International network

Frédéric Amant, PhD and MD, received his medical degree from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium in 1992, completed his specialty training in obstetrics & gynecology in 1998, and his subspecialty training in gynecologic oncology in 2000. He is currently a specialist at the University Hospitals Leuven, full professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Catholic University Leuven, full professor at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, honorary professor at University of Pretoria, South-Africa, head of the Scientific Unit of Gynecologic Oncology, Catholic University Leuven, head of the Scientific Unit of Gynecologic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and council member of the European Society of Gynecological Oncology. In Leuven he heads the scientific research section of his specialty. 

Research interests and important results

Frédéric Amant’s research focuses on rare women’s cancer conditions thereby covering 2 main programs, i.e. research on (i) cancer in pregnancy and (ii) mechanisms of drivers and resistance in (rare) gynecological cancers. This research relies on clinical studies as well as on a unique series of patient-derived models of gynecological cancers. Together, the investigator-driven research programs converge into the overarching aim to translate cutting-edge research data into clinical benefit for patients suffering from these conditions.

To spearhead research on the rare condition of a cancer diagnosed in pregnancy, Frédéric Amant established the International Network on Cancer, Infertility and Pregnancy (INCIP; www.cancerinpregancy.org), now being the world’s only international registry of its kind and harboring unique data and biomaterials from >3.000 pregnant cancer patients. Frédéric Amant’s INCIP-embedded studies have led to the development of novel treatment guidelines and a major paradigm shift in the management of pregnant cancer patients. This has positioned him as the world’s leading expert for cancer-in-pregnancy research. Very recently, his team developed a web-based software (Advisory Board Cancer Infertility Pregnancy, coined AB-CIP; www.ab-cip.org) to offer remote and free multidisciplinary support to physicians that lack expertise to manage pregnant cancer patients, which is envisioned to enable further distribution of knowledge worldwide.

Amant is driven by the need to address urgent clinical questions related to the treatment management of patients affected by (rare) gynecological cancers. His thesis on uterine sarcomas was the first in a lab previously focused on diabetes and endometriosis, and he started a new oncology-related theme which led to the creation, within the department of Oncology at Catholic University Leuven, of the Gynecological Oncology unit, which he successfully leads since 2005. 

As a gynecologist oncologist, he dedicated his research activities to the study of (rare) cancers in women, focusing on difficult to treat/rare gynecological tumors. To increase the translatability potential of the findings obtained in the lab, Frédéric Amant invested and will continue to devote resources in developing new patient-derived preclinical models, both in vitro (organoids and explant cultures) and in vivo (xenograft models), as he did when he in 2012 founded TRACE, the tumor xenograft platform at the
Catholic University Leuven. At Catholic University Leuven, he founded the Fund for Innovative Cancer Research (FIKO), a platform today upgraded as a fundraising unit of the Leuven Cancer Institute (LKI), and he is co-founder of ENITEC, the European Network on Individualized Treatment of Endometrial Cancer.

His position as chair of the working group of rare gynecological cancers at the European Reference Networks-EURACAN allows him to build a unique and cross-border cooperative platform gathering together European specialists and experts for the diagnosis and treatment of (rare) gynecological cancers. Due to the low incidence and the limited (pre-)clinical data available, pharma companies are reluctant to invest resources for studies dedicated to such conditions, despite their high clinical need. This is why he is actively recruiting funding to support investigator-initiated clinical trials aimed at improving the surgical/therapeutic management and the quality of life of patients.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

The Amant group contributed enthusiastically to MOMATEC I, a prospective study on endometrial cancer combining serum and endometrial biopsy biomarkers and clinical data. This successful international collaborative study, initiated in Bergen, is a source of valuable new data focusing on predictive markers for lymph node involvement and survival in a large set of patients. Following up on this, his team supported the continuation of this collaboration in the framework of MOMATEC II. This second Bergen-initiated study tailors surgical treatment of endometrial cancer based on biomarkers and needs more international support. In addition, the Amant team exchanged their experience with the CCBIO researchers regarding relevant preclinical models, including patient-derived xenografts, to validate experiments. Also, PhD students benefited from this collaboration through exchange programs.

CCBIO significance

"CCBIO has always been a source of inspiration both on a personal and professional level. During the annual meetings, the combination of state-of-the-art sessions in combination with a strong focus on junior researchers and PhD students resulted in very interesting discussions in a safe environment. The low threshold for junior researchers to meet experts in the field ultimately contributed to productive science. The MOMATEC program we contributed to is one of the largest European projects in endometrial cancer and changed the way we did research, leading to innovative insights. The program was also ideal to exchange students participating in the same type of research, allowing them to grow personally and scientifically. The organization should be congratulated for the development of this exciting program which so many researchers benefited from."

Rameen Beroukhim received his AB in Physics in Philosophy at UC and his M.Phil. and PhD from the University of Cambridge as a Churchill Scholar and subsequently a Glaxo Dorothy Hodgkin Scholar. He returned to the United States to receive his MD from UCSF, where he also completed an internship and residency in medicine as a molecular medicine fellow. He specialized in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Massachusetts General Hospital joint fellowship program. At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Broad Institute, he did postdoctoral research in cancer genomics under the mentorship of Bill Sellers and Matthew Meyerson. In addition to running a research laboratory, he sees patients with brain cancers in the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Center for Neuro-Oncology. He has been part of the faculty at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School since 2006, currently as an associate professor of medicine. He is also an associate member of the Broad Institute and a member of the Bioinformatics and Integrative Genomics (BIG) Program at Harvard Medical School. He received a V Scholar Award from the V Foundation for Cancer Research, a Distinguished Scientist Award from the Sontag Foundation, a Team Science Award from the American Association for Cancer Research, and the 2022 “Mentor of the Year” award from the Dana-Farber Postdoctoral and Graduate Student Association. He is also a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. 

