Research at Oslo University Hospital

In order to stimulate excellent research and draw attention to the hospital's research activity, Oslo University Hospital rewards outstanding publications twice a year. Six research groups were awarded for their excellent papers published the second half-year of 2024 during a ceremony on May 27th. Each group received NOK 50.000 earmarked for further research, and the prize winners gave short presentations of their main findings.

In collaboration with both national and Nordic colleagues the OUH based research group ERGO arranged the third NSEM meeting in Oslo, bringing together over 100 in-person and over 200 digital participants from 20 countries. The overarching theme was “Time To Control - from basics to the Clinic in Status Epilepticus" with focus on Early Treatment and addressed one of the most urgent and life-threatening neurological emergencies.
The meeting featured high-quality presentations and cutting-edge discussions, with critical contributions from leading national and international experts. It was both intellectually stimulating and deeply motivating to witness the collaborative spirit focused on advancing care for status epilepticus patients.

On May 15th, 2025, the European Commission approved the project “Validated non-invasive liquid biopsy tests for cancer PREDIction in LYNCH Syndrome, PREDI-LYNCH". The project officially starts on May 1st and is funded by the European Commission Horizon Europe Mission on Cancer with 13.6 million Euro (project number 101213916). PREDI-LYNCH will run for six years (2025-2031), and the consortium consists of 28 partners from 16 European countries. The initiative is led by researcher Mev Dominguez Valentin at the Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital (OUH). In addition, the University of Oslo (UiO) and Oslo Cancer Cluster (OCC) are partners in this ambitious research and innovation project.

The Norwegian Cancer Society awards the King Olav V Cancer Research Prize each year to a researcher who has particularly promoted the quality of Norwegian cancer research. The prize was first awarded in 1992 and Karl-Johan Malmberg is the 34th winner of the prize, which amounts to one million NOK. He has been honoured with the prestigious prize for his groundbreaking work on how the body's own cells can detect and eliminate cancer. Malmberg is professor at the University of Oslo and head of the Natural Killer Cell Biology and Cell Therapy research group at the Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital.

The Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital's Annual Report for 2024 is now available online and celebrates the institute's 70th Anniversary (founded in 1954). Alongside key figures and display of our outstanding research, we report on recruitment, training and career development, translation and innovation, dissemination, public outreach, and collaboration in Norway and abroad.

ICR groups are key partners in over 20 clinical trials and leaders in more than 120 translation and innovation projects, many of which involve collaborative efforts with industry partners. Our 370 employees in six research departments, 26 research groups, 29 project groups, and seven core facility units represent a vibrant environment and a fully-fledged cancer research organisation. Our staff's engagement in scientific and public discourse through talks, meetings, events, and media appearances underscores our proactive approach to knowledge dissemination and societal impact.

Read more in the Annual report here: Single page format - Double page format

Annual reports 2014 - 2024

The Norwegian Health Association (Nasjonalforeningen for folkehelsen) distributes the Heart Research Award each year as a recognition and reward to a researcher who has shown significant results in cardiovascular research.
This year's award went to Sigrun Halvorsen, who is head of the Department of Cardiology at Oslo University Hospital and professor at the University of Oslo.
Halvorsen received the award for her many years of contribution to better treatment and new guidelines within the cardiovascular field, both in Norway and internationally, her strong expertise in research communication and ability to translate her research results into clinical patient treatment.

Mitochondria are essential for cellular energy production and homeostasis, and their selective degradation through mitophagy is critical for maintaining cell function. However, the molecular mechanisms governing this process remain incompletely understood.

Now, Laura Trachsel-Moncho and co-workers in Anne Simonsen’s group identify the endosomal protein SNX10 as a modulator of piecemeal mitophagy, a process involving the selective degradation of mitochondrial components. They show that SNX10 localizes to early endosomes in normal conditions but associates with mitochondria-containing endosomal structures under hypoxia-mimicking stress. Loss of SNX10 leads to increased turnover of specific mitochondrial proteins, reduced mitochondrial respiration, and elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Furthermore, zebrafish larvae lacking Snx10 exhibit reduced COX-IV levels and increased oxidative stress and cell death, demonstrating the physiological relevance of Snx10 in mitochondrial homeostasis.

These findings uncover an unexpected role for SNX10 in mitochondrial quality control and highlight its importance in cellular adaptation to metabolic stress.

Oslo University Hospital was introduced as a new partner of the EUCAIM consortium at a meeting in Brussels on February 6th where the European Commission, together with the European Society of Radiology (ESR), and EUCAIM brought together 160 leading experts to explore how the European Cancer Imaging Initiative harnesses health data and Artificial Intelligence to advance cancer detection and treatment.  
The OUH activities in EUCAIM will be co-organized by research group leaders Kyrre E. Emblem (MRI Research & Technology) and Atle Bjørnerud (Computational Radiology & Artificial Intelligence), at the department of Physics and Computational Radiology, Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine.