Precision medicine technologies developed by KI and Karolinska University Hospital

Karolinska University Hospital and Karolinska Institutet are creating Sweden’s first innovation environment for the development of precision medicine technologies. The decision to establish a join innovation environment for healthcare, research and precision medicine technologies in Solna and Huddinge is a vital step in growing the field of precision medicine.

“Precision medicine is a priority for both research and healthcare,” says Ole Petter Ottersen, president of Karolinska Institutet. “Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital have been working closely for years to develop the field, and this establishment is another step forward in this endeavour. In the long run, it will provide the right treatment to the right patient, help to prevent and cure more diseases and generate gains for society.”

Among the other actors involved in the collaboration are SciLifeLab, Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), Stockholm Centre for Health Data, MedTechLabs and Data Science Node (DDLS).

Precision medicine is already an important aspect of care in the fields of cancer, rare diagnoses and neurological disorders such as epilepsy and MS, while inroads are also being made in infection diseases and chronic diseases, such as asthma, connective tissue diseases, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and obesity.

One vital function of the new innovation environment is to create a high gene-sequencing capacity with SciLifeLab in order to increase the number of analyses made and shorten the time to results. Physical proximity is also conducive to crossover collaboration and skills exchange, while the new way of working will require the development of novel services and functions for the healthcare of tomorrow.

This article was first published on 21 January by Karolinska Institutet.