StratRegen - Strategic research area in stem cells and regenerative medicine

In a recently published study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KI University Hospital show that radiotherapy (RT) creates an "epigenetic memory" in skin fibroblasts which impairs skin healing in cancer survivors. They also found that by targeting this memory with antibodies the damage could be reversed. This finding can lead to new therapies for both preventing and treating RT-induced skin issues.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have mapped how small RNA molecules, such as the recently Nobel Prize-awarded microRNAs, control cell development in the human embryo during the first days after fertilisation. The findings, published in Nature Communications, may eventually contribute to improved fertility treatment.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has identified an RNA molecule that is important for skin wound healing. The research, published in Nature Communications, may have implications for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Charles University studying liver fibrosis have made an exciting new discovery, now published in EMBO Molecular Medicine. Their latest findings could pave the way for innovative approaches to treating this challenging condition.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and AstraZeneca have discovered that gene expression in adipose stem cells varies according to sex and type of adipose tissue in mice. These findings may pave the way for future therapeutic interventions to increase the body's fat storage capacity and improve metabolism.

Elif Eroglu, research group leader at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology (CMB).
Project title: “Tightly Controlled – Tight Junctions and Tissue Mechanics as Sensors and Executers of Heart Regeneration” and William A. Nyberg, assistant professor at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge. Project title: “Improving CAR-T cell therapies through AAV-mediated genetic engineering” 

Docent Georgios Sotiriou tilldelas ERC Proof of Concept-anslaget från Europeiska forskningsrådet (ERC). Syftet med Photocure-projektet är dels att undersöka om en ljusaktiverad nanokompositfilm kan vara en effektiv behandling för svåra, infekterade sår som till exempel diabetiska fotsår. Men också att förbereda steget från innovation till medicinteknisk produkt. Det är andra gången Georgios Sotiriou tilldelas det prestigefyllda anslaget, och tredje gången han får finansiering från ERC.

New research reveals that scar formation after spinal cord injuries is more complex than previously thought. Scientists have identified two types of perivascular cells as key contributors to scar tissue, which hinders nerve regeneration and functional recovery. These findings are also relevant for other brain and spinal cord injuries and could lead to targeted therapies for reducing scarring and improving outcomes.

Zebrafish have a remarkable ability to heal their spinal cord after injury. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have uncovered an important mechanism behind this phenomenon – a finding that could have implications for the treatment of spinal cord injury in humans.

The 2024 Svedberg Prize is awarded to Björn Reinius, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet, for his discoveries regarding the gene regulation mechanisms of the X chromosome and his substantial impact on COVID-19 clinical diagnostics.

KI-researcher Pauliina Damdimopoulou has been awarded a EUR 2 million ERC Consolidator Grant (European Research Council) for the SAFER project (SAfeguarding female FERtility-development of human-relevant in vitro tools for reproductive toxicity). The research will investigate the impact of commonly occurring environmental chemical contaminants on women's reproductive health.