Geir Hetland, Chief Financial Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific and new board member of Oslo Cancer Cluster, with Ketil Widerberg, general manager of Oslo Cancer Cluster, in front of the construction site for the fourth tower of Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park. Thermo Fisher Scientific will lease almost four floors of labs and offices in this new building - right next to the hospital and research institute. Photo: Sofia Linden / Oslo Cancer Cluster

Geir Hetland joins the board of Oslo Cancer Cluster

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Geir Hetland, Chief Financial Officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, is the latest addition to the board of Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“I wish to contribute to the strategic direction and success of Oslo Cancer Cluster. The organisation has a great foundation to further develop to become one of the leading cancer clusters worldwide,” commented Hetland after he was elected at Oslo Cancer Cluster’s general assembly last week.

Hetland brings 30 years of experience from the life science industry ranging from global companies to start-ups. He has worked 15 years for AstraZeneca, both as Chief Financial Officer in Norway and as European Business Director supporting the 7 largest European countries with base in Brussel.

Expanding the innovation park

After spending close to 14 years in Thermo Fisher Scientific, Hetland is now the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Thermo Fisher Scientific is a key player in the current expansion of Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park. The company has signed a lease for nearly four floors (two lab floors and two office floors) compromising almost 75 per cent of the entire fourth tower being constructed on the western side of the premises.

“Thermo Fisher Scientific has always been located close to Radiumhospitalet (Oslo University Hospital) with close collaboration with the hospital. This has been a win-win situation for both sides, and we would like to even strengthen this further moving forward. Radiumhospitalet is the birthplace of some of the greatest innovations in multiple cancer fields bringing better cancer treatments to patients,” said Hetland.

Supporting cancer start-ups

Going forward, Hetland wishes to increase Oslo Cancer Cluster’s capacity to help start-ups so that new cancer innovations faster reach patients.

“Oslo Cancer Cluster mission is dedicated to improving the lives of cancer patients by accelerating the development of new cancer diagnostics and treatments. This will always be the number 1 priority! To achieve this, we need to ensure that start-up companies are positioned to succeed in everything from capital funding, sufficient expansion space with research labs and all the way to readout of patient data in their clinical trials.”

 

 

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Bo Terning Hansen, Karl-Arne Johannessen, Sara Underland Mjelva, Ketil Widerberg and Peeter Padrik participated in the discussion about cancer screening and home testing at Oslo Cancer Cluster. Photo: Margit Selsjord/Oslo Cancer Cluster

Home testing to improve cancer prevention

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Can home tests engage more people in cancer screening and save more lives?

“In Norway, 70% of all women are participating in the cervical cancer screening programme, which means 30% are not. Our goal is to include all and we need to get more women to participate,” said Sara Underland Mjelva, Leader of the Section for Prevention at the Norwegian Cancer Society.

This comment was made in a discussion about home testing during the webinar Results from the AnteNOR project: Norway’s way towards precision prevention at Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park last week.

Reaching women at home

Home testing for HPV has been tested recently in Norway in a randomized clinical trial, led by Bo Terning Hansen, Senior Researcher at The Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The trial addressed women who hadn’t been screened for at least ten years.

“We found a huge difference in participation between the three control arms. Of those that just got the reminder letter, only 4% participated. While of those that received the test, 28% participated. That difference translates into a public health gain. We also found a huge difference in the diagnostic yield between the three arms,” explained Hansen.

This self-sampling device is now distributed by the Norwegian Cancer Registry and available in all GP offices in Norway. But what about other home tests?

Who pays for equal access?

Karl-Arne Johannessen, representing Tigeni, a company that offers home testing for cholesterol, long-term blood sugar, vitamins, and minerals, argued there are not enough financing solutions in Norway for home tests:

“If you go to the laboratory to take a test, the public healthcare pays for it, but there should also be public payment for the home tests in the future. It should be paid by the public if a doctor has asked you to take the test.”

