Research at Oslo University Hospital

There is a strong need for more high‑quality de-escalation studies in cancer to enable more personalized treatment and improve patients’ quality of life.
Kristin Austlid Taskén, at the Institute for Cancer Research, and Ieva Ailte at the European Cancer Collaboration Unit at OUS are coordinating and leading the Task for Cancer Research in Work Package 8 of the Joint Action European Network of Comprehensive Cancer Centres (JA EUnetCCC, 2024–2028). One of the activities is the launch of the De-escalation Study Network, which was initiated with the symposium “Innovating Cancer Care Through De-escalation Studies”, held at the Netherlands Cancer Institute on 5–6 March in Amsterdam.

Researchers at Oslo University Hospital and the University of Oslo have created the most detailed map so far of how the genome regulates autophagy, the process cells use to break down and recycle their own components. The findings are published in the journal Nature Cell Biology. Nathalia Chica and Aram N. Andersen are shared first authors, while Jorrit Enserink, leader of the Cancer Molecular Medicine group at the Institute for Cancer Research, is senior author.
By combining high-content fluorescence microscopy with deep learning, the team analyzed 5,919 yeast gene mutants, covering about 90 percent of the yeast genome. The researchers tracked how autophagy changed over time as cells moved through periods of nutrient starvation and recovery.

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 centres of excellence (UiO/OUS):
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

This project aims to combat the most common cause of acute viral hepatitis, zoonotic hepatitis E, in a One Health perspective. More than 30 European countries participate with a total of 150 members joining.
Susanne Dudman is representing Norway and is leading work group 2, focusing on clinical management. The group aims to establish robust and comparable clinical trial frameworks, standardize outcome measurements, and support the identification and development of antiviral therapies.

Annikka Polster, Nicola Montaldo and Hilde Nilsen, from the Genome instability in disease and ageing group at OUS, has together with their collaborators identified a blood-based “signature” that may reveal Parkinson’s disease (PD) 10–20 years before classic motor symptoms like tremors and stiffness appear. The results were recently published in NPJ Parkinson’s Disease.
Parkinson’s is usually diagnosed only after many of the brain cells that control movement are already lost. This study asked whether early molecular warning signs can be detected in the blood long before diagnosis. 

Trevor Clancy is a cancer bioinformatics scientist with over 20 years of experience in bioinformatics, cancer research and biotechnology. Trevor has focused on integrating multi-omics, tumor–immune biology and AI to generate clinically meaningful insight. He co-founded OncoImmunity (later NEC OncoImmunity following its acquisition by the multinational NEC Corporation) and, as Chief Scientific Officer and leading senior scientist, spearheaded AI-driven personalized cancer immunotherapy projects.
His overarching goal now is to develop robust AI-based tools, such as tumor avatars, that improve cancer prevention, therapy selection and patient outcomes.

The National Research Archive (NVA) has replaced Cristin and is now open for both previous Cristin users and new contributors at OUS. Whether you're registering for the first time or updating your publications, NVA offers improved functionality for managing research outputs, including support for green open access and project code reporting.

Click More to learn how to get started, request editing access, and upload files for archiving.