The Brain Metastasis Research Group

The main aim of our research is to understand molecular pathways involved in the development of metastatic brain tumors, and to develop new treatments that ultimately can be used to treat cancer patients with brain metastasis.

BrainMetGroup
The Brain Metastasis Research Group. Photo: Torstein Ravnskog, UiB

Affiliation

About the research group

Our work focuses on 3 main avenues:

By repurposing existing drugs—originally approved for non-cancer uses—we have identified compounds with strong inhibitory effects on brain metastases in preclinical models, offering faster paths to clinical application. 

We also study the blood-brain barrier, a major obstacle to effective treatment, to design strategies that improve drug delivery to the brain. 

Additionally, our work has shown that exosome-delivered miRNAs help prepare the brain’s microenvironment for metastatic growth, providing a promising target for therapy. 

Through these efforts, we strive to improve survival and quality of life for patients with brain metastases, addressing a critical unmet need in cancer care.

Projects in the Group

Featured

  • EVs in brain metastasis

    Extracellular vesicles (EVs)

  • Improved drug delivery to BM

    Blood-brain barrier (BBB)

  • CCT196969

    Targeted therapies

  • clozapine in vitro

    Drug Repurposing

All featured articles

Publications

2024 - 2025
  1. Berle BF, Juliussen S, Castilho A, Solel E, Saed HS, Lunavat TR, Rigg E, Thorsen F. Multimodal imaging of brain metastasis-derived extracellular vesicles using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle labeling. Int J Nanomed 2025. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S520791 
  2. Wikerholmen T, Taule EM, Rigg E, Berle BF, Sættem M, Sarnow K, Saed HS, Sundstrøm T, Thorsen F. Repurposing neuroleptics: Clozapine as a novel, adjuvant therapy for melanoma brain metastases. Clin & Exp Metastasis Jan 26, 2025. doi: 10.1007/s10585-025-10328-3.
  3. Madan E, Palma A, Accardi D, Beliao S, Camacho D, Peixoto M, Beltran A, Moreno E, Vudatha V, Trevino J, Wilhelm J, Dreier I, Yekelchyk M, Araujo T, Garre E, Gustafsson A, Landberg G, Neufeld L, Yeini T, Sachi-Fainaro R, Rolfsnes H, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F, Kim H, Martin P, Won KJ, Kumar A, Bhoopati P, Fisher P, Liao L, Gupta K, Chaudhary S, Nagane M, Dorayappan K, Karuppaiyah S, Natarajan K, Kuppusamy P, Correia I, da Silva C, Fialho A, Wang H, Wicha M, Sidransky D, Grossman S, Drapkin R, Connolly D, Godwin A, Winn R, Ackermann M, Tzankov A, Pelham C, Gogna R. Ovarian tumor cells gain competitive advantage by actively reducing the cellular fitness of microenvironmental cells. Nature Biotechnol  Dec 9, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41587-024-02453-3.
  4. Kanli G, Boudissa S, Jirik R, Adamsen T, Espedal H, Rolfsnes HO, Thorsen F, Pacheco-Torres J, Janji B, Keunen O. Quantitative pre-clinical imaging of hypoxia and vascularity using MRI and PET. Methods Cell Biol Nov 19, 2024. doi: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2024.10.016.
  5. Roesler J, Spitzer D, Jia X, Aasen SN, Sommer K, Roller B, Olshausen N, Hebach NR, Albinger N, Ullrich E, Zhu L, Wang F, Macas J, Forster MT, Steinbach JP, Sevenich L, Devraj K, Thorsen F, Karreman MA, Plate KH, Reiss Y, Harter PN. Disturbance in cerebral blood circulation and hypoxic-ischemic microenvironment are associated with the development of brain metastasis. Neuro Oncol Jun 4, 2024. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noae094.
  6. Bhoopathi P, Mannangatti P, Pradhan AK, Kumar A, Maji S, Lang FF, Klibanov AL, Madan E, Cavenee WK, Keoprasert T, Sun D, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F, Gogna R, Das SK, Emdad L, Fisher PB. Noninvasive therapy of brain cancer using a unique systemic delivery methodology with a cancer terminator virus. J Cell Physiol April 30, 2024. doi:10.1002/jcp.31302.
