Support from the Cancer Society to three of CCBIO's research projects
The Norwegian Cancer Society has recently announced their 2017-funding. The University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital receive 54,7 million NOK, of which 23,2 million go to CCBIO projects.
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Each fall,听the Norwegian Cancer Society allocates their funding to various cancer research projects. In 2017, NOK 173.8 million will be distributed to 26 different projects. Of these, research groups at the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital receive NOK 54.7 million, shared between听seven research projects. Three of these belong to CCBIO听research environments:
- CCBIO Principal Investigator听James Lorens: (Significance of AXL for) communication between cancer cells and immune cells听 - basic research with clinical relevance听(6 mill. NOK.)
- CCBIO Junior Associate Investigator听Camilla Krakstad: New therapy strategies for endometrial cancer听(9,2 mill. NOK.)
- CCBIO Principal Investigator and Co-Director听Bj酶rn Tore Gjertsen: Developing new and targeted therapy (CSF1R/FLT3) against acute leukemia.(8 mill. NOK.)
James Lorens' project concerns new methods听to provide better treatment of aggressive cancer that is resistant to immunotherapy.
The body's immune system has a unique ability to patrol the body and remove mutated cells and cancer cells. However, cancer cells have many different ways to affect the immune cells so that they can avoid being attacked and exterminated; they can change both themselves and their neighborhood听and they can send a variety of signals to the immune cells which听prevent听them from doing an effective job.
The project investigates听a factor in cancer cells that help prevent attacks from immune cells. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the development of novel听therapies for the prevention and treatment of aggressive cancers which听currently are听resistant to听immunotherapy.
Camilla Krakstad's project is听investigating tumor alterations, and aims to provide more personalized treatment.
Uterine cancer is one of the most common malignancies听affecting women. Occurrence is increasing, partly due to prolonged life expectancy, but this type听of cancer is also strongly associated with obesity, which is听a rising听challenge in the population.
Although the prognosis for most patients is good, there are few treatment options if the cancer has spread in the body, resulting in poorer prognosis.
In this project, the group investigates molecular alterations in cancer tumors and their significance for disease type, course of the disease听and treatment, and whether these are promising听targets for new treatment. The work involves comprehensive mapping of alterations听in both primary tumor and听metastatic lesions. New identified targets for treatment in the metastatic lesions will be investigated in advanced disease models where the effects of new drugs are听tested.
The results of the testing will provide a听foundation听for selecting drugs听for further experimental听therapy. A clinical study of new biomarkers will investigate whether these can be part of common practice when choosing the听optimal surgical treatment for patients. The overall aim听is to find better and more individually adapted treatment for uterine听cancer.
Bj酶rn Tore Gjertsen's听project aims to achieve effective precision therapy by linking disease models, diagnostics听and treatment closer together.
In Norway, we have about 150 new cases of acute myeloid听leukemia (AML) per year,听and the average age when the disease is detected is 70. Less than 20 percent of patients live longer than three years.
New techniques that allow 30-40 measurement points per cell - in millions of cells - allow us to carefully monitor the cancer cells of each patient during treatment, and adjust the treatment early on, giving a better听course of the disease.
Congratulations to all three听research groups!
Read more:听
Article at听UiB News:听55 million NOK to cancer research in Bergen
The Cancer Society (in Norwegian):
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