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Karin Wårdell

Professor

Professor of Biomedical Engineering and research leader for the Neuroengineering group.

Minimally Invasive Instrumentation and Neuroengineering (MINT)

Background

My background is in technical physics and electrical engineering (MSc-Y 1987), a PhD (1994) and Docent (1997) in Biomedical Instrumentation. Since 2002 I am Professor of Biomedical Engineering – minimally invasive instrumentation at Linköping University.

Research interests

My research interests lie in the field of neuroengineering and biomedical instrumentation and include:

  • neuronavigation
  • imaging methods
  • biomedical optics
  • modeling and simulation
  • brain microcirculation
  • translational research for clinical studies.

Main application areas are deep brain stimulation (DBS), optical guidance in neurosurgery, brain tumor surgery and monitoring methods in neurointensive care. The research is conducted in close collaboration with clinical researchers both nationally and internationally.

I am a recipient of the Otto Schmidt Award from the IFMBE, and a Fellow of IAMBE and EAMBES.

Contact

Phone number: +46 10 1032455

Project grants

Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), and Swedish Research Council (VR-NT), Child Cancer Foundation, ALF Region Östergötland, LiU Cancer.

Publications

Publications from the Neuroengineering group

Google Scholar

ResearchGate

ORCID

2025

Sofie Tapper, Stina Mauritzon, Marcelo Pereira Martins, Fredrik Ginstman, Anders Tisell, Peter Zsigmond, Karin Wårdell (2025) Simultaneous MRI and laser Doppler Flowmetry: Assessing cerebral Macro-and microcirculation in neurointensive care NeuroImage: Clinical, Vol. 47, Article 103821 (Article, review/survey) Continue to DOI
Elisabeth Klint, Anders Tisell, Ida Blystad, Martin Hallbeck, Teresa Nordin, Jan Hillman, Johan Richter, Karin Wårdell (2025) Quantitative MRI relaxometry in brain tumor needle biopsies: Multimodal comparison with tissue fluorescence, radiology, and neuropathology PLOS ONE, Vol. 20, Article e0326765 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Karin Wårdell, Elisabeth Klint, Johan Richter (2025) Probe-Based Fluorescence Spectroscopy for In Situ Brain Tumor Measurements During Resection and Needle Biopsies Biomedicines, Vol. 13, Article 537 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

2024

Elisabeth Klint, Johan Richter, Peter Milos, Martin Hallbeck, Karin Wårdell (2024) In situ optical feedback in brain tumor biopsy: A multiparametric analysis Neuro-Oncology Advances, Vol. 6, Article vdae175 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI
Sofie Tapper, Anders Tisell, Jan Hillman, Karin Wårdell (2024) Method for detection of cerebral blood flow in neurointensive care using longitudinal arterial spin labeling MRI PLOS ONE, Vol. 19, Article e0314056 (Article in journal) Continue to DOI

Research

Two doctors is standing in front of a screen where a disection of a brain is visible.

Neuroengineering

Neuroengineering is a cross-disciplinary research area where engineering meets neuroscience. New methods, tools and techniques are developed and translated for clinical use. The research contributes to new knowledge of the human brain.
Biomedical optics.

Biomedical Optics

Biomedical Optics studies the basic principles of interaction between light and biological tissues, cells and molecules and develops new technologies for use in basic research and clinical applications.

In the media

Framtidens forskning "Utvecklar beslutsstöd för djup hjärnstimulering" (2022-06-17)

Framtidens forskning "Kombination av tekniker ger nya möjligheter för neurokirurgi" (2022-06-17)

Co-workers

Nathanael Göransson

MD, Neurosurgeon, PhD student

Headshot of Simone Hemm-Ode

Simone Hemm-Ode

Guest professor

Photo of Elisabeth Klint

Elisabeth Klint

PhD student

Photo of Stina Mauritzon

Stina Mauritzon

PhD student

Photo of Teresa Nordin

Teresa Nordin

Assistant Professor

Photo of Bengt Ragnemalm

Bengt Ragnemalm

Senior Coordinator

Placeholder for missing image of Johan Richter

Johan Richter

Adjunct Associate Professor

Photo of Sofie Tapper

Sofie Tapper

Postdoc

Photo of Peter Zsigmond

Peter Zsigmond

Adjunct Associate Professor, Docent

Organisation

Computer simulation of a person

Department of Biomedical Engineering (IMT)

A national centre for research, PhD studies and graduate studies within biomedical engineering, since 1972.
A monitor displaying health data for a patient.

Division of Biomedical Engineering (MT)

A national centre for research, education and innovation within the field of biomedical engineering.

News

SSF contributes to new applications of Big Data

The IMT project "Deep Brain Stimulation: Data Analysis for Clinical Support" is presented in Framtidens forskning

To the article (in Swedish)
Biomedical Engineering

Major successes for multidisciplinary research at LiU

The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research has granted SEK 200 million for research in the interface between technology and medicine. LiU scientists are principle investigator in three of the six projects, and co-applicant in a fourth.

Research into "big data" secures big money

When Parkinson´s disease is treated by electrical stimulation of the brain, huge amounts of data are produced. A group of researchers led by Professor Karin Wårdell will now use these data to develop a visual aid for brain surgeons.

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