Impact stories: Prevention, screening and global health outcome
In the years 2024-25, the Swedish Research Council conducts a quality review of pre-clinical medical research at universities in Sweden, focusing on excellence and societal benefit. Here are some of Karolinska Institutet’s impact cases selected for this evaluation, highlighting research that improves public health through prevention, screening, and policy changes. Our researchers advance global health by developing vaccines, influencing policies, and implementing effective screening programs.
Strengthening regulations to prevent skin sensitization and allergic contact dermatitis
Professor Carola Lidén’s team at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) at Karolinska Institutet has significantly strengthened EU regulations by advancing knowledge on skin sensitizers like nickel, preservatives, and fragrance allergens. The research has led to stricter EU regulations, especially by lowering exposure and classification limits for isothiazolinone preservatives and ensuring allergen labeling.
Moreover, the studies have shaped safety guidelines protection of consumers and workers, and reduced risks for allergic contact dermatitis. By developing and validating methods for exposure assessment and compliance verifications, now widely used by researchers and authorities, their work has enhanced public health, helped sensitized individuals to avoid exposure, reduced healthcare costs, and supported efficient disease prevention across health care, industries and regulatory bodies.
Rapid results to guide public health strategies against SARS-CoV-2 and its emerging variants
Throughout the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, new variants of the virus repeatedly emerged and spread, prompting rapid global assessment to understand their risks and guide decisions on monoclonal antibody treatments and vaccine strategies. Organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and control (ECDC) regularly invited scientists with early, often unpublished findings on variant characteristics to inform their responses.
Among these experts, Drs Daniel Sheward and Ben Murrell at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology were invited to present their research at multiple international meetings, where they contributed with essential data and insights to discussions on SARS-CoV-2 variants and strategies for vaccines and monoclonal antibody therapies.
Expanding COVID-19 testing capacity through RNA-extraction-free diagnostics
During the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Associate Professor Björn Reinius at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics pioneered the development of RNA-extraction-free molecular diagnostics, which hugely impacted COVID-19 clinical testing and alleviated global reagent shortages. By heat-based inactivation and optimized reaction chemistry, Reinius’ approach enabled samples to go directly into clinical RT-PCR assay without further processing, increasing test capacity by up to 500%.
The method was used in over three million tests in Sweden, became widely adopted internationally, accelerated COVID-19 diagnostics, and aided variant tracking — including real-time Omicron monitoring during its surge at turn of 2021/2022. Reinius’ innovative method became one of Sweden’s most widely adopted academic contributions to clinical pandemic diagnostics, demonstrating an exceptional “real-world” impact for an academic initiative.
Pioneering veterinary vaccine development and expanding animal health solutions
Professor Jan-Ingmar Flock’s group at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology was instrumental in developing Strangvac - the world’s first effective vaccine against strangles in horses. Strangvac addesses a major challenge and provides over 90% protection against this highly contagious and potentially fatal disease, impacting an estimated 18 million horses across Europe and the US.
The research led to the founding of Intervacc AB, a Nasdaq-listed company that now also develops vaccines for other animal infections, including Staphylococcus aureus in cows and Streptocuccus suis in piglets. Intervacc’s efforts thus promotes effective and accessible veterinary vaccines supporting animal health and industry.
Developing the world’s first chikungunya virus vaccine
Professor Peter Liljeström at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet pioneered the research underlying the development of the world’s first licensed chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, now produced by the French biotech company Valneva. This vaccine addresses a major public health need by preventing chikungunya virus infections, a debilitating mosquito-borne illness that spreads globally, but particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. Since its approval in the United States, Canada, and Europe, the vaccine has gained momentum for additional approvals and broader applications, supported by international collaboration through European Medicines Agency’s OPEN initiative. Valneva is also expanding Ixchiq’s availability in low- and middle- income countries.
Revolutionizing cervical cancer prevention through HPV screening and vaccination
The research of Professor Joakim Dillner and Dr. Karin Sundström at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, has led to transformative advancements in cervical cancer prevention through HPV screening and vaccination strategies. The team pioneered the use of PCR-based HPV screening and has shown that it is more reliable than traditional Pap smears and now forms the backbone of Sweden’s national program.
Their research also supported the rollout of school-based HPV vaccination in girls, extended to boys in 2020, enhancing population-wide immunity. These initiatives have contributed to Sweden’s leadership in Human Papillomavirus (HPV) elimination which has the potential to eliminate HPV-associated cancers in the near future.