Research at Oslo University Hospital

In order to stimulate excellent research and draw attention to the hospital's extensive research activity, Oslo University Hospital reward outstanding publications regularly.

Six research groups were awarded for their excellent papers published during the second half-year of 2017 on May 25th in the large auditorium at Ullevål sykehus. Each group received NOK 50.000 for use in further research. The prize winners gave short presentations of the main findings in their respective articles.

The paper entitled “Enhanced targeting of triple-negative breast carcinoma and malignant melanoma by photochemical internalization of CSPG4-targeting immunotoxins” by Marius S. Eng et al. was a joint academic-industry effort including collaboration with the Ferronel lab at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, the Rosenblum lab at MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Mælandsmo lab at Oslo University Hospital (OUS), the Imaging Facility at the Institute for Cancer Research (OUS) and PCI Biotech. The manuscript was published in the May issue of Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences (The Royal Society of Chemistry), which is a society-owned journal publishing high quality research on all aspects of photochemistry and photobiology.

Findings from scientists at the Research Institute of Internal Medicine published in the prestigious "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" (journal impact factor 19.9) has received attention.  Martin Kummen and Marius Trøseid are first and last authors on the publication, entitled "Gut Microbiota Signature in Heart Failure Defined From Profiling of 2 Independent Cohorts".

The Norwegian popular science web site "forskning.no" has recently written about the results, and interviewed senior author Marius Trøseid about the linking of gut bacteria flora to chronic heart failure.

Theodossis Theodossiou and Kristian Berg from the Photochemical internalisation (PCI) group at the Department of Radiation Biology at the Institute for Cancer Research have been funded by the Future and Emerging Technology (FET) program under the Excellent Science section of the Horizon 2020. The FET program funded 11 projects out of 820 grant applications (1,4 % success rate) and the proposal by Theodossiou and Berg was rated as number 6. The  project is designed to develop treatment of aggressive brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
The major national newspaper VG recently (May 3rd) published a feature article about the supported project, entitled "Pioneering Norwegian technology: aiming to kill aggressive brain tumors by producing light in the brain."

Fredrik Schjesvold, leader of the "Oslo Myeloma Center" research group at the Department of Haematology at Oslo University Hospital, has recently been interviewed by the national broadcasting corporation NRK for the the popular radio programme "Ekko", under the column "Meet a researcher". Schjesvold has also been interviewed for an international multiple myeloma podcast. Furthermore, a video presenting the Oslo Myeloma Center has been produced.

In a recent OUS research blog article Johan Steineger and Sinan Dheyauldeen from the Department for Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery explain how they came to treating patients with Morbus Osler - a rare autosomal dominant disorder that affects blood vessels throughout the body (causing vascular dysplasia) and results in a tendency for bleeding. - with the anti-angiogenic medicine Avastin, which is often used with chemotherapy to prevent tumor growth.

Espen Melum, head of the "Experimental Hepatology" group at the Research Institute of Internal Medicine, under the Division of Surgery, Inflammatory Diseases and Transplantation, was appointed "Researcher of the Month" for March 2018 by the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Sør-Øst RHF).
Melum's research group studies why inflammation occurs in the bile ducts, which in turn can lead to liver failure. His work is presented in a feature article published on the home page of Helse Sør-Øst.

King Olav V's cancer research award for 2018 went to professor Vessela Kristensen, head of the Cancer Genome Variation Group at the Department of Cancer Genetics at the Institute for Cancer Research.

The prestigious prize was handed over by HM Kong Harald V on behalf of the Norwegian Cancer Society in Oslo on April 16th. 

New: The Norwegian Cancer Society has recently published a feature article about Vessela Kristensen and her research.

On the occasion of King Olav V's award 2018 to professor Vessela N. Kristensen there will be held a mini symposium  on cancer genomics April 17th at 10am-4pm in the Auditorium at the Institute for Cancer Research, in the K building at Montebello.
Speakers are prominent scientists Olga Troyanskaya, Charles Vaske, Sampsa Hautanemi, Diether Lambrechts, Gyan Bhanot, Peter Fasching and Zohar Yakhini.

Professor Harald Stenmark, head of the "Cellular membrane dynamics" group at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, receives ERC Advanced Grant for the second time. Only two other Norwegian researchers, Professor Edvard Moser (NTNU) and Professor Kenneth Hugdahl (UiB), have received ERC Advanced Grant twice in their careers.

The research project "Coincidence detection of proteins and lipids in regulation of cellular membrane dynamics (CODE)" will last for five years and has been awarded 2.5 million Euro.