Research interests and important results 

Dr. Beroukhim’s research interests have been: 1) to understand alterations in chromosome structure across all types of cancer, including how they arise and their consequences on tumor evolution and generating therapeutic dependencies; 2) to apply genomics tools to understand how brain tumors develop, progress through treatment, and might be treated better; and 3) with his collaborators at CCBIO, to understand how endometrial cancers develop, metastasize, and progress through treatment — again, with an interest in how patients might be treated more effectively. He has developed many widely used computational methods to study tumor evolution and has discovered novel oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes, and whole classes of therapeutic dependencies. His work has led to national and international clinical trials and drug discovery platforms in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Dr. Beroukim’s work with members of CCBIO began when he was a new postdoctoral fellow in 2004 and has focused primarily on using genomics tools to understand endometrial cancer. Together, they published the first large-scale integrated genomic analysis of endometrial cancer, which identified novel prognostic biomarkers and resulted in a therapeutic patent. They conducted the first large-scale genetic analysis of endometrial cancer progression from pre-malignant lesions through metastasis, where they found that different metastases tend to arise from the same tumor subclone — a finding that has since been replicated in other cancers. They are currently working to understand how endometrial cancers gain resistance to the most commonly used therapeutic, carboplatin.

Dr. Beroukhim has attended and given talks at multiple CCBIO retreats, taught CCBIO courses, and have hosted CCBIO scientists in his laboratory including Professor Camilla Krakstad during her sabbatical year, as well as three postdoctoral fellows of Drs. Salvesen and Krakstad as well as one graduate student. One of his laboratory members subsequently moved to join Dr. Krakstad’s laboratory within CCBIO. He also deposited a rug from DFCI in Dr. Krakstad’s office, unbeknownst to her (and to her great chagrin). He continues to meet with CCBIO members online at least weekly to plan out experiments and interpret their results.

CCBIO significance

"My laboratory’s focus on endometrial cancer is entirely the result of our collaborations with CCBIO. Our interactions with CCBIO have brought new ideas and blood to our laboratory and has provided my laboratory members with a unique view of science on an international scale. Frankly, my interactions with CCBIO members have been among the most fun parts of my work. I hope to continue to work closely with CCBIO scientists for many years to come!"

Marta Bertolaso is Full Professor of Philosophy of Science and Human Development at University Campus Bio-Medico of Rome, Italy. Her expertise in philosophy of science, scientific practice and ethics, with a strong scientific background, has allowed her to promote and collaborate in interdisciplinary research and educational programs on complex organized systems and human development. After an initial training and experience in the nineties at the National Tumor Institute in Milan (Department of Molecular Biology); at the Department of Anatomical Pathology, San Giovanni Vecchio Hospital, Turin (Italy); and at the Candiolo Cancer Institute (IRCCS), Turin, she concluded a PhD in Bioethics and Philosophy of Science at Campus Bio-Medico of Rome. Additionally, she has been trained in philosophy of life sciences during fellowships at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; at the Konrad Lorenz Institute (KLI) for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Austria; at Egenis (the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences), University of Exeter (UK); at the Centre of Biomedical Humanities of the Department of Experimental Oncology of IEO, University of Milan; and at the Institute d’Histoire et de Philosophie des Science et des Techniques (IHPST), Paris, France.

Research interests and important results

Professor Bertolaso’s expertise in the philosophy of cancer and of scientific practice has allowed her to promote and collaborate in interdisciplinary research and educational projects. She is currently focusing her work on the integral development of adaptive systems and evolutionary processes. Knowledge derived from cancer biology and the relational epistemology that characterize it is becoming relevant also in order to understand better important features of the current ecological and organizational transitions and open new questions about the use of data and digital tools in these scenarios as well. Social impact and emerging educational challenges for sustainable innovation are also the focus of her contribution in institutional and international programs for a sustainable society. Among other commitments, she currently collaborates with the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) within the bioeconomy field, she is a full member of the Académie Internationale De Philosophie des Sciences, and board member of the European School of Oncology, Switzerland/Italy. Marta Bertolaso is also Editor in Chief of Springer Series on “Human Perspectives in Health Sciences and Technology” and of the Italian Rubettino Series on “Fattore Umano & Complessità”. Since 2006, Marta Bertolaso is Board Director of the Home Renaissance Foundation (London) and member of the Scientific Committee for the Health and Primary Care field.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Her collaboration with CCBIO relies upon the work she did on cancer research and cancer biology during the last three decades. In particular, she is focusing on the assumptions and epistemological foundations for an adequate identification and implementation of biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Her aim has been to expand viewpoints, make the most of empirical results and speed up the process toward better therapeutic approaches, and by that possibly bridge the gap between scientific work and theoretical understanding. In collaboration with Roger Strand, she has done epistemological analyses of CCBIO projects and related volumes, seeking a more comprehensive understanding of empirical results from the CCBIO teams. Results from these opportunities following research activities in practice have been collected and mentioned in recent years’ publications and in different contexts (academic, policies, cultural, etc.). She has contributed to the CCBIO Annual Symposium and several other CCBIO events, such as the meetings in the INTPART project Bergen-Harvard Cancer Studies: A Partnership for Excellent Education and Research (2019 and 2024), as well as teaching at the CCBIO PhD course CCBIO903, Cancer Research — Ethical, Economic and Social Aspects.

CCBIO significance

Working with young students and researchers has been of particular interest, stimulus and relevance for me, for the overall activity also in developing philosophical reflections on epistemic virtues such as critical thinking, pluralism, contextual decision making, etc. in the scientific practices. Moreover, the interdisciplinary teamwork I have experienced in CCBIO inspired me and one of my collaborators in Rome to promote a spin-off on new therapeutic strategies based on tumor reversion processes with research, regulatory and educational goals.

Dr. Jean-Christophe Bourdon obtained his PhD in cellular and molecular biology in 1997 from the Paris XI University, France. He is currently a senior lecturer at the School of Medicine at the University of Dundee, where he leads the p53 laboratory. Previously, he served as co-director of the Inserm-European Associated Laboratory at Toulouse University, France (2006–2010), and at the CNRS-European Associated Laboratory at the University de Lorraine, Nancy, France (2012–2018). In 2012, he was awarded a prestigious
fellowship from the Breast Cancer Campaign. 

Dr. Bourdon is internationally recognized for his pioneering work in the field of p53 isoforms and cancer. His team was the first to demonstrate that the tumor suppressor TP53, the most frequently mutated gene in cancer, expresses at least twelve different isoforms (p53α, p53β, p53γ, Δ40p53α, Δ40p53β, Δ40p53γ, Δ133p53α, Δ133p53β, Δ133p53γ, Δ160p53α, Δ160p53β, Δ160p53γ) through alternative splicing, transcription initiation, and translation initiation. This discovery has significantly impacted cancer research and expanded the scope of the p53 field to include ageing and degenerative diseases.

