KI is investing SEK 50 million in research into osteoporosis for better diagnostics, treatment and prevention. The large investment is made possible by a generous donation from Ebbe and Lena Krook. Part of the donation will finance a new endowment professorship at KI in the subject.
The new knowledge centre on osteoporosis is located at Karolinska University Hospital's Department of Endocrinology in Huddinge. The activities include Karolinska Institutet's clinical research and will serve as a hub for the overall osteoporosis care in Region Stockholm.
Karolinska Institutet is investing SEK 50 million in osteoporosis research. The investment is made possible thanks to a generous donation from Ebbe and Lena Krook. The donation consists of SEK 25 million for a new endowment professorship in osteoporosis, and SEK 25 million for research into osteoporosis.
Region Stockholm is investing SEK 25 million per year to coordinate and develop the care of osteoporosis in the Stockholm region.
Better treatment and prevention
The research funds will contribute to new knowledge that can lead to better diagnostics, treatment and prevention.
"The donation enables cutting-edge research to develop new techniques that can prevent and treat osteoporosis. Among other things, this can be done in collaboration with the Karolinska ATMP Centre , where new gene and cell therapies are developed. The potential for future curative treatments and better quality of life for patients is great," says Matti Sällberg , dean of KI South , Karolinska Institutet.
Every year, thousands of patients in Stockholm are treated for fractures caused by osteoporosis.
"Unfortunately, Region Stockholm is one of the regions that needs to do more to identify people at risk of osteoporosis and thus a high risk of fractures. A proper improvement is needed and we are happy about our new assignment. We look forward to collaborating with primary care and the other hospitals to jointly increase the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis," says Associate Professor David Nathanson at the Department of Medicine , Huddinge, KI, and head of the Medical Unit Endocrinology at Karolinska University Hospital. "With the research initiative from Karolinska Institutet, we also have the opportunity to create new knowledge that can lead to even better care in the long term."
Osteoporosis in numbers
- Almost 600,000 Swedes are estimated to have osteoporosis.
- In Region Stockholm, approximately 19,000 osteoporosis fractures occur each year.
- One in two women and one in four men are affected at some point in their lives.
- The costs of care for osteoporosis fractures are estimated at over SEK 22 billion annually in Sweden, corresponding to 4.3 percent of the healthcare budget.
Source: Region Stockholm
