Norwegian Cancer Genomics Consortium (NCGC) consists of clinicians and specialised cancer research groups, situated at the Norwegian University Hospitals, and is led by professor Ola Myklebost (photo) from the Department of Tumor Biology at Oslo University Hospital.
The NCGC participates in an international study of gene variants predisposing for cancer development. Findings from the study has recently been published in Lancet Oncology (journal impact factor 24.69). The article - entitled "Monogenic and polygenic determinants of sarcoma risk: an international genetic study" has also got an editorial comment: "Are sarcomas hereditary?".

Norway's largest newspaper Aftenposten recently printed a chronicle on personalized cancer medicine, entitled "Should every cancer patient become their own research project"? Here, leader of the National Cancer Genomics Consortium, professor Ola Myklebost, and colleagues professors Per Eystein Lønning, Bjørn Tore Gjertsen and Ragnhild A. Lothe point out that in "personalized medicine", cancer patients remain the largest and increasing group that may benefit most from new treatment strategies.
The authors emphasize the importance of increase in national clinical trials and participation in high quality international studies for the benefit of the Norwegian cancer patient and to strengthen the Norwegian professional development and research.

Mange bidrar for at NosarC skal lykkes!

Ragnhild A Lothe, Nestleder for Nasjonal Kreftsatsing og Ola Myklebost, Leder for Norsk Keftgenomikkonsortium, intervjues på TV2 om "fremtidens kreftmedisin" etter Losbykonferansen 2015.

Hør intervjuet på Vinterlyd 3/3-2015 Del 1 og Del 2

Som en del av Article Biennalen 2015 på MUST - Stavanger Kunstmuseum, holdt Ola Myklebost foredrag og paneldebatt om persontilpasset kreftbehandling. I panelet satt også Bjørnar Gilje, Onkolog, Emiel Janssen, molekylærbiolog, og Oddmund Nordgård, molekylærbiolog, alle fra Stavanger Universitetssykehus.

Leonardo A. Meza-Zepeda and Ola Myklebost in collaboration with David M. Thomas’ group in Australia co-author an article recently published in Cancer Cell (journal impact factor 23.89), entitled “The Architecture and Evolution of Cancer Neochromosomes”.
This article describes for the first time, at single base resolution, the architecture of cancer-associated neochromosomes in well- and dedifferentiated liposarcomas.

Oslo University Hospital has rewarded six research groups for their excellent papers published during the first half-year of 2014. Each group receives NOK 50.000 for use in further research. The prizes were distributed during the Friday meeting at Ullevål November 21st.
The award winners gave short presentations of the main findings in their respective articles. Managing director Bjørn Erikstein (photo) distributed the awards, and professor Ole M. Sejerstad chaired the meeting.
The six selected articles are of especially high quality, and they present important finding on both-short and long-term scales. The works reflect the good quality and the interdisciplinarity that characterises several research environments at Oslo University Hospital. The research is a fundamental condition for the institution to maintain and strenghten the quality in the patient treatment.

 On April 9th, MSc Magne Skårn gave his trial lecture entitled "MicroRNAs in cancer: regulators of stemness and oncogenesis", and successfully defended his PhD Thesis MicroRNAs in mesenchymal biology and differentiation.

Congratulations, Magne!

Supported by the Cancer Society

KREFTFORENINGEN

Ola Myklebost has been the main supervisor for Heidi Maria Namløs and Hege Oma Ohnstad, both defending their theses in May 2013.

Cand.scient. Heidi Maria Namløs defended her PhD thesis entitled "Studies of genome-wide patterns of gene expression and methylation in osteosarcoma" on May 15.

Cand.med. Hege Oma Ohnstad defends her PhD thesis entitled "Novel therapeutic strategies in sarcoma" on May 21.

The BIOTEK2021 programme is the Research Council of NorwayÂ’s most comprehensive research initiative in the field of biotechnology and will run from 2012 through 2021. The programme board has now granted support to five large projects, covering all relevant thematic fields, and are expected to boost the development of commercial biotechnology in Norway.
One of the carefully selected projects is entitled "A national research and innovation platform for personalized cancer medicine", and is led by Ola Myklebost (photo) from the Department of Tumor Biology at OUS.

The Programme for Publicly-initiated Clinical Cancer Studies provides support to research projects that will increase understanding and thereby enhance the basis for effective decision-making within cancer treatment and care. The Research Council collaborates with the Norwegian Council for Quality Improvement and Priority Setting in Health Care on the selection of proposed topics for calls for proposals.

The program has recently decided to distribute a sum amounting to about 65 mill NOK among three projects, all of which are led by scientists from the Norwegian Radium Hospital, OUS: Gunhild Mælandsmo, Jon Håvard Loge and Ola Myklebost. This was celebrated on Friday April 13th (photo from the celebration under "More").

The February 2nd edition of Nature brings a feature article in their news section about Norway's current plans to use "next-generation" DNA sequencers to trawl for mutations in tumours that might reveal which cancer treatments would be most effective.
Ola Myklebost (photo), senior researcher at the Department of Tumor Biology and leader of The Norwegian Cancer Genomics Consortium, who is spearheading the effort, is interviewed for the article, which is entitled "Norway to bring cancer-gene tests to the clinic".

Tale Barøy

Veileder Ola Myklebost, Leonardo Meza-Zepeda, Stine H. Kresse

Sensor: Heidi Rudi, UMB, Uwe Klein, IMBV

Evaluation: A

Eivind Valen Egeland

Veileder Ola Myklebost, Leonardo Meza-Zapeda, Anne Mari Håkelien

Sensorer: Heidi Rudi, UMB, Paul E. Grini, IMBV

Evaluation: A

Supported by the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, we have established an international liposarcoma research consortium, consisting of two American (Maki, Barretina), one Australian (Thomas), and one Norwegian group (Myklebost/Meza-Zepeda). This web site is set up to further this collaboration and invite other groups to provide their links, as well as to advertise what we are doing in the hope to extend our collaborations further.

The ILPC is having its inaugural workshop in Oslo Feb 3-6 2011, which opens up with an open symposium at the Norwegian Radium Hospital.