Hansen agreed with Johannessen: “One thing is to get the tests funded, so everyone has equal access to them – that is the number one priority. There are also differences in ‘health literacy’ that you need to be aware of so you can compensate for that.”

“As a doctor myself, I support equal access to healthcare services. My experience is that currently public payers or healthcare organisations are quite conservative and cervical cancer is a good example. If we have a problem to engage individuals in preventive services, then home-based testing creates a more efficient additional option,” added Peeter Padrik, CEO of Antegenes, an Estonian healthcare company that develops PRS tests.

Predicting breast cancer

A PRS test is another kind of self-sampling device making headway in cancer screening. They are based on a technology called Polygenic Risk Score, which can provide a measure of someone’s personal risk to develop a disease. The Estonian-Norwegian collaboration project AnteNOR has for the last three years explored how to use these tests to improve prevention and early detection of breast cancer in Norway.

Peeter Padrik, CEO of Antegenes. Photo: Margit Selsjord/Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“The problem we are addressing is breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in Norway, Europe and worldwide. If we detect breast cancer as early as possible, then the treatment is very efficient,” said Padrik.

The breast cancer screening programme in Norway is for women aged 50-69, but 17% of breast cancer cases are among women younger than 50. It would not be reasonable to screen all women, so the challenge is to identify the younger women at risk.

Identifying genetic risk

“The genetic susceptibility is a very strong associated factor to those who develop breast cancer,” said Eivind Hovig, Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics at the University of Oslo. Hovig has published a study looking at how a combination of genetic markers indicate Norwegian women’s personal risk of developing breast cancer.

Eivind Hovig, Professor at the Department of Bioinformatics at the University of Oslo. Photo: Margit Selsjord/Oslo Cancer Cluster.

“Polygenic risk score is becoming a complementary instrument for risk stratification for various cancers. We find indeed that we can identify that there are individuals that have high risk to develop breast cancer,” Hovig added.

The potential of PRS as a tool for risk-based mammography screening was also explored in a clinical pilot as part of the AnteNOR project. In total, 80 women aged 40-50 years took the PRS test to find out their personal risk of developing breast cancer.

Tone Hovda, senior radiologist at Vestre Viken. Photo: Margit Seljord/Oslo Cancer Cluster

“40 women were recommended to participate in BreastScreen Norway. 39 women were recommended to start mammography every second year before the age of 50. Among them, six were recommended to start annual mammography later on. One woman was recommended to start annual mammography from now on,” said Tone Hovda, senior radiologist at Vestre Viken and lead investigator for the clinical pilot.

Of European importance

Genetic tests are also a political priority on the EU level, as early detection and diagnosis are now possible for an increasing number of cancers with underlying heritable genetic risk.

There is now a call for “Accessible and affordable tests to advance early detection of heritable cancers in the European regions”. The budget includes 10-12 million euros per proposal and the submission deadline is 18 September. 2024

Sofia Anderholm Strand, Senior Adviser at the Research Council of Norway, presented the call: “They stress the need to validate easy-to-use, affordable and accessible genetic tests for early detection of cancer.”

 

A special thank you to all AnteNOR project partners for their contributions.

 

The AnteNOR project has been funded by:

 

The post Home testing to improve cancer prevention first appeared on Oslo Cancer Cluster.

Klyngelederne foran Stortinget før høringen (fra venstre): Ketil Widerberg, Oslo Cancer Cluster, Hanne Mette Dyrlie Kristensen, The Life Science Cluster, og Arild Kristensen, Norwegian Smart Care Cluster. Den siste klyngelederen, Lena Nymo Helli i Norway Health Tech, var ikke til stede. Foto: Frode Strisland, SINTEF

Sammen om superklynge

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Oslo Cancer Cluster

De fire helseklyngene gikk denne uka sammen om et høringsinnspill til Stortinget, der de foreslår å stå sammen om en superklynge innen helse.

English summary: The four health cluster leaders gave joint political input to the Norwegian parliament on 16 April 2024. They are suggesting to join forces for a supercluster in health. 

