Two Oslo Cancer Cluster Board members receive K.G. Jebsen funding
Despite keen competition from other outstanding medical research groups, Oslo Cancer Cluster Board members Professor Ragnhild A. Lothe and Professor Rolf Bjerkvig have won the competition for funds for new K.G. Jebsen centres in the field of medicine – a long side John-Bjarne Hansen.
By giving NOK 16 million to each of the three new centres, the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation wants to give a real boost to research and, not least, to contribute to excellent medical research benefiting patients sooner. In addition to the grants from the Foundation, each centre will also be allocated a substantial sum by its own institutions.
Focus on cancer research
It is worth noting that two of the new centres this year are cancer research centres. The centre at the University of Bergen led by Rolf Bjerkvig works on cancer of the brain, with particular focus on translating research results from laboratories into patient treatment. The centre is a collaboration between several research groups and hospital departments, and it is part of an international research network based in Luxembourg.
Ragnhild Lothe’s centre at Oslo University Hospital aims to develop better diagnostic and treatment methods for rectal cancer, and to help to improve hospital efficiency and benefit patients. Lothe believes that the establishment of a dedicated centre could encourage more young doctors and researchers to take an interest in this serious form of cancer, which is actually the second most common form of cancer in Europe and is currently only survived by around half the patients.
Of the 14 K.G. Jebsen Centres for Medical Research that will have been established in 2014, five work on cancer-related research. In a competition in which the primary criterion is quality, this is an indication that Norwegian cancer research is already at the forefront of the field, also in the international context
The new centre for medical research that is led by John-Bjarne Hansen will work on venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is a generic term for cardiovascular problems that affect almost 10,000 Norwegians every year.
Two of five focused research areas at Oslo University Hospital to cancer
As well as the K.G. Jebsen Centre – Professor Ragnhild Lothe also received one of five “Focused Research Areas at Oslo University Hospital 2014 – 2018″ for the colorectal SMART project.
Her research colleague Arne Kolstad, also received this appointment for his project within Cancer Immunotherapy, where both the Section for Cell Therapy and The Section for Immunology are major partners.
This clearly shows the strength of the cancer research performed at the Oslo University Hospital, when two of five focused research areas that will run in the next four years, goes to cancer.
Read more on this here (only in Norwegian).
Read more:
Ragnhild Lothes group.
Rolf Bjerkvigs group.
Arne Kolstads group.
Facts about the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation:
The Foundation was established in order to honor the memory of shipping magnate Kristian Gerhard Jebsen and his contribution to Norwegian and international shipping and business. The Foundation was established by Jebsen’s wife Aud Jebsen and the family in 2009. At the turn of the year 2012/2013, the Foundation’s equity was NOK 916.6 million. Since the Foundation was established, it has awarded a total of NOK 324 million, NOK 274 million of which to Norwegian research. Further information about the foundation is available at the web site: www.stiftkgj.no