2022 - 2023
  1. Rigg E, Wang J, Xue Z, Lunavat T, Liu G, Hoang T, Parajuli H, Han M, Bjerkvig R, Nazarov P, Nicot N, Kreis S, Margue CW, Nomigni MT, Utikal J, Miletic H, Sundstrøm T, Li X, Thorsen F. Inhibition of extracellular vesicle derived miR-146a-5p decreases progression of melanoma brain metastasis via Notch pathway dysregulation in astrocytes. J Extracell Vesicles 2023, Oct; 12(10):e12363. doi: 10.1002/jev2.12363.
  2. Spitzer D, Guérit S, Khel M, Pütz T, Zinke J, Jia X, Sommer K, Filipski K, Thorsen F, Freiman T, Harter P, Reiss Y, Liebner S, Di Tacchio M, Devraj K. A flow cytometry based protocol for syngenic isolation of neurovascular unit cells from mouse and human tissues. Nature Protoc 2023 May, 18(5):1510-1542. doi:10.1038/s41596-023-00805-y.
  3. Taule EM, Schipmann-Miletic S, Thorsen F, Johannessen TA, Miletic H, Storstein A, Oltedal L, Sundstrøm T. Hjernemetastasar – diagnostikk og behandling. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 2022, Oct 10;142(14). doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.21.0809. Review, in Norwegian.
  4. Reigstad A, Herdlevær CF, Rigg E, Hoang T, Bjørnstad OV, Aasen SN, Preiss J, Haan C, Sundstrøm T, Thorsen F. CCT196969 effectively inhibits growth and survival of melanoma brain metastasis cells. PLoS One 2022 Sep 9, 17(9):e0273711. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273711.
  5. Sibson NR, Thorsen F, Sarmiente Soto M. The role of the immune response in brain metastasis. Front Oncol 10 May 2022. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.922700. Editorial.
2020 - 2021
  1. Aasen SN, Espedal H, Keunen O, Adamsen TCH, Bjerkvig R*, Thorsen F*. Current landscape and future perspectives in preclinical MR and PET imaging of brain metastasis. Neuro-Oncol Adv, 3(1):1-14, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdab151. [IF 3.7]. Review.
  2. Mannsåker TA, Hoang T, Aasen SN, Bjørnstad OV, Parajuli H, Sundstrøm T, Thorsen F. Cabozantinib is effective in melanoma brain metastasis cell lines and affects key signaling pathways. Int J Mol Sci 2021 Nov 14, 22(22):12296. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms222212296.
  3. Zhang Y, Kong Y, Ma Y, Ni S, Wikerholmen T, Xi K, Zhao F, Zhao Z, Wang J, Huang B, Chen A, Yao Z, Han M, Feng Z, Hu Y,Thorsen F*, Wang J*, Li X*. Loss of COPZ1 induces NCOA4 mediated autophagy and ferroptosis in glioblastoma cell lines. Oncogene 2021 Jan 8, 40(8):1425-1439. doi: 10.1038/s41388-020-01622-3.
  4. Ji J, Ding K, Luo T, Zhang X, Chen A, Zhang D, Li G, Thorsen F, Huang B, Li X, Wang J. TRIM22 activates NF-κB signaling in glioblastoma by accelerating the degradation of IκBα. Cell Death Diff 2021 Jan, 28(1):367-381. doi:10.1038/s41418-020-00606-w.
  5. Zhang Y, Fu X, Jia J, Wikerholmen T, Xi K, Kong Y, Wang J, Chen H, Ma Y, Li Z, Wang C, Qi Q, Thorsen F, Wang J, Cui J, Li X, Ni S. Glioblastoma therapy using codelivery of cisplatin and gluthathione peroxidase targeting siRNA from iron oxide particles. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2020 Sep 4, 12(39):43408-32421. doi: 10.1021/acsami.0c12042.
  6. Kong Y, Feng Z, Zhang Y, Liu X, Yuan M, Zhao Z, Huang B, Chen A, Zhang D, Thorsen F, Wang J, Yang N, Li X. Identification of immune-related genes contributing to the development of glioblastoma using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Front Immunol 2020 July 16, 11:1281. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01281.
  7. Valiente M, Van Swearingen AED, Anders C, Bairoch A, Boire A, Bos P, Cittelly D, Erez N, Ferraro G, Fukumura D, Gril BM, Herlyn M, Holmen SL, Jain RK, Joyce JA, Lorger M, Massagué J, Neman J, Sibson N, Steeg P, Thorsen F, Young L, Vareslija D, Vultur A, Weis-García F, Winkler F. Brain Metastasis Cell Lines Panel: a public resource of organotropic cell lines. Cancer Res 2020 July 8. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-20-0291.
  8. Feng Z, Zhou W, Wang J, Qi Q, Han M, Kong Y, Zhang Y, Chen A, Huang B, Chen A, Zhang D, Li W, Zhang Q, Bjerkvig R, Wang J*, Thorsen F*, Li X*. Reduced expression of proteolipid 2 increases ER-stress-induced apoptosis and autophagy in glioblastoma. J Cell Mol Med 2020 Mar 17, 24(5):2847-2856. doi: 10.1111/jcmm.14840.
  9. Zhang X, Ding K, Ji J, Parajuli H, Aasen SN, Espedal H, Huang B, Chen A, Wang J*, Li X*, Thorsen F*. Trifluoperazine prolongs the survival of experimental brain metastases by STAT3-dependent lysosome membrane permeabilization. Am J Cancer Res 2020 Feb 1, 10(2):545-563. PMID: 32195026
  10. Han M, Wang S, Fritah S, Zhou W, Yang N, Huang B, Chen A, Li G, Miletic H, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R, Li X, Wang J. Interfering with long non-coding RNA MIR22HG processing inhibits glioma progression through suppression of Wnt/b-catenin signalling. Brain 2020 Feb 1, 143(2):512-530. doi:10.1093/brain/awz406.
  11. Ji J, Ding K, LuoT, Xu R, Zhang X, Huang B, Chen A, Zhang D, Miletic H, Bjerkvig R*, Thorsen F*, Wang J*, Li X*. PMEPA1 isoform a drives progression of glioblastoma by promoting protein degradation of the Hippo pathway kinase LATS1. Oncogene 2020 Jan 11, 39(5):1125-1139. doi: 10.1038/s41388-019-1050-9.
  12. Han M, Wang S, Zhao W, Kong Y, Huang B, Chen A, Saed HS, Li G, Miletic H, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R, Li X, Wang J. Therapeutic implications of altered cholesterol homeostasis mediated by loss of CYP46A1 in human glioblastoma. EMBO Mol Med, 2020 Jan 9;12(1):e10924. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201910924.
2018-2019
  1. Bernatz S, Ilina E, Devraj K, Harter PN, Mueller K, Kleber S, Braun Y, Penski C, Renner C, Halder R, Jennewein L, Solbach C, Thorsen F, Pestalozzi BC, Mischo A, Mittelbronn M. Impact of docetaxel on blood-brain barrier function and formation of breast cancer brain metastases. J Exp & Clin Cancer Res 2019 Oct 29;38(1):434. doi:10.1186/s13046-019-1427-1.
  2. Ji J, Xu R, Ding K, Bao G, Zhang X, Huang B, Wang X, Martinez A, Wang X, Li G, Miletic H, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R, Xiang L, Han B, Chen A, Li X, Wang J. Long noncoding RNA SChLAP1 forms a growth promoting complex with HNRNPL in human glioblastoma through stabilization and activation of NF-kB signalling. Clin Cancer Res 2019 Sep. 6. doi: 10.1158./1078-0432.CCR-19-0747.
  3. Aasen SN, Espedal H, Holte CF, Keunen O, Karlsen TV, Tenstad O, Maherally Z, Miletic H, Hoang T, Eikeland AV, Baghirov H, Olberg DE, Pilkington GJ, Sarkar G, Jenkins R, Sundstrøm T, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Improved drug delivery to experimental melanoma brain metastasis by peptide-mediated permeabilization of the blood-brain barrier. Mol Cancer Ther 2019  Aug 29. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-19-0160.
  4. Aasen SN, Parajuli H, Roy K, Hoang T, Stokke K, Wang J, Feng Z, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Effective treatment of metastatic melanoma by combining MAPK and PI3K signaling pathway inhibitors. Int J Mol Sci 20(17):4235, Aug 29, 2019. doi:10.3390/ijms20174235.
  5. Sundstrøm T, Prestegarden L, Azuaje F, Røsland GV, Varughese JK, Aasen SN, Bernatz S, Braun Y, Harter PN, Skaftnesmo KO, Inghem ES, Mahakian LM, Tam S, Tepper CG, Petersen K, Ferrara KW, Tronstad KJ, Lund-Johansen M, Bjerkvig R*, Thorsen F*. Inhibition of mitochondrial respiration prevents BRAF-mutant melanoma brain metastasis. Acta Neuropathol Comm 7:55, Apr 10, 2019. doi: 10.1186/s40478-019-0712-8.
