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The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) has published this year’s 100 list of the most promising research projects from Sweden’s colleges and universities. All applications to the list have been reviewed by IVA’s expert group and the selected projects are considered to have great potential to benefit society. The list includes several projects involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Artificial intelligence in DNA research – artistic interpretation. Image credit: Placidplace via Pixabay, free license

The theme of this year’s list of 103 research projects is innovation through interdisciplinarity. The prestigious list includes projects in a wide range of application areas that can create value for business and society. 

Three of the total 103 research projects on the list involve researchers at KI:

AI for early detection and prognosis of biliary tract cancer

The project’s goal is to develop an AI-powered system for early detection and prognosis of biliary tract cancer, a highly aggressive and difficult-to-diagnose disease. Researchers at KI are Ghada Nouairia, researcher at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, and Yassine Turki.

Due to diffuse symptoms, biliary tract cancer can be difficult to detect at an early stage. AI makes it possible to identify patterns that human interpretation may miss, enabling earlier intervention and more effective treatment.

The goal is to integrate advanced machine learning algorithms with clinical records and molecular data to create a comprehensive tool for healthcare providers. The researchers are now developing the AI models based on the data collected. 

Protection against sexually transmitted infections through nature-inspired gels

A joint EU project with researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University has been selected for IVA’s list of 100 most promising projects. 

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are Anders Sönnerborg, professor at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, and Molly Stevens, professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics.

The goal of the research project is to develop protective gels to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women, a group that is twice as vulnerable but currently lacks effective and adapted infection protection. 

The gel is inspired by the body’s mucus and its built-in defenses, which are strengthened here and form a protective and adhesive layer that covers the mucous membrane of the vagina and traps viruses that are then eliminated naturally. 

Evolution of DNA structures as alternatives to antibodies for virus binding

Antibodies are proteins that can be adapted to bind to different targets and integrated in, for example, COVID tests, and are essential for medical research. 

Today, antibodies develop in animals, which is slow and leads to uncertain quality. In this project, the researchers want to develop an alternative to antibodies, completely free of DNA. The principal investigator is Erik Benson at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, KI.

In the project, the researchers have created a new method in which millions of different DNA nanostructures are produced at the same time. 

Source: Karolinska Institutet