IMPRESS-Norway and implementing precision cancer medicine in Norway

February 4, 2022, 09:00 – 09:30
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Clinical Talks
events@scilifelab.se
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Online event via Zoom

IMPRESS-Norway and implementing precision cancer medicine in Norway

February 4 @ 09:00 09:30 CET

On February 4, oncologist, and Head of Research at Division of Cancer Medicine at Oslo University Hospital Professor Åslaug Helland will give a talk about her mission with the clinical precision medicine study IMPRESS-Norway that she co-founded in 2021. She is also a Professor at the University of Oslo. Åslaug is the PI of the IMPRESS-N study with the goal of “Improving public cancer care by implementing precision medicine in Norway,” and it is a national clinical study for patients with advanced cancer after standard therapy, with multiple Norwegian healthcare partners as well as industry collaborators. The effort is preparing Norway towards the many sustainable future benefits precision medicine has to offer for future healthcare solutions (Read more).

Biography

Åslaug Helland, MD, PhD, is a Group leader at the Institute for Cancer Research, Norwegian Radium Hospital (NRH), Oslo, Norway, and Senior oncologist, Dept of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospital. She is also Professor at the University of Oslo Institute of Clinical Medicine. Åslaug obtained her MD degree in 1995, and later her PhD in Medicine in 2000, from the University of Oslo. She pursued her postdoctoral studies during 2003/2004 at Stanford University, and in 2007/2008 as a visiting scientist at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne Australia, adding to her international experience. Åslaugs research group focuses on translational studies on solid tumours, with a special interest in pancreatic cancers, lung cancers, ovary cancers and colorectal cancers. They perform whole genome analyses on patient material, aiming at identifying predictive and prognostic biomarkers as well as more targeted analyses for the identification of pathways and immune mechanisms of interest. By increasing the understanding of the underlying biology of tumour development, they aim at improving cancer patient care. She furthermore led several clinical and translational studies in lung cancer.

Åslaug is the PI of the IMPRESS-Norway study with the goal of “Improving public cancer care by implementing precision medicine in Norway,” and it is a national clinical study for patients with advanced cancer after standard therapy. During 2019, Oslo Cancer Cluster hosted a series of workshops with public and private stakeholders in cancer with the goal to accelerate the implementation of cancer precision medicine in Norway. The initial idea for IMPRESS emerged in one of these workshops. A dedicated team at Oslo University Hospital quickly turned it into a national effort together with colleagues at university hospitals across Norway.

IMPRESS involves the active support of leading global pharmaceutical companies that will provide the study drugs and contribute with per patient fees. Public funding will help to ensure this innovative study paves the way for more cancer clinical trials in Norway. National infrastructure for precision diagnostics is needed and is currently being set up at all Norwegian cancer hospitals. Cancer patients who are eligible for clinical trials can soon be tested and selected based on their specific genetic profile.


Clinical Talks” has been renewed for yet another exciting, innovative, and enlightening season. This season will focus on sustainable innovations within Life Sciences, that have the potential to contribute to a better climate friendly future for our future generations. Also new this year is that the seminar is co-organized in a collaboration between SciLifeLab and KI Innovations .

Season 5, will be held September 2021 until March 2022 with scheduled Talks, during Friday mornings 09-09:30 am via ZOOM (with some time-zone friendly adjustments for our international speakers). Each session consists of a talk given by our invited speaker followed by Q&A. The seminar is an open educational seminar series for our ever-expanding Life Science community.

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Last updated: 2022-01-17

Content Responsible: David Gotthold(david.gotthold@scilifelab.se)