Research interests and important results

Dr. Bourdon’s research interests encompass both fundamental and translational studies. His lab aims to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which p53 isoforms influence cell fate in response to various cellular signals and treatments. On the translational side, his work focuses on establishing p53 isoforms as predictive biomarkers in cancer and other degenerative diseases and identifying therapeutic compounds targeting p53 isoform pathways. Notably, Dr. Bourdon’s lab demonstrated that the Δ133p53β isoform promotes cancer cell invasion independently of TP53 mutation status and is associated with increased cancer recurrence and mortality in breast cancer patients. This isoform also plays a critical role in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by promoting global genome epigenetic reprogramming in both wild-type and mutant TP53 contexts.

Additionally, Dr. Bourdon’s lab discovered a novel role for the Δ133p53α isoform in regulating T lymphocyte function. T cells expressing Δ133p53α exhibit enhanced proliferative capacity, superior cytokine secretion, and improved tumor-specific killing in vitro and in mouse tumor models. Δ133p53α was found to restore antitumor responses in senescent T cells, suggesting potential applications in cancer immunotherapy and the treatment of immunosenescence-related diseases.

Furthermore, his lab’s analysis of p53 isoform expression in multiple myeloma (MM) clinical samples demonstrated that incorporating p53 isoform expression levels into the current cytogenetic-risk classification significantly improved prognostic value. High-risk MM patients with elevated levels of Δ133p53 and Δ160p53 isoforms had notably longer survival compared to those with lower levels of these isoforms.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Through a close partnership within CCBIO, Dr. Bourdon and Professor Bjørn Tore Gjertsen have established a longstanding collaborative research project. This collaboration has involved exchanging students (master and PhD students) through short stays in the laboratories in Dundee and Bergen, as well as sharing expertise, protocols, and reagents. Their joint efforts have focused on developing p53 isoforms as biomarkers in cancer, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and identifying new therapeutic compounds targeting p53 isoform pathways.

Dr. Bourdon has developed a comprehensive panel of antibodies specific to various p53 isoforms, allowing for precise determination of p53 isoform expression in tumor samples. This has been particularly valuable in mass cytometry analysis using the Hyperion Imaging System at CCBIO. This state-of-the-art technology integrates time-of-flight mass spectrometry with metal-tagged antibodies, providing quantitative insights into protein subcellular localization and expression levels. Dr. Bourdon has actively contributed to analyzing data generated by Professor Gjertsen’s team, facilitated through video calls and short visits. 

In collaboration with Professor Gjertsen, Dr. Bourdon has co-supervised a PhD student at CCBIO, investigating the modulation and function of p53 protein isoforms in AML. The PhD project examined the modulation of p53 protein isoforms in leukemic cells treated with the AXL kinase inhibitor bemcentinib (BGB324), a novel anticancer and anti-metastatic inhibitor developed at CCBIO. The PhD student successfully obtained the degree in 2021, an outcome that would not have been possible without the CCBIO partnership.

Dr. Bourdon has regularly given seminars at the University of Bergen and has been honored twice as an invited speaker at the CCBIO symposium. Similarly, Professor Gjertsen has given seminars at the University of Dundee. Their partnership has also enabled the organization of an international p53 isoform conference in Bergen (2017). This collaboration has led them to apply for a Synergy ERC grant within the Nordic AML group, with the outcome expected in 2025.

CCBIO significance

The collaboration with CCBIO has been invaluable for both Dr. Bourdon and Professor Gjertsen. It has enabled the extension of research on p53 isoforms into clinical applications and facilitated the development of new predictive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. This partnership has provided opportunities to test novel compounds developed at CCBIO, further understanding of cell responses to treatment, and contributing to the broader goals of improving cancer diagnosis and therapy. Looking ahead, Dr. Bourdon is eager to continue expanding the use of p53 isoforms as predictive biomarkers in collaboration with Professor Gjertsen, explore the molecular mechanisms underlying cell responses to new treatments, and develop innovative diagnostic tools within
the Nordic AML group.

Professor Rolf A. Brekken received his BA in biology from Luther College in Decorah, IA and his PhD from UT Southwestern Medical Center. His graduate studies in Dr. Philip Thorpe’s laboratory were focused on developing novel therapies that target the vascular compartment of tumors. Dr. Brekken performed postdoctoral studies under Dr. E. Helene Sage at the Hope Heart Institute in Seattle where he investigated the function of the matricellular protein SPARC in angiogenesis and tumor progression. He was recruited back to UT Southwestern in 2002 as the Effie Marie Cain Scholar in Angiogenesis Research and joined the Department of Surgery and the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research. He is currently a Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Pharmacology. He is the Deputy Director of the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and Director of the Cancer Biology Graduate Program at UT Southwestern.

Research interests and important results

Professor Brekken’s laboratory is focused on understanding how the tumor microenvironment effects therapeutic efficacy. The microenvironment of tumors contributes significantly to the development, metastatic spread, and resistance to systemic therapy of cancer. Angiogenesis, extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and immune suppression are dominant characteristics of the microenvironment of solid tumors and are the general areas of focus for the laboratory. The Brekken lab studies these themes in the context of therapy in robust preclinical models of cancer.

