Research at Oslo University Hospital

Lorena Arranz, leader of the Stem Cells, Ageing and Cancer group and Deputy Director of CRESCO, and Vincent Cuminetti, researcher in her group, are first and last authors of this Nature Communications paper.

The team investigated a cell surface sensor called SUCNR1 (the succinate receptor) and how it affects blood stem cells and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). They found that SUCNR1 acts like a brake on blood stem cell activity and helps prevent leukemia from progressing. 

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

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.

Oslo University Hospital hereby announce research awards in the following two catagories for 2026:

• Excellent Researcher Award (one prize, 400.000 NOK)
• Early Career Award (two prizes of 200.000 NOK each)

Closing date for nominations: March 2nd 2026.

Lorena Arranz, leader of the Stem Cells, Ageing and Cancer research group at the Department of Microbiology and Deputy Centre Director of CRESCO, has received 9 million NOK in funding from Helse Sør-Øst RHF for her project NEUROTARGET: The nervous system as a druggable vulnerability in myeloid blood cancers.

Helse Sør-Øst RHF has awarded regional research funding to 96 research projects starting in 2026. The projects cover a wide range of disciplines and aim to contribute new knowledge and improved patient care. Lorena Arranz received funding from the thematic open structure, available to all research areas in the specialist healthcare services.

Scientists from the Department of Radiation Biology report a new strategy to enhance the effectiveness of WEE1 inhibitor–based cancer treatment, published recently in Nucleic Acids Research. The study shows that disrupting transcription termination — the process that properly stops RNA synthesis — significantly increases DNA damage and cancer cell death when combined with the WEE1 inhibitor adavosertib.

A new European collaboration cluster, EARLYSCAN (Early Screening & Hereditary Cancer Awareness Network), has been launched to strengthen prevention and early detection strategies for heritable cancers. The cluster brings together three Horizon Europe–funded projects: SHIELD, DISARM, and PREDI-LYNCH.

The PREDI-LYNCH project is led by Mev Dominguez-Valentin from the Department of Tumor Biology at the Institute for Cancer Research at OUS.

EARLYSCAN operates under the Mission on Cancer priority area “Prevention & early detection – early detection of heritable cancers” and aims to maximise the impact of EU investment by aligning efforts, reducing duplication, and accelerating translation into practice.

The European Joint Action on Personalised Cancer Medicine officially launched on January 14, bringing together 29 European countries and over 140 partner organisations to advance personalised cancer care across Europe. Coordinated by the Belgian public health institute Sciensano, the project aims to create a sustainable cross-border network to foster innovation, equity, and collaboration in personalised cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up and tertiary prevention.
Oslo University Hospital (OUS) serves as the Norwegian coordinator. 

"RNA Therapeutics: From siRNA to mRNA Innovations", edited by Mouldy Sioud and published by Springer Nature, presents a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the scientific advances driving the rapid growth of RNA-based therapeutics. This landmark volume brings together leading international experts to explore the evolution of RNA technologies and their expanding role in modern medicine.
Mouldy Sioud leads the Immunomodulation and Targeted Therapies research group at the Department of Cancer Immunology at the Institute for Cancer Research.