Press releases

The mesoporous magnesium carbonate Upsalite® is shown to inhibit growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis, bacteria associated with acne and hospital acquired infections. That is the result of a study published in ACS Omega, by researchers at Uppsala University. The results open up for development of materials inhibiting bacterial growth without the use of antibiotics for e.g. dermal applications.

In a paper published today in Nature Chemical Biology, a team of researchers from Uppsala University, the Broad Institute of MIT, Harvard, and AstraZeneca are presenting new insights into how larger-than-average molecules can be developed into pharmaceutical drugs

Researchers and doctors at Uppsala University, along with Swedish and international collaboration partners, have found gene variants that predict the risk of a serious adverse reaction to drugs used for the treatment of hyperthyroidism. The results are published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

The concentration of the hormone prolactin in the blood is controlled by dopamine. However, the system can be thrown off balance by certain drugs, especially antipsychotics, which can result in sexual side effects. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in rats, published in the journal Cell Reports, shows how dopamine can regulate itself and provides new knowledge about how the side effects arise.

The HPV vaccine is most effective against high-grade cervical lesions if given before the age of 17, according to a new register-based study from Karolinska Institutet and the Public Health Agency of Sweden. The results, which are published in the International Journal of Cancer, show that the vaccine is effective at preventing high-grade lesions.

Long-term use of liraglutide, a substance that helps to lower blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, can have a deteriorating effect on insulin-producing beta cells, leading to an increase in blood sugar levels. This according to a study on mice implanted with human insulin-producing cells conducted by a team of scientists from Karolinska Institutet, and the University of Miami, USA.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have taken a step closer to understanding the mechanism that leads to the fusion of egg and sperm at fertilisation. Using the technique X-ray crystallography, they have determined the 3D structure of Juno, a mammalian egg protein essential for triggering gamete fusion. Their findings are not only interesting from an evolutionary perspective, but also reveal the shape of a possible target for future non-hormonal contraceptives.

Sterilised mosquito nets can replace costly surgical meshes in the repair of inguinal (groin) hernias without further risk to the patients. This makes mosquito nets a good alternative for close to 200 million people in low-income countries suffering from untreated groin hernias. These are the results of a Swedish-Ugandan study presented in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).

In recent decades, much hope was based on the development of personalised drug treatments, in which genetic tests determine the choice and optimal dose of medication for each individual patient. However, the real breakthrough is still to be seen, and now researchers at Karolinska Institutet show in two separate scientific papers that many more gene variants affect how a person responds to medication than previously thought – and thus that today’s analytical tools are too coarse.

A study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a new test for prostate cancer is better at detecting aggressive cancer than PSA. The new test, which has undergone trial in 58,818 men, discovers aggressive cancer earlier and reduces the number of false positive tests and unnecessary biopsies. The results are published in the scientific journal ‘The Lancet Oncology’.