The lab currently consists of approximately five individuals including two research scientists, one clinical trainee, and two technical staff members. Two junior faculty (Drs. Huocong Huang and Alex Kim) have their research efforts embedded in the Brekken group, and their labs participate in Brekken lab meetings. Thus, the total research effort in Brekken’s laboratory space encompasses seven individuals and three PIs. The three groups interact/collaborate effectively. The specific projects among the three groups are diverse but overlap significantly in biology and technical execution and therefore foster a collaborative environment within the overall laboratory. The laboratory is active in pushing for translation of new modalities for cancer therapy. For example, two therapeutic antibodies Dr. Brekken helped develop have been tested in cancer patients. Further in collaboration with academic and industry partners, the lab has participated in the preclinical validation of multiple therapeutic agents that have moved to clinical testing.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Professor Brekken has an active and longstanding collaboration with Professor Jim Lorens on the function of Axl in tumor progression. The collaboration is focused on Axl biology and the efficacy of Axl inhibition using small molecules, specific Axl mAbs and strategies to prevent γ-carboxylation of Gas6. In collaboration with Dr. Jim Lorens, the Brekken Lab validated the efficacy of Axl inhibition with bemcentinib in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer, laying the foundation for a clinical trial testing bemcentinib and chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer patients. In addition, the Brekken lab participated in studies investigating Axl inhibition with bemcentinib as a strategy to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade in lung cancer, resulting in current clinical studies being driven by BerGenBio ASA. Dr. Brekken has also collaborated with Drs. Nils Halberg and Emmet Mc Cormack to investigate the microenvironment of pancreatic cancer. Additionally, he has a joint project with Dr. Randy Watnick at Harvard, which developed through connections made at CCBIO and involves Professors Lars A. Akslen and Jim Lorens.

Further, through interactions that were initiated at CCBIO, multiple trainees/visiting scientists have spent 3–6 months in Dallas working on joint projects, and two trainees from the Brekken Lab spent time training/working in Bergen. Thus far, CCBIO collaborations have resulted in 11 publications, 3 submitted manuscripts and multiple grant applications.

CCBIO significance

Dr. Brekken has been a regular attendee and participant in the CCBIO Annual Symposium since 2013. Highlights from the meetings are centered on the spectacular setting at Solstrand, listening to talks from local and international speakers as well as trainee presentations, and enjoying the company of friends talking science. CCBIO has been a source of new ideas and new interactions as well as an opportunity to strengthen ties with existing collaborators. Interactions at CCBIO have helped focus the direction of research in the Brekken Lab over the years and provided inspiration to propose innovative approaches to address unmet needs in the area of cancer therapeutics. It has been an honor to be part of the international faculty of CCBIO. The program has been a resounding success

Professor Hani Gabra earned his science and medical degrees from the University of Glasgow in 1987 and completed a PhD in Molecular Oncology in 1996 and specialist oncology training at the Cancer Research UK, University of Edinburgh in 1998. His clinical specialist background is in medical oncology with a focus on gynecological cancers, particularly ovarian and uterine cancer.

Professor Gabra is an Emeritus Professor in Medical Oncology and Consultant Medical Oncologist at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust. He is also Founder and Chief Scientific Officer for the preclinical stage biotech company, Papyrus Therapeutics Inc. Professor Gabra has held numerous prestigious positions, including Cancer Research UK Professor of Medical Oncology and Director of the Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre at Imperial College London. He was subsequently VP and head of the Clinical Discovery Unit at AstraZeneca in Cambridge and Chief Medical Officer for BerGenBio ASA. His contributions to cancer research have been recognized with memberships and fellowships of many international societies.

Research interests and important results

Professor Gabra’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of ovarian cancer, with significant contributions to understanding drug resistance and the development of personalized medicine. His work has resulted in the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, leading to over 200 peer-reviewed publications and impactful clinical advancements. In particular, he is focused on the development of OPCML and the IgLON family of proteins as novel anti-cancer therapeutics through a novel approach of extracellular tumor suppression therapy.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Professor Gabra’s collaboration with CCBIO has particularly been with Professor Jim Lorens, engaging in translational research around AXL and the IgLON family of proteins, as well as collaborations into gynecological cancers. Over the years, Professor Gabra has been deeply involved in CCBIO activities, including participating in courses, conferences, and mentoring programs. His efforts have particularly focused on supporting young researchers, leading workshops, and contributing to educational programs designed to enhance research skills among early-career scientists.

CCBIO significance

The collaboration with CCBIO has been a cornerstone of Professor Gabra’s research, providing access to a vibrant research community and cutting-edge resources. This relationship has not only facilitated significant advances in his work on ovarian cancer but also enriched his professional development through valuable networking and knowledge exchange opportunities. 

Mark LaBarge studied genetics at the University of California, Davis, and earned his PhD in molecular pharmacology at Stanford University in 2004. He was an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory where he developed novel technologies for functionally dissecting microenvironment-stem cell interactions. He is currently professor at the Department of Population Sciences, deputy director of the Center for Cancer and Aging, and director of postdoctoral training at the Beckman Research Institute at City of Hope National Cancer Center, California.

Research interests and important results

Professor LaBarge specializes in human mammary epithelial cell culture technology and breast cancer susceptibility, particularly in relation to aging and microenvironment biology. His research primarily focuses on understanding how the aging process affects the mammary gland, increasing its vulnerability to cancer initiation. A significant portion of his work involves developing a model system to study aging and cancer in human solid tissue, specifically in the mammary gland. Collaborating with Martha Stampfer, he has established best practices for culturing normal mammary epithelial cells and pioneered organotypic culture and bioengineering techniques that enable the modeling of complex, multilineage microenvironments in culture.

One of the key resources stemming from Professor LaBarge’s work is the Human Mammary Epithelial Cells (HMEC) Aging Resource, a growing collection of normal breast tissue from which they derive primary HMEC and stromal fibroblast cultures. With tissue samples from over 500 women, they have established more than 100 primary HMEC strains, alongside matched fibroblast and adipose samples, creating a highly valuable repository used by researchers worldwide. For over 15 years, his team has developed essential cell growth media for primary human epithelial cells (USP11,293,008). Their culture systems effectively maintain the transcriptional, epigenetic, and biochemical characteristics associated with both lineage and chronological aging, as observed in vivo.

Professor LaBarge’s work has identified several new hallmarks of aging and susceptibility in breast tissue, earning him the Era of Hope Award from the United States Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. His research revealed that aging-related changes in luminal cells are predictable, while neighboring myoepithelial cells exhibit increased transcriptional variability, likely driving the predictable changes in luminal and progenitor cells. In heterochronous organoid cultures, the biological age of luminal cells is influenced by the chronological age of the surrounding myoepithelial cells. This led to the discovery that modulating certain cell-cell communication pathways may delay the aging process.