  6. Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Glioblastoma: a prognostic value of AMT-PET? Neuro-Oncol 21(2):146-147, Feb 14, 2019. doi: 10.1093/neuonc/noy206.  Editorial.
  7. Wang J, Qi Q, Zhou W, Feng Z, Huang B, Chen A, Zhang D, Li W, Zhang Q, Bjerkvig R, Prestegarden L, Thorsen F, Li X, Wang J. Inhibition of glioma growth by flavokawain B is mediated through endoplasmatic reticulum stress induced autophagy. Autophagy 2018 Jul 19. doi: 10.1080/15548627.2018.1501133.
  8. Zeiner PS, Zinke J, Kowalewski DJ, Bernatz S, Tichy J, Ronellenfitsch MW, Thorsen F, Berger A, Forster MT, Muller A, Steinbach JP, Beschorner R, Wischhusen J, Kvasnicka HM, Plate KH, Stefanovic S, Weide B, Mittelbronn M, Harter PN. CD74 regulates complexity of tumor cell HLA class II peptidome in brain metastasis and is a positive prognostic marker for patient survival. Acta Neuropathol Comm 6:18, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40478-018-0521-5.
  9. Baghirov H, Snipstad S, Sulheim E, Berg S, Hansen R, Thorsen F, Mørch Y, de Lange Davies C, Åslund ÅKO. Ultrasound-mediated delivery and distribution of polymeric nanoparticles in the normal brain parenchyma of a metastatic brain tumour model. PLoS ONE, 13(1):e0191102, 2018. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191102.
1990 -2017
  1. Zhang X, Xu R, Zhang C, Xu Y, Han M, Huang B, Chen A, Qiu C, Thorsen F, Prestegarden L, Bjerkvig R, Wang J, Li XG. Trifluoperazine, a novel autophagy inhibitor, increases radiosensitivity in glioblastoma by impairing homologous recombination. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 36(1):118, 2017. doi:10.1186/s13046-017-0588-z.
  2. Talasila KM, Røsland G, Hagland H, Eskilsson E, Tran GT, Fritah S, Azuaje F, Atai N, Harter P, Mittelbronn M, Anderson M, van Noorden R, Niclou SP, Thorsen F, Tronstad KJ, Tzoulis C, Bjerkvig R, Miletic H. The angiogenic switch leads to a metabolic switch in human glioblastoma. Neuro-Oncol Sep 19(3):383-393, 2017.
  3. Ilhan-Mutlu A, Osswald M, Liao Y, Gömmel M, Reck M, Miles D, Mariani P, Gianni L, Lutiger B, Nendel V, Srock S, Perez-Moreno P, Thorsen F, von Baumgarten L, Preusser M, Wick W, Winkler F. Bevacizumab prevents brain metastases formation in lung adenocarcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther Jan 25, 15(4):702-710, 2016.
  4. Aasen SN, Pospisilova A, Eichler T, Panek J, Hruby M, Stepanek P, Spriet E, Jirak D, Skaftnesmo KO, Thorsen F. A novel nanoprobe for visualisation of melanoma metastatic cells by fluorescence and MRI. Int J Mol Sci 16:21658-21680, 2015.
  5. Sundstrøm T, Espedal H, Harter P, Fasmer KE, Skaftnesmo KO, Horn S, Hodneland E, Mittelbronn M, Weide B, Beschorner R, Bendner B, Rygh CB, Lund-Johansen M, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Melanoma brain metastasis is independent on LDHA expression. Neuro-Oncol 17:1374-1385, 2015.
  6. Keunen O, Taxt T, Tonn JC, Grüner R, Lund-Johansen M, Pavlin T, Bjerkvig R, Niclou S, Thorsen F. Multimodal imaging of gliomas in the context of cellular and molecular therapies. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 76:98-115, 2014.
  7. Rygh, CB, Wang J, Thuen M, Gras-Navarro A, Huuse EM, Thorsen F, Poli A, Zimmer J, Haraldseth O, Lie SA, Enger PØ, Chekenya M. Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI detects early response to adoptive NK cellular immunotherapy targeting the NG2 proteoglycan in a rat model of glioblastoma. PLoS ONE 2014 9(9):e108414.
  8. Daphu I, Horn S, Stieber D, Varughese J, Skaftnesmo KO, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. In vitro treatment of melanoma brain metastasis by simultaneously targeting the MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways. Int J Mol Sci 15:8773-8794, 2014.
