won “Best Poster Prize” at the C3T Workshop on 4-5 September 2025.
Photo: Hans-Gustaf LjunggrenNutsa Burduli and Nicole Wild awarded Best Abstract at Collaboration in Science 2024
NextGenNK congratulates Nutsa Burduli and Nicole Wild on the Best Abstract awards.
Photo: N/ANextGenNK at Innate Killer Summit 2023
co-leader Evren Alici was selected as one of the world-class speakers at Innate Killer Summit 2023.
Photo: N/AAnna Pumpe wins Best Poster Prize
NextGenNK congratulates Anna Pumpe (PhD student in Arnika Wagner’s team) who won “Best Poster Prize” at the KI-HERM retreat on 6 March 2024.
Selected Publications
Targeting HLA-E-overexpressing cancers with a NKG2A/C switch receptor
Sætersmoen M et al, Med, 2025.
Engineering immune-evasive allogeneic cellular immunotherapies
Martin KE et al, Nature Reviews Immunology, 2024.
Tumor-associated NK cells drive MDSC-mediated tumor immune tolerance through the IL-6/STAT3 axis
Neo SY et al, Science Translational Medicine 2024.