NextGenNK
NextGenNK is a Competence Center for the development of next generation NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies. The Center is coordinated by 探花精选 and collaborates with the Karolinska University Hospital and prominent national and international industrial partners. The Center was launched in 2020, and is jointly funded by Vinnova, KI, and the Industrial partners.
News
Karl-Johan Malmberg and Aline Pfefferle awarded Swedish Research Council grant
NextGenNK congratulates Karl-Johan Malmberg and Aline Pfefferle who received 8.5 million SEK and 6 million SEK each from Swedish Research Council.
50 years of NK cell research celebrated with a symposium
Nearly 240 participants gathered in the Eva & Georg Klein Hall at 探花精选 on 14 October to mark the 50th anniversary of the discovery of natural killer (NK) cells. The full-day symposium featured presentations on scientific advances, offering both historical reflections and future outlooks.
M枚rdarceller 鈥 nytt hopp f枚r barn med sv氓rbehandlad cancer (Swedish)
Ebba Sohlberg och Karl-Johan Malmberg 盲r tv氓 forskare vid 探花精选 som just nu utvecklar en ny typ av behandling med s氓 kallade NK-celler, kroppens naturliga 鈥漨枚rdarceller鈥. L盲s mer om deras forskning p氓 barncancerfonden.se
NextGenNK at the Inauguration of Karolinska ATMP Center
NextGenNK Director Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren presented on NK cell鈥揵ased immunotherapies during the inauguration of the Karolinska ATMP Center on August 25, 2025, sharing experiences from past and upcoming clinical studies.
Niklas Bj枚rkstr枚m awarded the Eric K. Fernstr枚m prize 2025
Professor Niklas Bj枚rkstr枚m at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH), 探花精选, is awarded the Eric K. Fernstr枚ms prize for younger, especially talented and promising researcher for "his outstanding research on natural killer (NK) cells in humans."
Karl-Johan Malmberg Awarded King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize
Karl-Johan Malmberg, Professor, and co-director of NextGenNK, has been honored with the prestigious King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize for his groundbreaking work on how the body's own cells can detect and eliminate cancer.
KI professor elected as international member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Klas K盲rre, Professor Emeritus of Molecular Immunology at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, has been elected as an international member of the US National Academy of Sciences.
Rolf Kiessling receives a distinguished award for immunotherapy research
Professor Rolf Kiessling at 探花精选 has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the immune response to viruses and cancer cells.
Awards and recognitions
Photo: PrivateCaterina Heinz wins Best Poster Prize
NextGenNK congratulates Caterina Heinz (Ebba Sohlberg鈥檚 team) who won 鈥淏est Poster Prize鈥 at the C3T Workshop on 4-5 September 2025.
Photo: Hans-Gustaf LjunggrenNutsa Burduli and Nicole Wild awarded Best Abstract at Collaboration in Science 2024
NextGenNK congratulates Nutsa Burduli and Nicole Wild on the Best Abstract awards.
Photo: N/ANextGenNK at Innate Killer Summit 2023
co-leader Evren Alici was selected as one of the world-class speakers at Innate Killer Summit 2023.
Photo: N/AAnna Pumpe wins Best Poster Prize
NextGenNK congratulates Anna Pumpe (PhD student in Arnika Wagner鈥檚 team) who won 鈥淏est Poster Prize鈥 at the KI-HERM retreat on 6 March 2024.
Selected Publications
Targeting HLA-E-overexpressing cancers with a NKG2A/C switch receptor
S忙tersmoen M et al, Med, 2025.
Engineering immune-evasive allogeneic cellular immunotherapies
Martin KE et al, Nature Reviews Immunology, 2024.
Tumor-associated NK cells drive MDSC-mediated tumor immune tolerance through the IL-6/STAT3 axis
Neo SY et al, Science Translational Medicine 2024.