How did you come to do your postdoc with the Taskén group?
After my PhD, I received an EMBO fellowship to do a postdoc in the group of Professor Ivan Dikic in Frankfurt, Germany. When that period was over, I was looking for opportunities to continue my career in Norway. I contacted Kjetil Taskén, former NCMM Director, and I was lucky to be offered a position in his group.
What did you most enjoy about your time as a postdoc?
When I joined Kjetil’s group, my research focus shifted from cell biology to immunology. I very much enjoyed to be introduced to this field and to learn methods that were new to me, such as flow cytometry and working with blood samples. I also enjoyed the work environment. Kjetil is an excellent leader, and everyone in his group is respectful and helpful to each other.
How did your time at NCMM help shape your career path?
At the end of my postdoc period with Kjetil, in 2014, I was awarded a career fellowship from the Norwegian Cancer Society. This was on a project where the aim was to develop drug sensitivity testing of hematological malignancies to guide precision medicine. This project became the start to what my research is focusing on now, and I am very thankful to Kjetil, who introduced me to this exciting field. During my time at NCMM, I also initiated collaborations that are still central in my ongoing work.
Can you tell us about your current role and what you're working on now?
When Kjetil became Head of Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital in 2018, the whole group, including me, moved with him. I am currently a project group leader affiliated with his group. My research group focuses on developing functional precision medicine for B-cell malignancies, in particular chronic lymphocytic leukemia. By performing functional analyses such as drug sensitivity screening and single cell signaling analyses directly on the patients' cancer cells, our aim is to identify biomarker signatures that can predict treatment outcomes for the individual patient, and to guide treatment decisions.
Can you tell us a bit more about who you collaborate with?
I am still affiliated with Kjetil’s group and see him as both a mentor and collaborator. The collaborations I initiated during my time at NCMM are still ongoing. We are part of the K. G. Jebsen Centre for B Cell Malignancies where we work with clinicians who are motivated to bring our research to the clinic. It is very rewarding to see that our work can make a difference to the patient.
Read more about the project group of Dr Sigrid Skånland
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