The research is led by Vessela Kristensen, PhD and Professor I in clinical molecular biology. The group consists of three postdocs, 5 PhD students, one principle research technologist (EpiGen) and one at Radium. Through collaborations with the University of Life Sciences (Ås) the group is continuously hosting and tutoring MSc students (4 graduated) and as part of the Faculty of Medicine – medical students. The research is intrinsically intermingled with the clinical part where Bjørn Naume, Olav Engebråten, Ellen Schlichting and Ida Bukholm are important leaders. The research group is part of the K.G. Jebsen center, where V. N. Kristensen is deputy leader and is also in close collaboration with her group at IKF, Radiumhospital, as well as the other groups at the Department of Genetics, most importantly, that of Anne-Lise Børresen-Dale. We have in our recent studies employed an integrated approach to understand breast cancer heterogeneity by modeling mRNA, CNAs (copy number alterations), miRNAs, and DNA methylation in a pathway context using Paradigm (Pathway Recognition Algorithm using Data integration on Genomic Models). We demonstrate that combining mRNA expression and DNA copy number provide the best predictive value with respect to patient prognosis and identify key molecular and stromal signatures. A chronic inflammatory signature, which promotes the development and/or progression of various epithelial tumors. By development of these new analytic methods, we get closer to the target of understanding of the molecular pathways before and under development of tumors. We get a bigger cytokines’ profile picture during and after treatment, which would help to fight the cancer treatment related symptoms and fatigue. We aim at getting a better understanding of the disease, which can us help finding out target proteins for treatment of the tumors.

Group leader Vessela Kristensen, PhD, professor, Oslo University Hospital.

Genome Variation (Radium) and Oncogenomics (EpiGen, UiO, Ahus). Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Institute for Cancer Research, DNR and Division of Medicine, Ahus.

Group members, OUS:

• Thomas Fleischer, Ph.D.
• Jovana Klajic, Ph.D.
• Miriam Ragle Aure, Ph.D.
• Sunniva Stordal Bjørklund, Ph.D.
• Evita Lindholm, Ph.D.
• Xavier Tekpli, Ph.D.
• Mev Domingues Valentin, Ph.D.
• Marie Elise Engkvist, M.Sc.
• Marie Fongaard, M.Sc.
• Grethe Irene Grenaker Alnæs, M.Sc.
• Jørgen Ankill, B.Sc.
• Katrine Bølstad, B.Sc.