Research at Oslo University Hospital

In order to stimulate excellent research and draw attention to the hospital's research activity, Oslo University Hospital rewards outstanding publications twice a year. Six research groups were awarded for their excellent papers published the first half-year of 2025 during a ceremony on December 3rd. Each group received NOK 50.000 earmarked for further research, and the prize winners gave short presentations of their findings.

The awards for outstanding research articles are distributed twice a year based on more than 2,400 scientific articles published annually by OUS. The division's research committees nominate the articles and an external committee evaluates and finally selects the six worthy winners.

Have you ever experienced hearing the voice of a grandmother or grandfather who has recently died, and perceived the voice as real?
Experiences like these are more common than you might think. As many as 10–17% report so-called psychosis-like experiences during their lifetime.
In her doctoral thesis, Viktoria Birkenæs found that 30% of 22,000 Norwegian adolescents reported psychosis-like experiences. Although the vast majority did not develop a psychiatric disorder, those who reported these experiences had a higher risk of receiving a diagnosis of mental illness.

"We have finally found a good alternative for pain relief right at the start, when it can be difficult to give painkillers through a needle", say the researchers behind the PreMeFen study, which was recently published in the prestigious journal The Lancet.
The study is led by Fridtjof Heyerdahl, a senior researcher at SNLA, OUS and UiO, and head of the Air Ambulance Department at OUS. The study's first author is Randi Simensen, a research fellow at SNLA and Innlandet Hospital.
One patient group received the medication methoxyflurane, which was inhaled through a pipe. The other group received a nasal spray with the medication fentanyl. The last group of patients received morphine via a needle in a vein, which is the treatment that has been used for several decades. The PreMeFen study is the first randomized controlled trial in the world to compare these three treatment options. And it is being done in the ambulance service, where the patients are.

Recommended sites for current research articles:

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

One in six couples worldwide struggle with infertility, and the number is rising. In Norway, the fertility rate has fallen by almost 30% in the past decade, and 6% of children are now born through assisted reproductive technology (ART).  Yanjiao Li, researcher at Oslo University Hospital and Centre for Embryology and Healthy Development (CRESCO), has written a blog post for the Oslo University Hospital blog OUS Insight. 

Dr. Sigrid Skånland from the Department of Cancer Immunology at the Institute for Cancer Research received Dr. Ragnar Mørk´s Prize for Excellent Cancer Research 2025.

She won the prize for her ground-breaking research on haematological cancers, especially for her studies on precision medicine in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, CLL.

The prize ceremony took place on Friday 21st November in the Auditorium of the New Radium Hospital, L1.

Mari Kaarbø, leader of the Virology Research Group at Oslo University Hospital, was interviewed by the journal Bioingeniøren after leading one of the research teams that collaborated on the “Oslo patient” project. Kaarbø has been primarily responsible for the careful examination of the patient’s blood and gut cells to identify HIV reservoirs. The patient has been off treatment and clinically virus‑free for nearly three years.

A total of just under NOK 183 million is now being distributed among 24 researchers, 13 of whom are affiliated to Oslo University Hospital. They were selected after independent international experts had assessed a total of 146 applications.
After the all-time fundraising record in the Pink Ribbon Campaign, more researchers than ever are receiving millions in support for vital work against breast cancer.  "Thanks to all the contributions from private individuals and businesses, from the hundreds of thousands who bought and wore the pink ribbon last year, we can now distribute a total of 47 million kroner to six outstanding breast cancer researchers", says Secretary General of the Norwegian Cancer Society, Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross.

Sigrid S. Skånland, researcher at the Institute for Cancer Research, recently published the photo book “Mennesker med kreft = People with cancer”. The book portrays 50 people with cancer and includes short quotes from each participant, both in Norwegian and English. Skånland got the idea to do the photo project after being awarded the price “Researcher of the year” in 2023. The price money (100,000 NOK) was financed by Radiumhospitalets legater and had to be spent on cancer-related activity.

“I noticed that the stereotype of cancer patients presented to us by the media does not reflect the reality. I wanted to see and show what real people with cancer are like,” Skånland says.