  9. Qin SP, Fite BZ, Gagnon KG, Seo JW, Curry F, Thorsen F, Ferrara KW. A physiological perspective on the use of imaging to assess the in vivo delivery of therapeutics. Ann Biomed Eng 42(2):280-298, 2014.
  10. Thorsen F, Fite B, Mahakian L, Seo JW, Qin SP, Harrison V, Johnson S, Ingham E, Meade T, Caskey C, Sundstrøm T, Meade T, Harter PN, Skaftnesmo KO, Ferrara KW. Multimodal imaging enables early detection and characterization of changes in tumor permeability of brain metastases. J Control Rel 172:812-822, 2013.
  11. Poli A, Wang J, Domingues O, Planagumá J, Yan T, Rygh CB, Skaftnesmo KO, Thorsen F, McCormack E, Hentges F, Pedersen PH, Zimmer J, Enger PO, Chekenya M. Targeting glioblastoma with NK-cells and mAb against NG2/CSPG4 prolongs animal survival. Oncotarget 4(9):1527-1546, 2013.
  12. Lillefosse HH, Tastesen HS, Du ZY, Ditlev DB, Thorsen F, Madsen L, Kristiansen K, Liaset B. Hydrolyzed casein reduces diet-induced obesity in male C57BL/6J mice. J Nutr 143(9):1367-1375, 2013
  13. Sundstrøm T,  Daphu I, Wendelbo I, Hodneland E, Lundervoll A, Immervoll H, Skaftnesmo KO, Babic M, Jendelova P, Sykova E, Lund-Johansen M, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Quantitative tracking of nanoparticle labeled melanoma cells improves the predictive power of an experimental brain metastasis model. Cancer Res 73(8):2445-2456, 2013.
  14. Daphu I, Sundstrøm T, Huszthy PC, Niclou SP, Sakariassen P, Immervoll H, Miletic H, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. In vivo animal models for studying brain metastasis: value and limitations. Clin & Exp Metastasis 30:695-710, 2013.
  15. Viel T, Talasila KM, Monfared P, Wang J, Jikeli J, Waerzeggers Y, Neumaier B, Backes H, Brekka N, Thorsen F, Winkeler A, Tavitian B, Hoehn M, Bjerkvig R, Miletic H, Jacobs AH. Analysis of the growth dynamics of angiogenesis-dependent and –independent experimental glioblastomas by multimodal PET and MRI. J Nucl Med 73(7):1135-1145, 2012.
  16. Huszthy PC, Daphu I, Niclou SP, Stieber D, Nigro JM, Miletic H, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R. In vivo models for primary brain tumors-pitfalls and perspectives. Neuro-Oncol 14(8):979-993, 2012.
  17. Skeie BS, Enger P, Brøgger J, Ganz JC, Thorsen F, Heggdahl JI, Pedersen PH. Gamma Knife Surgery versus reoperation for recurrent glioblastoma multiforme. World Neurosurg 78(6):658-669, 2012.
  18. Wang J, Daphu I, Pedersen PH, Miletic H, Hovland R, Mørk S, Bjerkvig R, Tiron C, McCormack E, Micklem D, Lorens JB, Immervoll H, Thorsen F. A novel brain metastases model developed in immunodeficient rats closely mimics the growth of metastatic brain tumours in patients. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 37:189-205, 2011.
  19. Ke XS, Li WC, Hovland R, Qu Y, Liu RH, McCormack E, Thorsen F, Olsen JR, Molven A, Kogan-Sakin I, Rotter V, Akslen LA, Oyan AM, Kalland KH. Reprogramming of cell junction modules during stepwise epithelial to mesenchymal transition and accumulation of malignant features in vitro in a prostate cell model. Exp Cell Res 317:234-247, 2011.
  20. Thorsen F. MRI of experimental gliomas. Methods Mol Biol 711:451-471, 2011.
  21. Keunen O, Johansson M, Oudin A, Sanzey M, Abdul Rahim SA, Fack F, Thorsen F, Taxt T, Bartos M, Jirik R, Miletic H, Wang J, Stieber D, Stuhr L, Moen I, Rygh C, Bjerkvig R, Niclou SP. Anti-VEGF treatment reduces blood supply and increases tumor cell invasion in glioblastoma. PNAS 108:3749-3754, 2011.
  22. Curry FR, Rygh CB, Karlsen T, Wiig H, Adamson RH, Clark JF, Lin YC, Gassner B, Thorsen F, Moen I, Tenstad O, Kuhn M, Reed RK. Atrial natriuretic peptide modulation of albumin clearance and contrast agent permeability in mouse skeletal muscle and skin: role in regulation of plasma volume. J Physiol 588:325-329, 2010.
