Gustav Vik (to the left) from Kjellervolla school and Martin Dimov from Mailand school are collaborating in the laboratory to isolate T cells. Photo: Bente Prestegård.

Research talents learned about immunotherapy

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Gustav Vik from Killevold school and Martin Dimov from Mailand school are enjoying the gatherings arranged by Talentsenteret for realfag: “This is very interesting because we are learning things that are not part of the curriculum and we like to learn about current topics.”

This article was first published in Norwegian on our School Collaboration website.

A group of talented science students from Oslo and Akershus spent two days learning about immunotherapy from former cancer researchers, who are now teachers at Ullern Upper Secondary School and researchers at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Collaboration partners: Oslo Cancer Cluster, Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway, Ullern Upper Secondary School, Norsk teknisk museum (The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology) and Oslo Vitensenters Talentsenter i realfag (Talent centre for the natural sciences)

In February, 25 students from 19 different schools in Oslo, which are a part of “Talentsenteret for realfag” (Talent Centre for the Natural Sciences), arrived together to Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park and Ullern Upper Secondary School.

The students were there to participate in a specially tailored two-day programme about medical research and the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer.

The days were spent partly in a classroom to learn about the theory of the immune system and partly in a laboratory to learn how to isolate a type of cells in the immune system called T cells. The method the students learned about is used in modern cell therapies against cancer, which are called CAR T therapies.

Gustav Vik from Kjellervolla School and Martin Dimov from Mailand School are enjoying the gatherings arranged by Talentsenteret for realfag: “This is very interesting because we are learning things that are not part of the ordinary school syllabus and we like to learn about current topics.”

Kaja Flote from Hellerasten school is looking in the microscope to find T cells. She thinks it is exciting to learn more about the depth of the immune system and how it can be changed to fight cancer. Photo: Bente Prestegård.

Kaja Flote from Hellerasten School is looking in the microscope to find T cells. She thinks it is exciting to learn more about the complexity of the immune system and how it can be changed to combat cancer. Photo: Bente Prestegård.

The next day, the students visited the production facilities of Thermo Fisher Scientific Norway, located in Lillestrøm. This is where the company makes Dynabeads (also known as “Ugelstadkulene” in Norwegian) to be used in five billion diagnostic tests every year and in CAR T therapies against cancer.

The Norwegian TV channel TV2 has produced this news segment about Emily Whitehead (link in Norwegian), the first child in the world who received CAR T therapy to treat her cancer, which was deemed incurable. The segment was recorded in 2019, when Emily and her family visited the Norwegian employees at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Oslo. Emily is today 13 years old and has been cancer-free for over eight years.

You can read more about the students’ experience at Thermo Fisher Scientific in this article from 2017, when another group of students from Ullern Upper Secondary School visited the same production facilities.

The researcher Morten Fure from Thermo Fisher tells the students about Dynabeads, also known as “Ugelstadkulene”, CAR T therapy, immunotherapy, and cancer. He has prepared T cell solutions that the students will look at in the microscope. Photo: Bente Prestegård.

The researcher Morten Luhr from Thermo Fisher Scientific tells the students about Dynabeads (also known as “Ugelstadkulene”), CAR T therapy, immunotherapy, and cancer. He has prepared T cell solutions that the students will look at in the microscope. Photo: Bente Prestegård.

The background to the collaboration

“Talentsenteret i realfag” is a customised educational option for students who are especially strong academically. It is for those students who find that the standard school curriculum does not challenge them enough. Just like the school adapts the teaching for students who need extra help in subjects, they adapt the teaching for students who already know a lot and want to learn even more. This is a group of students with a high degree of motivation and a hunger for knowledge that is extraordinary.

The centre employs experts in different subjects to give the students the academic challenges they need. That is why this two-day programme in medicine and immunotherapy was held in February.

The programme was developed by employees from Thermo Fisher Scientific and two teachers from Ullern Upper Secondary School. Fet and Flydal Jenstad both have backgrounds as cancer researchers at the Institute for Cancer Research and the Institute of Cancer Genetics and Informatics respectively. Fet and Flydal Jenstad share the responsibility for the new researcher programme at Ullern Upper Secondary School. Read more about the researcher programme here (link in Norwegian).

Oslo Cancer Cluster and Ullern Upper Secondary School have a school collaboration project since 2009. The goal is to contribute to educating the researchers and entrepreneurs of the future.

Thermo Fisher Scientific is a global biotech company with strong Norwegian roots through the acquisition of the Norwegian biotech Dynal. Thermo Fisher Scientific is one of the members of Oslo Cancer Cluster and actively participates in the school collaboration between Oslo Cancer Cluster and Ullern Upper Secondary School.

Read articles about the other school collaborations Thermo Fisher Scientific have participated in:

 

Click here to sign up for Oslo Cancer Cluster Newsletter

A kick-off meeting for the collaboration project was held at Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator. In the image (from left to right): Hanna Rickberg and Jeanette Jansson from Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marie Svendsen from LMI, Bjørn Klem from Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator.