Høringen, som fant sted 16. april 2024, var om Nasjonal helse- og samhandlingsplan 2024–2027 (Meld. St. 9, 2023-2024) – Vår felles helsetjeneste. I innspillet skriver de: “Klyngene er godt posisjonert for å bidra med 530 medlemmer i hele Norge; bedrifter, kommuner, helseforetak, brukerorganisasjoner, forsknings- og utdanningsinstitusjoner og investorer.”

Hele høringsinnspillet kan leses på Stortingets nettsider.

Superklyngesamarbeid

De fire nasjonale helseklyngene er Norway Health Tech, Norwegian Smart Care Cluster, The Life Science Cluster og Oslo Cancer Cluster.

Klyngelederne sa i høringen at de mener at Stortinget i sin innstilling til Nasjonal helse- og samordningsplan bør ha med følgende: Stortinget ber regjeringen legge opp til en videre, langsiktig og forsterket finansiering som sikrer at en superklynge innen helse kan gi et bedre og mer samordnet bidrag til helsetjenestene og helseindustrien i Norge.

– Helseklyngene samarbeider i dag om de store problemstillingene innen helsenæring, som finansiering, eksport og digitalisering. Med et superklyngesamarbeid kan vi ta dette til neste nivå, og samtidig fokusere på å videreutvikle det unike innovasjonspotensialet i Oslo Cancer Cluster, sier Ketil Widerberg, daglig leder i Oslo Cancer Cluster.

Verdiene de kan skape

Klyngene har sammen med Menon Economics utformet et dokument som går i dybden på verdiene de kan skape. Her kommer det blant annet fram at “helseindustrien bidrar til økt kvalitet i helsevesenet gjennom innovasjon, teknologi og nye metoder, og til reduserte utgifter til helse og omsorg ved å øke produktiviteten, forhindre sykdom eller redusere behovet for kostbar innleggelse. Økt kvalitet og produktivitet i helsevesenet er ekstremt viktig for Norge, fordi det allerede jobber 390 000 personer i helsevesenet, og fordi SSBs prognoser tilsier at antallet vil øke 760 000 personer i 2060 hvis vi ikke lykkes med å øke produktiviteten.”

Videre står det om klyngene at:

“Medlemmene i de fire klyngene er lokalisert over hele landet og dekker hele verdikjeden fra forskning, via produksjon av legemidler, medisinsk utstyr og e-helseprodukter, til helse- og omsorgstjenester – innenfor alle større sykdomsgrupper. Klyngeorganisasjonene er verktøy for medlemmenes felles behov; de er kollektive handlingsagenter.”

Her kan du lese hele Menon-dokumentet om Helseklyngenes rolle og verdiskapingsbidrag.

Ønsker offentlig-privat finansiering

I høringsinnspillet til Stortinget skriver klyngelederne:

“Våre møteplasser skaper koblinger og bygger tillit, vi sørger for infrastruktur og utstyr for testing og utvikling og gjør bedriftene rustet til å svare på både nasjonale og internasjonale behov, og derigjennom også bygge eksportindustri. Mange av bedriftene er allerede tett koblet på globale markeder, og vår jobb er også å skape flere gjennombrudd for norsk eksport. Potensialet er stort, og med riktig finansiering vil dette arbeidet kunne gjøres med større hastighet og i større omfang enn det som gjøres i dag. Resultatet vil være flere gode løsninger.”

Det felles utgangspunktet for et superklyngesamarbeid er fire modne klynger innen helseteknologi og livsvitenskap, som gjennom nærmere to tiår har produsert resultater gjennom nye løsninger til helse-Norge, og mer eksport og nye arbeidsplasser i industrien. Klyngene er i høringsinnspillet også enige om en levedyktig videre finansiering:

“Vårt neste steg handler om samordnet innsats for mer effektivt å bidra for våre medlemmer basert på den dybdeinnsikten og spesialiseringen vi har faglig, teknologisk og inn mot ulike sektorområder. Skal vi lykkes, må det fortsatt være et forpliktende offentlig og privat samarbeid, også når det gjelder finansiering. Det vil i praksis si at vår finansiering bør komme 50% fra offentlige og 50% fra privat.”