  23. Skeie BS, Enger PO, Thorsen F, Pedersen PH. Gamma knife surgery of meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus: long term follow-up of 100 patients. Neurosurgery 66:661-668, 2010.
  24. Vik-Mo EO, Øksnes M, Pedersen PH, Wentzel-Larsen T, Rødahl E, Thorsen F, Schreiner T, Aanderud S, Lund-Johansen M. Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery of Nelson syndrome. Eur J Endocrinol 160:143-148, 2009.
  25. Torkildsen Ø, Brunborg LA, Thorsen F, Mørk S, Stangel M, Myhr KM, Bø L. Effects of diet intervention on MRI activity, de- and remyelination in the cuprizone model for demyelination. Exp Neurology 215:160-166, 2009.
  26. Wang J, Sakariassen PØ, Tsinkalovsky O, Immervoll H, Bøe SO, Svendsen A, Prestegarden L, Røsland G, Thorsen F, Stuhr L, Molven A, Bjerkvig R, Enger PØ. CD133-negative glioma cells form tumors in nude rats and give rise to CD133 positive cells. Int J Cancer 122:761-768, 2008.
  27. Huszthy PC, Goplen D, Thorsen F, Immervoll H, Wang J, Gutermann A, Miletic H, Bjerkvig R. Oncolytic herpes simplex virus type-1 therapy in a highly infiltrative animal model of human glioblastoma. Clin Cancer Res 14:1571-1580, 2008.
  28. Thorsen F, Jirak D, Wang J, Sykova E, Bjerkvig R, Enger PØ, van der Kogel A, Hajek M. Two distinct tumor phenotypes isolated from glioblastoma multiforme show different MR spectroscopy characteristics. NMR Biomed 21:830-838, 2008.
  29. Thorsen F, Enger PØ, Wang J, Pedersen PH. Human glioma xenografts implanted into nude rat brains show growth inhibition after stereotactic radiosurgery. J Neuro-Oncol 82:1-10, 2007.
  30. Eikefjord EN, Thorsen F, Rørvik J. A comparison of effective radiation doses in patients undergoing unenhanced multidetector computed tomography and intravenous urography for acute flank pain. Am J Roentgenol 188:934-939, 2007.
  31. Brekke C, Williams SCR, Price J, Thorsen F, Modo M. Cellular multiparametric MRI of neural stem cell therapy in a rat glioma model. Neuroimage 37:769-782, 2007.
  32. Vik-Mo EO, Øksnes M, Pedersen PH, Wentzel-Larsen T, Rødahl E, Schreiner T, Thorsen F, Aanderud S, Lund-Johansen M. Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery for acromegaly. Eur J Endocrinol 157:255-263, 2007.
  33. Thorsen F, Afione S, Tysnes BB, Bjerkvig R, Kotin RM, Lønning PE, Hoover F. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes 2, 4 and 5 display similar transduction profiles and penetrate solid tumor tissue in models of human glioma. J Gene Med Sep;8(9):1131-40, 2006.
  34. Huszthy PC, Brekken C, Pedersen TB, Thorsen F, Sakariassen PØ, Skaftnesmo KO, Haraldseth O, Lønning PE, Bjerkvig R, Enger PØ. Antitumor efficacy improved by local delivery of species-specific endostatin. J Neurosurg 104:118-128, 2006.
  35. Thorsen F, Ersland L, Nordli H, Enger PO, Huszthy PC, Lundervold A, Standnes T, Bjerkvig R, Lund-Johansen M. Imaging of experimental rat gliomas using a clinical MR scanner. J Neuro-Oncol 2003 Jul;63(3):225-31.
  36. Chekenya M, Enger PØ, Thorsen F, Tysnes BB, Al-Sarraj S, Read TA, Furmanek T, Mahesparan R, Levine JM, Butt AM, Pilkington GJ, Bjerkvig R. The glial precursor proteoglycan, NG2, is expressed on tumour neovasculature by vascular pericytes in human malignant brain tumours. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2002 Oct;28(5):367-80.
  37. Read TA, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R. Localised delivery of therapeutic agents to CNS malignancies: old and new approaches. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2002 Sep;3(3):257-73.
  38. Pedersen PH, Baardsen R, Larsen JL, Thorsen F, Wester K. [Stereotactic radiosurgery of cerebral arteriovenous malformations]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 2002 May 20;122(13):1277-80.
