Institute for Cancer Research

Kjetil Taskén
Institute head

Institute for Cancer Research has since its foundation in 1954 played a central role within the field of cancer research both in Norway and internationally. The Institute has seven research departments and more than 380 employees. About 70% of the employees and projects are externally funded. Read more

See introductory video with welcome to the ICR 

See full video covering all of ICR and its Departments 

Publication overview

Annual reports

Current news and events

Johanna Olweus interviewed for The Scientist on next-generation cancer therapies

Johanna Olweus
Johanna Olweus

Professor Johanna Olweus, Head of the Experimental Immunotherapy Group at the Institute for Cancer Research, has been extensively interviewed for a feature article in "The Scientist" magazine, entitled "Next-generation CAR and TCR Cancer Therapies". In this piece of excellent scientific journalism, she goes through findings and mechanisms that she and group have exploited to develop innovative new concepts for T-cell based immunotherapies, and why she is optimistic that TCR T cell therapies will be effective also in solid cancer.

Collaboration on artificial intelligence:Improving lung and breast cancer care through AI-driven precision diagnostics

Åslaug Helland, OUH participant
Åslaug Helland, OUH participant

Oslo University Hospital  and Karolinska Institutet (KI) have entered a postdoctoral partnership with AstraZeneca. The aim is to improve lung and breast cancer care through AI-driven precision diagnostics.

In Oslo, we are welcoming Anna Christina Garvert as a postdoc in lung cancer, and Francisco Peña has been selected and started at KI working on breast cancer. They will be developing AI-based tools for precision medicine in cancer, utilizing existing diagnostic and clinical data to enhance patient outcomes.

 

 

Nature Communications article from Raiborg project group:Cancer cells transfer their invasive properties to non-invasive cells

Eva WenzelFirst author
Eva Wenzel
First author

Cancer cells degrade and invade their surrounding tissue by use of the enzyme MT1-MMP, which is expressed on their cell surface. In a new article published in Nature Communications on February 10, 2024, Eva Wenzel and her co-workers in Camilla Raiborg’s project group identify a new mechanism for cancer cell invasion, namely that cancer cells can transfer their invasive properties to non-invasive cells. They show how invasive cancer cells secrete catalytically active soluble forms of MT1-MMP, which dock on the surface of other cells. This enables non-invasive recipient cells to degrade and invade into the extracellular matrix, by use of the newly acquired MT1-MMP enzyme. 

Call: UiO Growth House seed funding for innovative researchers 2024

Do you have an innovative idea based on your research for a new product or service, but need funding to develop your early-stage technology or service further? Apply for seed funding from the UiO Growth House! Application deadline: 4 April 2024.

This call is aimed at applicants (faculty/staff, clinicians, postdocs, and PhD candidates) who (i) are employed at the University of Oslo (UiO) and (ii) have an innovative idea or are working on an early-stage technology or service.

Publication in Science:Treatment-induced resistance mutations in BTK can be overcome by a clinical-stage BTK degrader

Sigrid S. Skånland
Sigrid S. Skånland

Sigrid S. Skånland, project group leader at Department of Cancer Immunology, did a research stay at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in 2022. The work she did while she was in the group of Dr. Omar Abdel-Wahab has now been published in Science.

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors are used to treat the B-cell malignancy chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Resistance mutations to the first generation of inhibitors are well characterized and have formed the rationale for a new generation of inhibitors. However, also these lead to alterations in BTK over time.

Announcement: nominate a scientist for the 2024 OUH research awardsExcellent Researcher Award and Early Career Award

2023 award winners. From left: Kushtrim Kryeziu, Bente Halvorsen and Håvard Ole Skjerven
2023 award winners. From left: Kushtrim Kryeziu, Bente Halvorsen and Håvard Ole Skjerven

Oslo University Hospital hereby announce research awards in the following two catagories for 2024:

  • Excellent Researcher Award (one prize, 400.000 NOK)
  • Early Career Award (two prizes of 200.000 NOK each)

Closing date for nominations: March 6th 2024.