His research consistently demonstrates that luminal cells serve as sensitive markers for breast cancer risk. Molecular changes in luminal cell keratin intermediate filaments and lineage-specific transcription factors act as breast-specific biomarkers for biological age and cancer risk. His team has shown that these hallmarks of aging can be used in breast cancer prevention trials to identify interventions with biological efficacy. Their ultimate goal is to identify molecular targets and biomarkers for breast cancer prevention, with a particular focus on the aging-related acquisition of stem cell properties by luminal epithelial cells due to dysregulation of key stem cell pathways and associated genes and proteins.

Research collaboration with CCBIO

Professor LaBarge has a decade-long collaboration with Professor James Lorens resulting in more than ten manuscripts on topics of aging, stem cell states, and cooption of stem cell states by cancer cells. LaBarge has made regular contributions to the CCBIO Annual Symposium and co-mentored doctoral candidates from the CCBIO program. With Professor Lorens and his trainees in CCBIO, they delved deeply into the aging process using single cell proteomic methods which identified acquired changes in mammary progenitor cells that cause them to ignore regulatory cues from the microenvironment (Cell Reports 2018). Analysis of stem and progenitor cells in human mammary epithelia led the international team to discover that the AXL receptor is used by multipotent epithelial cells to regulate differentiation into more mature states. They answered a longstanding question as to why AXL was coopted by breast cancers, because it allows the cancer cells access to gene programs that are typically reserved for stem cells (iScience 2020). Most recently, the LaBarge and Lorens labs are focusing their collaborative efforts on understanding the impacts of age- and risk dependent changes in cytokeratin expression, and how that rewires signaling pathways into transformation-susceptible cellular states that can be identified by simple mechanical measurements.

CCBIO significance

CCBIO has been a remarkable influence, both professionally and personally. The program’s focus of fostering interactions between seasoned experts and early-career researchers created an inviting and open environment for meaningful exchanges. The annual meetings, featuring cutting-edge sessions, consistently sparked stimulating conversations and nurtured productive scientific work. In my opinion, many researchers have greatly benefited from this initiative, and the organization should be commended for designing such a thoughtful and impactful program.

Professor Mills studied biochemistry at the University of Oxford and went on to earn his PhD in molecular and cellular physiology at the University of Liverpool in 2000. He was then an MRC-funded postdoctoral researcher until 2003, working on clathrin-mediated endocytosis in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge. In 2003, he was recruited as a senior research associate (2003–2006) and subsequently became an associate scientist (2006–2010) establishing a CRUK-funded translational research program to identify drivers of prostate cancer progression. This period led to the identification of novel androgen receptor target genes that support adaptations in prostate cancer metabolism, glycosylation and the unfolded protein response. These remain areas of significant biological interest within Professor Mill’s research group. He has had other ties to Norway apart from CCBIO, as PI/group leader at the Norwegian Centre for Molecular Medicine, Nordic EMBL Partnership, University of Oslo, in 2010–2015. 

Mills is currently professor in translational prostate cancer biology at Queen’s University Belfast; Fellow of Linacre College, Oxford, Interim Head of Department, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford; John Black Professor of Prostate Cancer, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford; and member of the Board of Trustees of Linacre College, Oxford.

Research interests and important results

Over the last 20 years, Mills has led the first tissue-based studies to map androgen receptor binding sites in prostate cancer, showing that the genome-wide distribution of sites changes as the disease progresses, with implications for the biological processes regulated by the androgen receptor. This is important because the androgen receptor remains the primary molecular drug target for the treatment of prostate cancer and identifying stage-specific co-dependent biologies provides a route to develop better biomarkers of treatment response and also combinatorial treatments. Metabolism provides a considerable scope for drug repurposing/repositioning, and prostate cancer cells are characterized by aberrant lipid metabolism and the capacity to withstand stress arising from increased anabolic metabolism. In this context, Mills has shown that calcium calmodulin-dependent kinase kinase 2 (CAMKK2) is an important regulator both of glycolytic flux and of vesicular flux through the secretory pathway and to lysosomes. Mills has also shown that impairing that flux enhances stress in the endoplasmic reticulum and that other prostate cancers alleviates stress by activating distinct axes of the unfolded protein response at different phases in disease progression. In addition, glycosylation, and in particular OGlcNAcylation, maintains the activity and stability of oncogenic factors such as c-Myc and the capacity of cancer cells to transcribe and efficiently process transcripts. Impairing these stress-relieving biologies creates therapeutic vulnerabilities for example to inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases such as CDK9, and cancer driven by c-Myc are more susceptible to these interventions. These interventions in turn lead to the production of misprocessed transcripts that can be immunogenic. Eliciting an effective immune response is a further challenge in the treatment of prostate cancer and ongoing work is exploring how an aberrant type 1 interferon response may contribute to this. Beyond these molecular discoveries, Mills has also contributed collaboratively to identifying bloodbased protein biomarkers such as LRG1 and in deriving polygenic hazard scores for the improved risk stratification of prostate cancer. More recently, he has collaborated on spatial transcript profiling to identify and characterize early copy-number unstable clones in clinical disease. Future work will define how the biologies and molecular targets defined pre-clinically will relate to these clonal hierarchies, and how that knowledge might be used to restrict disease progression.

Whilst these are key contributions to his field, Professor Mills feels that perhaps his greatest achievement has been in mentoring early career researchers. In so doing it’s important to support your mentees in carrying research themes with them and enabling them to use those as pillars for their own career development.

CCBIO collaboration and activities

In setting up his group in Oslo in 2010, Mills was introduced to Professor Karl-Henning Kalland, and their discussions on the transcriptional regulation in prostate cancer evolved into Mills’ affiliation with CCBIO. Mills has contributed as speaker at three of CCBIO’s Annual Symposia and presented some of his transcriptomic and spatial work to the CCBIO Scientific Advisory Board. This was coincident with Dr. Carina Strell’s recruitment to Bergen with whom Mills has shared interests in using these approaches to characterize the early pre-cancerous states of hormone-dependent cancers. This led to a number of informal discussions during Dr. Strell’s start-up phase in Bergen. Mills has also contributed to the shortlisting of applicants for postdoc positions with Professor Kalland’s group. In addition, he co-authored a book chapter within Biomarkers of the Tumor Microenvironment (Springer 2022) edited by Professors Akslen and Watnick. During the course of his International Faculty appointment, Mills has published 79 articles, many affiliated to CCBIO with a particular emphasis on metabolic imaging/spatial profiling and biomarker development.