  39. Enger PØ, Thorsen F, Lønning PE, Bjerkvig R, Hoover F. Adeno-associated viral vectors penetrate human solid tumor tissue in vivo more effectively than adenoviral vectors. Hum Gene Ther 2002 Jun 10;13(9):1115-25.
  40. Chekenya M, Hjelstuen M, Enger PØ, Thorsen F, Jacob AL, Probst B, Haraldseth O, Pilkington G, Butt A, Levine JM, Bjerkvig R. NG2 proteoglycan promotes angiogenesis-dependent tumor growth in CNS by sequestering angiostatin. FASEB J 2002 Apr;16(6):586-8.
  41. Hedberg KM, Mahesparan R, Read TA, Tysnes BB, Thorsen F, Visted T, Bjerkvig R, Fredman P. The glioma-associated gangliosides 3'-isoLM1, GD3 and GM2 show selective area expression in human glioblastoma xenografts in nude rat brains. Neuropathol Appl Neurobiol 2001 Dec;27(6):451-64.
  42. Vatne V, Litlekalsoey J, Thorsen F, Ness GO, Wentzel-Larsen T, Hostmark JG. Characterization of cell lines originating from an invasive transitional cell carcinoma. Anticancer Res 2001 Sep-Oct;21(5):3199-207.
  43. Thorsen F, Read TA, Lund-Johansen M, Tysnes BB, Bjerkvig R. Alginate-encapsulated producer cells: a potential new approach for the treatment of malignant brain tumors. Cell Transplant 2000 Nov-Dec;9(6):773-83.
  44. Visted T, Thorsen J, Thorsen F, Read TA, Ulvestad E, Engebraaten O, Sorensen D, Ylä-Herttuala S, Tyynela K, Rucklidge G, Edvardsen K, Bjerkvig R, Lund-Johansen M. lacZ-neoR transfected glioma cells in syngeneic rats: growth pattern and characterization of the host immune response against cells transplanted inside and outside the CNS. Int J Cancer 2000 Jan 15;85(2):228-35.
  45. Oyvind PE, Visted T, Thorsen F, Bjerkvig R, Lund-Johansen M. Retroviral transfection of the lacZ gene from Liz-9 packaging cells to glioma spheroids. Int J Dev Neurosci 1999 Aug-Oct;17(5-6):665-72.
  46. Read TA, Stensvaag V, Vindenes H, Ulvestad E, Bjerkvig R, Thorsen F. Cells encapsulated in alginate: a potential system for delivery of recombinant proteins to malignant brain tumours. Int J Dev Neurosci 1999 Aug-Oct;17(5-6):653-63.
  47. Tysnes BB, Mahesparan R, Thorsen F, Haugland HK, Porwol T, Enger PO, Lund-Johansen M, Bjerkvig R. Laminin expression by glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells in human gliomas. Int J Dev Neurosci 1999 Aug-Oct;17(5-6):531-9.
  48. Thorsen F, Tysnes BB. Brain tumor cell invasion, anatomical and biological considerations. Anticancer Res 1997 Nov-Dec;17(6B):4121-6.
  49. Thorsen F, Visted T, Lehtolainen P, Ylä-Herttuala S, Bjerkvig R. Release of replication-deficient retroviruses from a packaging cell line: interaction with glioma tumor spheroids in vitro. Int J Cancer 1997 May 29;71(5):874-80.
  50. Terzis AJ, Thorsen F, Heese O, Visted T, Bjerkvig R, Dahl O, Arnold H, Gundersen G. Proliferation, migration and invasion of human glioma cells exposed to paclitaxel (Taxol) in vitro. Br J Cancer 1997;75(12):1744-52.
  51. Ganz JC, Smievoll AI, Thorsen F. Radiosurgical treatment of gliomas of the diencephalon. Acta Neurochir Suppl 1994;62:62-6.
  52. Ganz JC, Backlund EO, Thorsen FA. The effects of Gamma Knife surgery of pituitary adenomas on tumor growth and endocrinopathies. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1993;61 Suppl 1:30-7.
  53. Ganz JC, Backlund EO, Thorsen FA. The results of Gamma Knife surgery of meningiomas, related to size of tumor and dose. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1993;61 Suppl 1:23-9. [IF 1.9]
  54. Thorsen FA, Ganz JC. Dose planning with the Leksell Gamma Knife: the effect on dose volume of more than one shot at the same target point. Stereotact Funct Neurosurg 1993;61 Suppl 1:151-63.
  55. Thorsen F, Mehus A, Nordanger J. [The use of copper and niobium filters in diagnostic x-ray equipment. A comparison of dose reduction, tube loading and picture quality]. Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen 1990 Sep 20;110(22):2878-80.