Her kan du se opptak fra høringen i Helse- og omsorgskomiteen 16. april 2024. 

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Results from breast cancer screening pilot

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A clinical pilot for personalised risk-based breast cancer screening has been conducted as part of the AnteNOR project. Here are some of the results.

The pilot study that was part of the AnteNOR research project investigated the use of a genetic test assessing the participants’ polygenic risk score (PRS) for breast cancer in tailoring a more personalised mammographic screening. Further, women’s experiences with the test were explored.

“In total, 80 women aged 40-50 years were included in the pilot study. They were recruited among women referred for clinical mammography at the breast center in Vestre Viken in Norway”, said Tone Hovda, senior radiologist at Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, where the study was conducted.

AnteNOR has investigated how it will be possible to implement a more personalised screening programme for breast cancer in Norway, based on the individual’s genetic risk for disease.

Women with a prior diagnosis of breast cancer or premalignant breast disease were excluded, as were women who had already been through genetic counselling and testing due to family cancer history.

The participants submitted saliva samples that were sent to the project partner Antegenes in Estonia for DNA sequencing and calculation of the polygenic risk score using the AnteBC test developed by Antegenes.

Screening recommendations

The participants were then recommended for future mammographic screening based on the results of the PRS test. The participant’s 10-year breast cancer risk was assessed and compared to the 10-year breast cancer risk for average women of the same age.

Women with a 10-year risk lower to or equal to average were recommended to participate in the national mammography screening program, BreastScreen Norway, inviting women aged 50-69 to biennial mammography. Women with a relative risk higher than average were recommended to start biennial mammographic screening at an earlier age than 50 years, based on what age the risk of an average 50-year-old woman was reached.

Women with a relative risk double as large as the average risk were recommended annual mammography from the age they reached a double risk compared to an average 50-year-old woman.

Half had a higher risk

In total, 51% had a relative risk for breast cancer based on the PRS-test that was higher than the average population of the same age. These participants were recommended to start mammography screening at an earlier age than 50. 12% had a relative risk double as large as the average risk.

27% were referred to the Oslo University Hospital for more extended genetic testing due to family cancer history.

Family cancer history

At inclusion, the participants answered a questionnaire addressing family cancer history. Medical geneticists at Oslo University Hospital evaluated this information, and participants fulfilling national criteria based on family cancer history were referred for further genetic counselling and testing for hereditary cancer, independent of the results of the PRS test.

What the women experienced

All participants were invited to answer a follow-up questionnaire 6-9 months after the PRS testing, exploring the women’s experiences.

“The vast majority felt it reassuring to get information about their future risk for breast cancer and agreed that they would probably follow the recommendations regarding mammography screening given based on the tests”, said Tone Hovda.

The participants were given written information about the test results and recommendations, and the majority agreed that this communication was satisfactory.

The pilot study provided important information for future studies exploring personalised risk-based breast cancer screening using the polygenic risk score as a measure for stratification.

“We plan to publish the results with more detailed analyses, also including breast density, as soon as possible in a peer-reviewed journal.

“Polygenic risk score is promising as part of a more risk-based personalised screening program for breast cancer. Other risk factors as breast density and family history should probably also be included. We definitely need larger prospective screening studies to gain further knowledge to move towards more personalised breast cancer screening rather than the current “one-size-fits-all” screening,” said Hovda.

Read more in this previous article about the clinical pilot.

Sign up for the upcoming seminar Results from the AnteNOR project: Norway’s way towards precision prevention

About AnteNOR

The project partners of AnteNOR are Oslo University Hospital, the University of Oslo, Vestre Viken Hospital Trust, Oslo Cancer Cluster and Antegenes. The project has received funding from the Norway Grants Green ICT programme and is finalized this year.

The clinical pilot has received approval from the regional ethics committee and is registered in the database clinicaltrial.gov.

AnteNOR partner logos

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