CCBIO significance

CCBIO has provided me with a valuable opportunity to remain connected to Norwegian research having rotated out of my position at NCMM Oslo into Faculty positions in the UK. Effective translational research requires international collaboration and teamwork. CCBIO is one of the few entities to be resourced to support that on a scale that permits international faculty to share ideas and data within Norwegian researchers across a range of fields and cancer type. That has helped define new and relevant research questions for me and that has doubtless been reciprocal. These connections will continue for a long, long time but it is also important that similar structures are maintained to preserve this culture of shared experience for the next generation of committed researchers.

Professor Klaus Pantel did his MD at the University of Cologne in 1986, his Dr. Med. at the University of Cologne in 1987 and his Dr. Med. Habil. at the Ludwig-Maximillians-Universität in 1995. He is currently Director of the Institute of Tumor Biology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf and Full Professor (C4) of Medicine at the University Hospital Eppendorf (UKE), University of Hamburg, Germany.

Research interests and important results

Professor Pantel has done pioneer work in the field of cancer micrometastases, circulating tumor cells and circulating nucleic acids (ctDNA, microRNAs). His expertise is particularly on disseminating tumor cells as biomarker of treatment efficacy. This work provides new insights into the biology of early tumor cell dissemination in cancer patients with particular emphasis on the identification of the putative metastatic founder cells (“stem cells”) and the regulation of cancer dormancy responsible for late relapses in breast cancer patients. Pantel is currently a top ranking internationally renowned scientist within the field of personalized medicine and in particular within the rapidly developing field of liquid biopsies.

Professor Pantel currently has 672 PubMed-registered publications, many published in Nature Cell Biology, Nature Reviews Cancer, Nature Biotechnology, Lancet Oncology, Nature Rev Clin Oncol, Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, Cancer Cell and Cancer Research. His h-index is currently 141. He has coordinated the European TRANSCAN group “CTC-SCAN”, the European IMI consortium CANCERID (www.cancer-id.eu) on blood-based “Liquid Biopsies” and has established a clinical micrometastasis research network at the University Cancer Center Hamburg with a clear focus on diagnosis and treatment of solid tumors. Pantel has been the scientific coordinator of EU projects: CANCER-ID IMI EU, 01/2015–12/2019, 60 calendar months, EU Innovative Medicines Joint Undertaking (IMI JU) Call with more than 32 European partners; LIQUOPSY, 05/2014–04/2016, EU/BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), 3 European partners and the TRANSCAN ERA-Network 06/2013–05/2016, EU/BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research) with 6 European partners.

In 2019 he received his second ERC Advanced Investigator Grant (2019–2024), INJURMET, and was highlighted in the journal Die Zeit as “Person of the Month.” He has served on several national and international evaluation panels awarding grants and awards such as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Deutsche Krebshilfe, Roggenbuck-Foundation, European Commission/European Research Council, American Association of Cancer Research or Metastasis Research Society. Pantel has received numerous highly prestigious awards as exemplified by (1) the ERC (European Research Council) Advanced Investigators Grant and (2) the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research. He is also founder and one of three key organizers of the 1st–14th International Symposium on Minimal Residual Oslo, Berlin, Munich, Nice) in addition to co-organizer and invited speaker to numerous international meetings, including key plenary address at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (20 000 participants), where he has the reputation of being an excellent speaker and teacher.

During his career, Professor Pantel has supervised more than 30 PhD students and more than 25 postdocs. Presently he supervises 5 PhD students and 6 postdocs. Over the past 25 years, Professor Pantel has served at various advisory panels for academic institutions (e.g., University of Cambridge; University of Manchester; Champalimaud Research Foundation, Portugal) and pharmaceutical companies (e.g., Veridex/Janssen; Roche, Sanofi, Alere) as well as on the Editorial Boards of peer-reviewed journals such as Cancer Res, Clin. Cancer Res, or Breast Cancer Res. He has provided advice on the quality of past/ongoing projects and future research directions as well as the selection of researchers for open positions.

CCBIO collaboration and activities

Professor Pantel has a broad collaboration with CCBIO, most recently in a prospective non-randomized phase I trial of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, published in 2023. Here, he collaborated among others with Liv Cecilie Vestrheim Thomsen, Waqas Azeem, Lars A. Akslen, Bjørn Tore Gjertsen and Karl-Henning Kalland. The trial shows that dendritic cell based cryoimmunotherapy associates with clinical variables and changes in T-cell receptor expression. Currently, collaboration with Professor Christian Beisland and his team at the Department of Urology, Haukeland University Hospital and with Professor Karl-Henning Kalland, CCBIO in the INJURMET ERC project, is ongoing with examination of patient blood and biopsy prostate samples with the aim to clarify the extent and nature of dissemination of CTCs during prostate biopsies and prostatectomy.

Pantel has regularly participated at the CCBIO Annual Symposia and given several keynote talks at these meetings. He was co-organizer of the CCBIO Satellite Symposium on Liquid Biopsies which took place the day before the CCBIO Annual Symposium, May 22, 2018, at Solstrand outside of Bergen. He has also given additional talks and webinars for the students and researchers at the medical campus of the University of Bergen. 

CCBIO significance

The interaction with the CCBIO members, the scientific collaboration and contact with young investigators have been highly stimulating and useful.

Therese Sørlie received her PhD from the University of Oslo in 2000 under the supervision of Professor Anne Lise Børresen-Dale, and she joined Professor David Botstein’s group at Stanford University as a postdoctoral fellow from 2001. After returning to Norway in 2005, she continued her research in the Department of Cancer Genetics and has led her own research group since 2012. From 2017 she has been the head of the Department of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research at Oslo University Hospital. She is also an adjunct professor at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo.

Research interests and important results

During her postdoctoral work at Stanford, Sørlie worked on molecular classification of breast cancer. Her contribution during this time pioneered gene expression profiling of tumors and has resulted in a classification scheme for breast cancer that is implemented in international guidelines for the treatment of breast cancer. In Norway, this classification is now implemented through the participation in two clinical studies, EMIT and OPTIMA. Her early work on breast cancer classification has continued to influence her research. The group now focuses on studying breast cancer heterogeneity and identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying breast tumor initiation and progression to the intrinsic molecular subtypes, including the transition from DCIS to invasive breast cancer. Lately, her group has been involved in several projects on endometrial cancer with the aim of identifying new biomarkers for this patient group. Her research group has expertise in molecular biology and bioinformatics and they use mouse models and patient cohorts in their studies.