People

Group manager

Frits Thorsen Group Leader

Group members

Rolf Bjerkvig Professor Emeritus

Terje Sundstrøm Professor

Emma Kayleigh Rigg PhD student

Tobias Wikerholmen PhD student

Christina Jones Master student

Annabeth Asphaug Medical student

Magnus Sættem Medical student

Erlend Moen Taule Medical student

Aurea Castilho Head Engineer

National collaborators

Molecular Imaging Center An open access core facility in advanced subcellular, cellular and small animal imaging

NORMOLIM A national open access platform for molecular imaging supported by the NRC Infrastructure Programme

Tom Adamsen Centre for Nuclear Medicine/PET, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway

Oliver Vanderpoorten University of Tromsø, Norway

International collaborators

Priscilla K. Brastianos Lab Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

Dieter Henrik Heiland Translational Neurosurgery, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany

Jian Wang Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, China

Xiuying Wang The University of Sydney, Australia

Stephanie Kreis University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Xiangning Li Hainan University, Haikou, China

Rajan Gogna Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, USA

Torben Redmer University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Olivier Keunen the Brain Imaging & Neuro Epidemiology (BraINE) Group at Luxembourg Institute of Health

Contact

For more info, contact Group Leader Frits Thorsen

Phone number
+4795749681
Emails
frits.thorsen@uib.no