Research at Oslo University Hospital

In the 25 June issue of Nature, Harald Stenmark at Institute for Cancer Research and colleagues in Berkeley, Baltimore and Warsaw publish a review article on “The expanding repertoire of ESCRT functions in cell biology and disease”.

The review discusses the functions of ESCRT proteins in diverse cellular functions and highlights the associations between ESCRT dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. 

Eirik Malinen at the Department of Radiation Biology received this year’s Michael Goitein Biology Award at the Annual Conference of the Particle Therapy Cooperative Group (PTCOG) for the work “Enhancing immunotherapy with proton- vs x-irradiation in mouse tumor models”.  
The work is a collaborative effort between Malinen and the group of Nina Jeppesen Edin at the Physics Department, UiO, and Brita Sørensen at the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy in Aarhus. The proton experiments were performed in Aarhus, paving the way for follow-up activities at our new preclinical proton facility in Oslo.

RNA modifications are tiny chemical marks added to RNA molecules to control how they work. One of the most common is m6A modification, which acts like a “sticky note” on RNA—telling the cell when to use it, store it, or discard it. In this study, the Klungland group used their latest cutting-edge, ultra-sensitive technique called picoMeRIP-seq, which can detect m6A even from just 10 cells. This allowed them to draw the first complete map of m6A across human eggs and early embryos—from immature eggs (GV) to mature eggs (MII), zygotes, and all the way to blastocysts.
The findings were published in the EMBO journal on June 4th, with Yanjiao Li as first author.

Three Oslo University Hospital scientists received prestigous awards for their outstanding research on June 6th 2025.
The major prize - the "Excellent Researcher Award" - went to Per Kristian Eide.
Ibrahim Akkouh and Mehrdad Rakaee both received the "Early Career Award".
The prize money - 400.000 and 200.000 NOK respectively - is earmarked for research activities.

The awards are distributed annually in order to honour excellent scientific work. The awarding process is organized by the hospital's research committee, while an external Scientific Advisory Board has evaluated the candidates. 

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 second half-year of 2024 during a ceremony on May 27th. Each group received NOK 50.000 earmarked for further research, and the prize winners gave short presentations of their main findings.

In collaboration with both national and Nordic colleagues the OUH based research group ERGO arranged the third NSEM meeting in Oslo, bringing together over 100 in-person and over 200 digital participants from 20 countries. The overarching theme was “Time To Control - from basics to the Clinic in Status Epilepticus" with focus on Early Treatment and addressed one of the most urgent and life-threatening neurological emergencies.
The meeting featured high-quality presentations and cutting-edge discussions, with critical contributions from leading national and international experts. It was both intellectually stimulating and deeply motivating to witness the collaborative spirit focused on advancing care for status epilepticus patients.

On May 15th, 2025, the European Commission approved the project “Validated non-invasive liquid biopsy tests for cancer PREDIction in LYNCH Syndrome, PREDI-LYNCH". The project officially starts on May 1st and is funded by the European Commission Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer with 13.6 million Euro (project number 101213916). PREDI-LYNCH will run for six years (2025-2031), and the consortium consists of 28 partners from 16 European countries. The initiative is led by researcher Mev Dominguez Valentin at the Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital (OUH). In addition, the University of Oslo (UiO) and Oslo Cancer Cluster (OCC) are partners in this ambitious research and innovation project.

The Norwegian Cancer Society awards the King Olav V Cancer Research Prize each year to a researcher who has particularly promoted the quality of Norwegian cancer research. The prize was first awarded in 1992 and Karl-Johan Malmberg is the 34th winner of the prize, which amounts to one million NOK. He has been honoured with the prestigious prize for his groundbreaking work on how the body's own cells can detect and eliminate cancer. Malmberg is professor at the University of Oslo and head of the Natural Killer Cell Biology and Cell Therapy research group at the Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital.

The Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital's Annual Report for 2024 is now available online and celebrates the institute's 70th Anniversary (founded in 1954). Alongside key figures and display of our outstanding research, we report on recruitment, training and career development, translation and innovation, dissemination, public outreach, and collaboration in Norway and abroad.

ICR groups are key partners in over 20 clinical trials and leaders in more than 120 translation and innovation projects, many of which involve collaborative efforts with industry partners. Our 370 employees in six research departments, 26 research groups, 29 project groups, and seven core facility units represent a vibrant environment and a fully-fledged cancer research organisation. Our staff's engagement in scientific and public discourse through talks, meetings, events, and media appearances underscores our proactive approach to knowledge dissemination and societal impact.

Read more in the Annual report here: Single page format - Double page format

Annual reports 2014 - 2024