The K. G. Jebsen Centre for Cardiac Biomarkers is scheduled to start up during the summer of 2022 and have a duration of five years. The total budget of nearly NOK 80 million is financed through an allocation of NOK 22.5 million from the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation and with funds from the University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital.
– We are naturally very happy for this large and prestigious award from Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen. We have a strong hope that the research at the centre will benefit many heart patients, says Centre leader and Professor Torbjørn Omland.
Biomarkers may reflect disease severity and treatment effect
In the new K.G. Jebsen centre, Omland and colleagues will study cardiac biomarkers to address important and unresolved questions in cardiology. Circulating biomarkers are substances in the blood that can be measured and that can provide important information about a disease's severity, prognosis and effect of treatment. The centre’s research will draw on data from large population studies and make use of technological advances.
– The use of new proteomics technology permits the analysis of several thousand biomarkers from one single blood sample. Using bioinformatics, this can provide new insight into disease mechanisms and knowledge for the benefit of the development of new treatment forms, Omland says.
Researchers at the Centre are pioneers in the new field of cardio-oncology
One of the focus areas of the new centre is to address the issue of cardiac injury following cancer and cancer treatment. Major advances in chemotherapy, radiation therapy and immunotherapy for cancer have resulted in more long-term survivors. However, many people struggle with late injuries. Heart failure is one of the severe side effects of chemotherapy.
Internationally, the link between cancer treatment and cardiology research receives much attention. This has led to a completely new branch of science, namely cardio-oncology. Professor Omland and other researchers who will be associated with the new centre have been pioneers in the field. They have established Norway’s first cardio-oncology outpatient clinic at Akershus University Hospital.
– Our goal is to make it possible to identify patients at increased risk of cardiac injury after cancer treatment early and to provide preventive treatment, the Centre leader says, and adds:
– We will also test new forms of treatment that can reduce the risk of heart damage after cancer treatment.
One of the Centre’s aims is to prevent cardiac arrest
Severe heart rhythm disorders that result in cardiac arrest is a leading mode of death in heart failure patients.
– We will work to find biomarkers that make it possible to identify people who have an increased risk of cardiac arrest, Omland says.
– One of the Centre’s goals is that these patients can receive preventive treatment in the form of a so-called implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). This can save many lives, he concludes.
Professor Omland receives praise for the new Centre
Pro-Dean for research at the Faculty of Medicine, Jens Petter Berg, comments the following to the news about the new K.G. Jebsen Centre for Cardiac Biomarkers:
– I congratulate Professor Torbjørn Omland on the new K.G. Jebsen Centre for Cardiac Biomarkers. Omland and collaborators have established themselves among the world’s leading researchers on cardiac biomarkers. This award will strengthen their position further. At the Faculty, we are very proud of a new K.G. Jebsen centre, and it is particularly gratifying to have the first centre located at Akershus University Hospital. He adds:
– We are grateful for the generous allocation of research funds from Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen for research that will increase our knowledge about heart disease.
Head of Department at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, Dag Kvale, also congratulates:
– The Institute congratulates the researchers with a new K.G. Jebsen centre in cardiac translation research. Allocations as this one are ranked highly and are the results of fierce competition with strong applicants. We are also pleased that such a prestigious centre is being established at our campus at Akershus University Hospital for the first time.
Øystein Mæland, Managing Director of Akershus University Hospital, comments the following:
– It is very gratifying that our strong research environment in cardiology receives this allocation and I want to highlight the close and good collaboration with the University of Oslo that has contributed to making this happen. I would also like to thank Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen for the opportunities this provides for further knowledge development within a subject area that is important for large patient groups.
CEO at Stiftelsen Kristian Gerhard Jebsen, Sveinung Hole, highlights the collaboration between UiO and Akershus University Hospital:
– The K.G. Jebsen centres are characterised by high professional quality and relevance for patient treatment. The competition to get a centre is fierce. This new centre is based on a collaboration between strong academic groups at Akershus University Hospital and at UiO, and made possible through a powerful joint effort for cardiology research between the host institutions and the foundation. We are excited and congratulate the Centre, which will be the first K.G. The Jebsen centre at Akershus University Hospital.
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