Mobility grant to CCBIO postdoc
Close to a billion NOK is distributed through Fripro funding this year, among other to young researchers and as mobility grants. Cancer researcher and CCBIO postdoc Agnete Engelsen at the Department of Biomedicine is one of the supported young talents.
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This is reported in听.
In all 32 grants for young researcher talents and 10 mobility grants is distributed in听the fields听of medicine, health and biology (FRIMEDBIO) and mathematics, natural science and technology (FRINATEK). Seven of these go to UiB researchers. On average, the听young researcher talents receive 7.5 million NOK, whereas the mobility grants amount听to听about 3.3 million.
Surprised winner
When P氓 H酶yden phoned to talk to Agnete Engelsen, there was a slightly shocked voice at the other end.听
"Is it true? Have I received the grant?"
Engelsen, who was in London at听a course, had trouble holding back the tears when she realised she had received the grant.
"I had not听heard anything yet, so I thought I wasn't among听the chosen ones."
It is obvious that the grant听means a lot to the young cancer researcher.
"I am quite moved right now. I feel听so strongly for this research. The grant听gives me the opportunity to go to the very best in the world in this field, and learn the methods that are necessary to make progress, and I'll get valuable experience to take back听home. In the long run this may be of great importance to听cancer patients. When you听have听such great faith in what you do, it means a lot to get the funding to听be able to go on听with your听work", Engelsen says.
Better effect of immune therapy
Engelsen's work is focusing on understanding how epithelial plasticity, that is, that cancer cells are able to change both the shape and characteristics as a result of stress and changing environment around cancer cells, can contribute to making听cancer cells resistant to treatment. She and her colleagues aim听to identify how this ability to constantly change听according to needs听and stress in听cancer cells' neighborhood, makes cancer cells less susceptible to attacks from immune cells.
"We have听just experienced a revolution in cancer treatment, and new drugs that can activate the immune system to attack cancer cells are now available for the patients. Still, the new drugs seems to work only for a limited number of patients, and we still work听to understand much of听the complex听interaction between cancer cells and immune cells.听There are听great hopes tied to activating the immune system to attack cancer cells, both regarding new drugs and improved combinations with traditional cancer treatment. Nevertheless, we听still have a听long way to go to find out why this does not work on all patients," Engelsen explains.
Will do research in Paris
The听mobility grant allows听researchers to stay two years at a research institution听abroad, and one year at the home institution. Engelsen is planning to go听to the cancer center Gustave Roussy in Paris, to learn new methods.
"Our collaborative partners at the Gustave Roussy have very good models to study this in detail. In our future research, we want to map听these mechanisms and find new points of attack in the cells. A fundamental understanding of the complex biology is utterly听crucial to make further听progress in the clinic, and our goal is that what we do will be of great benefit to the cancer patients."
Our sincere gratulations to Agnete!
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The Norwegian Research Council allocates听in total听943 million NOK to Free Project Support this year. The projects should start up in听2017.
You can find more information on FRIPRO and the other grant winners at听听and at .