CCBIO collaboration and activities

The collaboration with CCBIO and Lars A. Akslen was rooted in a mutual interest in breast cancer, and particularly the importance of the tumor microenvironment for tumor progression. Tumor growth is influenced at all stages of development by the surrounding tissues, the cells of the immune system, circulating particles and even the microbiome. Sørlie’s recent work on endometrial cancer has in addition led to a collaboration with Camilla Krakstad, to identify blood-based predictive markers for tumor progression and response to therapy. Interactions with CCBIO have also facilitated a collaboration with Carina Strell, leading to common ongoing projects.

CCBIO significance

The connection to CCBIO and its Director Lars A. Akslen during these years has been important for the research group. Additionally, Akslen has served as a mentor for my career development. Our mutual interest in early breast cancer and DCIS in particular, has led to many fruitful discussions that have been motivating for our research.

Professor Jean Paul Thiery is a high-ranking international researcher currently located in Singapore and China. He held the position of director of research at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, until 2010. From 1995 to 2003, Jean Paul Thiery established and headed the Cell Biology Department of the Institut Curie. He was the inaugural director of the Department of Translational Research at the Institut Curie Medical Division from 2003 to 2006. In October 2006, he moved to Singapore where he was deputy director of the Systems Biology Division at the Institute of Molecular Cell Biology until November 2011 and chief scientific officer of the Experimental Therapeutics Centre of A*STAR until April 2011. He was then appointed professor and head of the Department of Biochemistry of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Concurrently, he remained research director at IMCB A*STAR, senior principal investigator at the Cancer Science Institute and associate principal investigator at the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) at NUS. Since July 2015, Jean Paul Thiery is emeritus research director at the CNRS research unit “Matter and Complex Systems” in Paris. He also holds a research director emeritus position at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, the largest comprehensive cancer center in Europe. Jean Paul Thiery has been a Toh Chin Chye Visiting Professor at the School of Medicine at NUS. He was also a distinguished visiting professor at the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of Hong Kong University.

Thiery is currently the chief scientist of Biosyngen Pte Ltd Singapore, a cell-based immunotherapy company; he is also the cofounder and chairman of Biocheetah Pte Ltd Singapore, a company focusing on the diagnostics of urological cancers. He is a scientific advisory board member of Papyrus Inc. USA together with Professor James Lorens. This company is involved in elucidating the function of OPCML as a suppressor of AXL function in mesenchymal-like carcinoma.

Research interests and important results

Thiery’s research has for many years focused on unraveling mechanisms governing epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in carcinoma. Recent studies made in collaboration with CCBIO members allowed him to investigate the role of hypoxia in lung adenocarcinoma. These studies showed that targeting EMT transcription factors or directly inhibiting TGF-beta receptor signaling rendered carcinoma cells more susceptible to cognate cytotoxic T lymphocytes (Terry et al. 2017). They identified the role of several tyrosine kinases including Src, receptor tyrosine kinases, and the SHP2 phosphatase in the control of TGFbeta receptor activation of the EMT programs (Sim et al. 2019; Lai et al. 2023). With CCBIO collaborators, Thiery focused on the tyrosine kinase surface receptor AXL in controlling immune escape in carcinoma cells undergoing EMT. They found that AXL is overexpressed in lung adenocarcinoma cells undergoing EMT under hypoxic conditions. These cells cannot establish a functional immunological synapse and thus become refractory to cytotoxic T lymphocytes and to NK cells. Inhibition of AXL kinase activity by bemcentinib restores the immune response through induction of expression of I-CAM1 and ULBP1. Inhibition of AXL in lung cancers should improve cell-based immunotherapies (Terry et al. 2019). Then, they found that lung adenocarcinoma acquiring resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors is caused by AXL signaling inducing autophagy. Inhibition of Axl kinase restores susceptibly to EGR inhibitors. (Engelsen et al. 2022). They also investigated the potential role of glycolysis in lung adenocarcinoma refractory to EGFR inhibitors. Pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) is a potential target since it acts as a gatekeeper between glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. Its activity is downregulated by PKDH phosphorylation. To circumvent the excess production of lactate, the dichloroacetate PDHK1 inhibitor was used in combination with EGFR TKIs and/or ionizing radiation to restore the therapeutic activity of EGFR inhibitors in lung adenocarcinoma cell lines (Dyrstat et al. 2021). The role of AXL was also investigated in normal breast development and breast cancers. AXL expression confers stem-like properties in mammary epithelial cells; its expression is required to reconstitute mammary glands in transplantation experiments. Axl is also involved in the clonogenic development of breast cancers by sustaining stemness (Engelsen et al. 2020). 

CCBIO collaboration and activities

Professor Thiery has been collaborating with CCBIO in the work with identification of AXL receptor tyrosine kinase as a critical signal transduction in epithelial-mesenchymal transition in carcinoma, with the contribution of AXL signaling in immune escape, and the discovery of AXL as a driver in mammary stem cell maintenance in normal tissue and in cancer development.

Thiery has participated in most CCBIO Annual Symposia at Solstrand. He was a lecturer at three of these conferences and served as chair at two other conferences, and he gave a plenary seminar lecture at CCBIO in December 2020. His collaboration also included mentoring of Dr. Agnete Engelsen through these years and organizing her postdoctoral training at Gustave Roussy Comprehensive Cancer Center in Villejuif France.

CCBIO significance

"My affiliation with CCBIO was very instrumental in our research program on epithelial-mesenchymal transition in carcinoma. We explored with the team headed by Professor James Lorens the role of AXL in immune escape. I also learned a great deal with other CCBIO team leaders and affiliated members. The Solstrand annual meeting allows direct contact with the speakers and CCBIO members in a relaxed atmosphere. I have had multiple discussions exploring collaborative studies, particularly with Rolf Brekken, a long-term collaborator of James Lorens. My discussion with the CCBIO Director Lars A. Akslen was also very fruitful as he is a world expert in molecular pathology. I contributed to his two books on the subject with a foreword in Biomarkers of the Tumor Microenvironment: Basic Studies and Practical Applications (2017) and a foreword and chapter in Biology and Biomarkers of the Tumor Microenvironment (2nd edition), 2022. In sum, my affiliation with CCBIO contributed to my research programs in identifying mechanisms driving the progression of carcinoma."

