Research at Oslo University Hospital

Work from the Bacterial Defense Systems and Antimicrobial Resistance Group, led by James Booth and Emily Helgesen at the Department of Microbiology, together with Henrik Franzyk's laboratory at the University of Copenhagen, has produced two new papers on antibiotic candidates built outside the compound classes now in clinical use. One paper, in RSC Medicinal Chemistry, builds peptidomimetics from short peptide fragments attached to small-molecule scaffolds. The other, in ACS Omega, derives antimicrobial peptides from TisB, a toxin bacteria produce as part of their own physiology. Both papers aim at chemical space that existing resistance mechanisms have not already been selected against.

In a paper published as open access in NPJ Vaccines, Pål Kristian Selbo and coworkers demonstrate how a light-controlled vaccine technology based on photochemical internalization (PCI) can significantly enhance immune responses to both peptide- and protein-based vaccines when combined with synthetic dsRNA adjuvants. The findings support further exploration of PCI as an approach to improve therapeutic cancer vaccines and other immunotherapies.
The work has also been highlighted in a popular science article at forskning.no.
Selbo is head of the Photochemical internalisation (PCI) research group at the Department of Radiation Biology at the Institute for Cancer Research.

Postdoc Sophie Bresson, member of the RNA modifications in development and disease group led by Yanjiao Li at the Department of Microbiology, is the first author of this new paper published in European Medical Journal (EMJ) – Reproductive Health.

In this new narrative review the authors highlight an emerging layer of regulation that helps control this transition: chemical modifications to RNA, collectively known as the epitranscriptome.

Please find below a Save the Date for PREDI-ROUND I, the public opening session of the first PREDI-LYNCH Annual Meeting and General Assembly, taking place in Bratislava on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, from 14:00 to 15:00 CEST.
The moderated roundtable will explore expectations, challenges and trial-specific implications for the PREDI-LYNCH and PREDI-ENDO clinical trials, with perspectives from clinical trial leaders, a patient representative and a health-policy expert.
The session will be held in a hybrid format, with the possibility to attend in person or online. Please feel free to share this invitation with relevant colleagues, clinicians, researchers, patient representatives, policy-makers and other stakeholders within your networks.

Recommended sites for current OUS research news:

From Oslo University Hospital, in Norwegian:
OUS Innsikt – ny forskning, innovasjon og behandling - channel for science communication
More news from OUS (oslo-universitetssykehus.no)

From UiO and centres of excellence (UiO/OUS):
News from the Inst. of Clinical Medicine, UiO
Research news - UiO
CanCell - Centre for Cancer Cell Reprogramming 
Cresco - Centre for Embryology and Healthy Development 
PRIMA - Precision Immunotherapy Alliance - Norwegian version
Hybrid Technology Hub - Centre for Organ on a Chip-Technology

A new research letter published in JAMA Network Open shows that colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer-related death among adults younger than 50 years in Norway.

The conference is interdisciplinary and will run over two days with exciting lectures on musculoskeletal health related to new pain therapies, migration health, sleep and sleep disorders and osteoporosis. We will also have a debate on possible solutions to musculoskeletal problems. Furthermore, the conference will provide up-to-date research through open oral presentasions and poster presentations covering several areas of the musculoskeletal field. 

Time and place: November 19-20 2026 at Clarion Hotel Oslo Airport, Gardermoen 
Deadline for abstract submission: Sept 17 (possible to apply for extended deadline)

Complete information from the conference homepage (muss.no) (in Norwegian)

Work by Krister Vikedal from the Bacterial Defense Systems and Antimicrobial Resistance Group led by James Booth and Emily Helgesen at the Department of Microbiology shows that combining high-content imaging with machine learning is a powerful, scalable way to map how bacterial genes shape chromosome organization and DNA damage responses. The modular nature of the developed method means it can readily be extended to other gene libraries, stress conditions, reporters, or bacterial species. These insights bring us a step closer to understanding — and ultimately combating — antibiotic resistance.

Policy debates about R&D careers draw on case studies and personal accounts, but survey data from the people working in R&D is scarce. As someone working the cutting edge of R&D, your experiences and perspectives will help policymakers and employers make better-informed decisions about R&D careers.
The OECD-EU R&D Careers Survey gives a voice to the people working in research and innovation, gathering the international evidence needed to better understand and support their careers.

Take 10 minutes to have your say, or share the link with someone who you think will find it of interest.

Take the survey Deadline: Sept 25th.