To promote the establishment of new collaborations, NCMM announced the NCMM Joint Postdoctoral Program in Molecular Life Science. The program supports joint supervision of postdoctoral researchers between NCMM group leaders and partners from the Oslo arena. An important criteria for the program is that the group leaders and partners have not previously collaborated on grants or publications within the past 5 years. NCMM will provide financial support for one year, while the partner will support the remaining year.
NCMM is now pleased to announce that altogether 7 postdoctoral projects have been approved and funded by the program. Below are descriptions of the projects and the participating principal investigators (PIs).
Projects funded
Integrative modelling and single-cell analysis of pancreatic lineage-specific transcription factors in pancreatic cancer treatment resistance
Participating PIs:
Dr. Biswajyoti Sahu – Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), University of Oslo
Prof. Tero Aittokallio – Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. This type of cancer is often resistant to chemotherapy, but the mechanisms that lead to resistance are poorly understood. With the proposed project, the Sahu and Aiattokallio groups will investigate the role of lineage-specific transcription factors in pancreatic cancer cell survival and mechanisms of drug resistance. The project will build on the Sahu group's expertise in multiple genome-wide methods and the Aittokallio group's expertise in the development and implementation of computational methods.
Mechanisms of Epileptogenesis after traumatic brain injury: The search for new therapeutic strategies
Participating PIs:
Dr. Camila Esguerra – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo
Prof. Erik Taubøll – Dept. of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital
Traumatic brain injury can have substantial long-term consequences. In some cases, patients can develop drug resistant acquired epilepsy; however, the mechanisms underlying this is still not clear. This project will examine the effects of new antiseizure medications on seizure onset and the development of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury. The goal is to identify possible treatments for acquired epilepsy and evaluate the potential effects of these drugs on drug resistant genetic epilepsies. To do so, the project will build on solid expertise in using zebrafish as model systems for studying epilepsy.
CRÊPE: Cis-regulatory elements for prostate carcinogenesis
Participating PIs:
Dr. Anthony Mathelier – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo.
Dr. Alfonso Urbanucci – Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University
High-risk prostate cancer patients may initially respond well to treatment, but ultimately advance to an incurable stage known as castration-resistant prostate cancer. The underlying genetic changes that drive this development are not well understood. The aim of this project is to identify essential non-coding regions that are crucial in the onset and progression of high-risk prostate cancer. The Urbanucci group’s focus on the molecular intricacies of prostate cancer will offer insights into the cellular and genetic aspects of prostate cancer, and the Mathelier group’s expertise in bioinformatics will provide the tools to decipher and interpret large data sets, especially in the context of gene transcription regulation.
Gene regulatory networks of tumor heterogeneity and metastatic progression in colorectal cancer
Participating PIs:
Dr. Marieke Kuijjer – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo
Dr. Anita Sveen – Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital
Different cancer cells within the same tumor of a patient often have diverse traits and characteristics, a phenomenon referred to as tumor heterogeneity. Tumor heterogeneity is a main driver of cancer metastasis and treatment failure. The project aims to reveal the complex biological networks that drive tumor heterogeneity in colorectal cancer, as well as the regulatory programs that remain stable during cancer progression and therefore represent particularly attractive drug targets. The study will leverage computational tools designed to model gene regulatory networks in samples from primary colorectal tumors and liver metastases to identify drivers of metastasis and potential drug targets. The Sveen group conducts translation research on colorectal cancer within an interdisciplinary research program, and the Kuijjer group has extensive experience with developing computational and data science approaches for studying gene regulatory networks.
Autophagy as a phylogenetically conserved mediator of sleep benefits
Participating PIs:
Dr. Charlotte Boccara – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo
Dr. Helene Knævelsrud – Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo
Sleep amount and quality has dramatically decreased in our modern societies, and poor sleep is being linked to various health issues. However, exactly how sleep maintains healthy brain function is still unclear. The proposed will address this important gap in our knowledge by testing the hypothesis that some of the health benefits linked to sleep depend on functional autophagy. Autophagy is a conserved cellular recycling process, which maintains cellular cleanliness and health by breaking down damaged or redundant components in the cell. The Boccara and Knævelsrud labs are uniquely positioned to tackle this question, by combining the advanced sleep recording and sleep modulating tools developed in the Boccara lab with the autophagy tools developed in the Knævelsrud lab. Their goal is to examine the function of autophagy during sleep and whether it is possible to manipulate autophagy to reverse the negative consequences of poor sleep. This will be studied in both invertebrate (Drosophila) and vertebrate (rodent) animal models, to highlight a conserved mechanistic role of sleep across evolution.
Non-invasive assessment of placental function & gene correction for inborn blood diseases
Participating PIs:
Dr. Emma Haapaniemi – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo.
Dr. Trond Melbye Michelsen – Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oslo University Hospital
This project will use umbilical and maternal blood samples to identify biomarkers of placental function, and to develop therapies based on gene editing. An important part of a healthy pregnancy is that the baby has a normal growth rate, and this relies on a well-functioning placenta. This project aims to establish a blood-based model for the analysis of placental metabolism and identify proteins that can act as biomarkers for placental function. In addition, the samples that are collected will also be used for developing gene editing tools for genetic blood diseases. The project combines the Michelsen’s group expertise in proteomics-based biomarker analysis, and the Haapaniemi group’s expertise in optimizing gene therapy.
Improved analysis tools for identifying functional and clinically relevant transcript isoforms from short and long-read RNA data
Participating PIs:
Dr. Janna Saarela – Center for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo
Prof. Dag Undlien – Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital
A disease is considered rare if it affects only very few people, yet more than 300 million people worldwide live with some type of rare disease. Most rare diseases are caused by genetic mutations or alterations. However, clinicians are unable to pinpoint the exact disease-causing genetic change in more than half of patients. This is mainly due to limitations in the ability to interpret the currently available genome sequencing data. The project aims is to use transcriptome level information to develop new and improved computational approaches for identifying rare genetic alterations. The project will combine the strong computational method development and clinical diagnostic expertise of the Undlien group, and the Saarela group’s expertise in functional studies of rare disease-causing genetic alterations.