Randy Watnick received his PhD in biochemistry and biophysics from Columbia University in 1999, and was a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Robert Weinberg, Whitehead Institute, Cambridge, MA, until 2003. Dr. Watnick is currently assistant professor at the Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School and research associate in the Vascular Biology Program (VBP) at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Research interests and important results

Watnick’s laboratory is focused on understanding the interactions between the tumor and its microenvironment that regulate the progression of breast cancer. Specifically, they have identified a novel TNBC CSC population that possesses all the consensus CSC properties of chemoresistance, sphere formation, and tumor initiation. Critically, the Notch1hi CSC population are the first CSCs that differentiate in vitro to give rise to all the cell types present in the parental tumor population. Disrupting this interaction by silencing TAp73, or deleting the acetylation site of p53 abrogates chemoresistance, sphere formation and tumor metastasis. These findings provide the first functional mechanistic requirements for the tumor-initiating and chemoresistant properties of breast CSCs. Importantly, this work has revealed that the CSC properties of the Notch1hi cells are dependent on the non-canonical, cleavage-independent Notch1 pathway.

Moreover, Watnick developed and was an integral part of the pre-clinical and clinical development of a peptide therapeutic agent. Recruitment is currently underway for a phase 2/3 trial to assess the effectiveness of this therapy in GBM (NCT03970447). This peptide was licensed to Vigeo Therapeutics, a company Watnick co-founded and led the scientific advisory board through IND-enabling studies into clinical trials. Based on his experience in the field of drug development, they believe that by targeting the non-canonical Notch1 pathway, they will be able to more effectively treat triple negative breast cancer patients by sensitizing CSCs to chemotherapy. Thus, overcoming one of the major hurdles to current treatment modalities.

CCBIO collaboration and activities

For the past 19 years, Watnick has been collaborating with Professor Lars A. Akslen on multiple research projects. His collaboration with the Akslen group has been fundamentally important in establishing and validating biological and biochemical observations made in Watnick’s laboratory in patient samples. Specifically, this collaboration helped to establish a role for both prosaposin and PRSS2 in disease progression and survival in multiple indications and helped to build the foundation for clinical trials for a prosaposin-derived peptide developed in Watnick’s lab, which is currently in a phase 2/3 registration trial for GBM. This collaboration has led directly, or indirectly, to seven peer reviewed papers in high-impact journals, including Cancer Discovery, Science Translational Medicine, Nature Communications, and PNAS.

Throughout the years, Watnick has presented his lab’s research at the CCBIO Annual Symposium on eight occasions. He has also been teaching at the CCBIO Scientific Writing Seminar on seven occasions. Additionally, he has been an instructor in the course on Cancer Biology both remotely and in person. Finally, Watnick finds that one of the most gratifying activities to have taken part in, has been mentoring young MD and PhD students in his laboratory as part of the CCBIO–VBP INTPART program. Till 2025, he mentored four students who came to Boston to work in his lab.

CCBIO significance

"In summary, my relationship with CCBIO has been tremendously rewarding on both a professional and personal level. Not only have I been able to engage in collaborations and helpful discussions that have pushed my research forward, I have also made many very good friends who have made Bergen feel like a second home to me."

Arne Östman trained as PhD student at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR) in Uppsala under the supervision of Carl-Henrik Heldin. Following a postdoc with Nick Tonks at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, he was group leader at LICR 1993–2003, before joining Karolinska Institutet in 2004 where he was appointed professor in 2006. He has published more than 170 original research articles, reviews in e.g. Nature Reviews Cancer and Cancer Cell, and has trained approximately 40 PhD students and postdocs. He directed the STARGET center-of-excellence 2006–2016 and is since 2020 member of the Nobel Assembly and has been adjunct member of the Nobel Committee in 2023 and 2024. Professor Östman is currently professor of molecular oncology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet.

Research interests and important results

Östman’s research during the last 20 years has centered on mechanistic and translational studies on the tumor microenvironment with special focus on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and PDGF receptor signaling. The studies have uncovered novel molecular mechanisms whereby CAFs stimulate tumor growth, angiogenesis and metastasis. Collaborative analyses of large well-annotated tumor collections have identified novel prognostic and therapy-predictive CAF-derived biomarkers. More recently, advanced multiplex-based methods for tissue profiling have identified novel multi-marker-defined CAF subsets with differential associations to driver mutations, immune features and outcome.

CCBIO collaboration and activities

As member of the CCBIO International Faculty, Östman has contributed to the annual Solstrand meetings as speaker, as session chair, as participant in program discussions and as host. Östman has also co-authored chapters in both editions of the review collections edited by Akslen & Watnick on biomarkers of the tumor microenvironment. A spin-off of the CCBIO engagement is the SCANPATH meeting series, initiated by Östman & Akslen. Seven highly interactive meetings have been held since 2016 where Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish cancer researchers have presented novel findings in the field of human tissue-based explorative and translational cancer research.

Regarding collaborative research, Östman has, based on the CCBIO position, received three rounds of funding from the Norwegian Cancer Association, and also funding from the Western Norway Regional Health Authority. This funding has supported postdocs and one bioinformatician, which has performed a set of studies in close collaboration with the group of Lars A. Akslen. Studies have identified novel vessel features associated with outcome in ER+ breast cancer.

Novel and ongoing ambitious studies are using the imaging mass cytometry (IMC) method, using the Bergen-based Hyperion Imaging System, for discovery of novel CAF subsets and their associated niches. These collaborative studies, including Akslen and other partners, have significantly contributed to novel directions in the research fields of the Östman group.

CCBIO significance

"To be part of the CCBIO International Faculty, and to get the chance to do research in this environment, has been very rewarding, an honor and a pleasure. I am highly sympathetic to the CCBIO atmosphere where high academic ambitions, and genuine translational intentions, are key ingredients. The efforts of the leadership to increase international connections, and the early investment in imaging mass cytometry, are bold initiatives which possibly will have long-lasting impact."