Accelerating learning in Nordic life science milieus

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Nordplus collaboration work group at kick-off in OCC Incubator

A new collaborative project will make life science learning more accessible in the Nordics and give a boost to innovation and medical development.

The Nordic life science industry is booming and medical developments have never been this rapid. Nonetheless, in small countries like the Nordics, educational resources may not always be easy for the life science community to access. Now, five Nordic life science organisations from Sweden, Finland and Norway have joined forces to improve learning across borders.

“Each of us are small countries, through this collaboration we can provide more high-quality learning opportunities for Life Science professionals and for a broader Nordic-Baltic target group, instead of reinventing the wheel,” says Hanna Rickberg, Head of Education at the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

As part of the Nordplus Horizontal programme, educational events, training workshops and practical courses directed towards the life science industry will be made available online. The life science professionals can participate via a live video stream or pre-recorded material, making learning accessible to those on-site or on remote locations and in other countries.

The five partners in the project are:

“Life science is a global business and cross-border collaboration is important, in particular for small countries in the Nordics,” says Bjørn Klem, General Manager at Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator.

The project has received support from Nordplus to facilitate the sharing of educational resources across national borders in the Nordics. This will act as an innovation boost to Nordic life science environments.

“We are intrigued by the opportunity to explore how we can establish synergies across the Nordic markets when it comes to meeting educational needs within the Life Science sector. The underlying assumption is that the needs are similar. Networking for future collaboration may present as a secondary benefit,” says Dag Larsson, Senior Policy Manager, LIF – the Research Based Pharma Industry in Sweden.

Nordic cooperation will be paramount to make the most of medical advances and to make personalized medicine a reality.

“We see Nordic cooperation as an essential value to the medical development that is now taking place with both personalised medicine and building a life science industry across the Nordic countries,” says Marie Svendsen Aase, Communications Adviser, Legemiddelindustrien (LMI).

The project will run until 30 April 2021 and the five partners will share their courses via their websites and social media channels.

“Nordplus collaboration provides us with an excellent opportunity to expand our training services to the Nordic market and to share knowledge with the other partners,“ says Anja Isoaho, Training Manager at Pharmaceutical Information Centre (Finland).

 

Next upcoming activity in the Nordplus course plan 2020-2021:

The 4th Nordic RWE Conference 2020, 11 February 2020, 09:00-17:00, arranged by LMI in Kaare Norum Auditorium, Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park, Ullernchausseen 64, 0379 Oslo. This event will be streamed.

 

Nordic Life Science Learning logo

 

Partner logos:

Lääketietokeskus logo

LIF logo

 

Läkemedelsakademin logo

 

LMI logo

 

OCC Incubator logo

Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park: A powerhouse for the development of cancer treatments

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Innovation Park and the surrounding buildings

This article was originally published in Norwegian on Altomdinhelse.no by Mediaplanet, and was written by Jónas Einarsson, CEO of Radforsk and initiator of Oslo Cancer Cluster, Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator and Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park. 

We wish to expand Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park with close to 50 000 square metres the next five to seven years. The goal is to develop even better cancer treatments to improve the lives of cancer patients, in close collaboration with the ecosystem around the park.

On 24 August 2015, the Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg opened Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park. In her speech, she said: “Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park will fulfil an important role in the development of the cancer treatments of the future.”

That moment was the starting point for a unique collaboration between cancer researchers, clinicians, teachers, students, business developers and numerous other professions that are needed to develop tomorrow’s cancer treatments.

All of us that work here share a common vision: Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park and the environment around the Norwegian Radium Hospital and the Institute for Cancer Research (Oslo University Hospital) should be an international powerhouse for the development of cancer treatments.

The beginning of a success story

Five years after the opening, we are still fulfilling that vision every day. I would even go so far as to say that we have contributed to a success story:

  • Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator houses nine start-up companies today, and we are working closely with seven other companies that are located other places due to limited space.
  • The 24 private and public tenants of Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park want more space, since their operations are ever growing.
  • Ullern Upper Secondary School is one of the most sought-after schools in Oslo and the number of students is ever increasing. The students are offered the opportunity to participate in the school collaboration with Oslo Cancer Cluster, to educate the researchers and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. In the autumn of 2019, the researcher programme was initiated at Ullern, which is a unique opportunity for students in Oslo to specialise in biomedical subjects.

Many developments planned

Everything mentioned above is only what is happening inside the Innovation Park. In the nearby area, there are many unique developments that will change the treatment of cancer patients in coming years:

  • In 2023, the new clinic building of the Norwegian Radium Hospital and its specialised proton centre will open.
  • The Institute for Cancer Research is being developed further under the proficient management of Professor Kjetil Taskén. The talented researchers at the Institute are delivering internationally renowned research every day.
  • Oslo University Hospital is the only hospital in Scandinavia accredited as a “Comprehensive Cancer Center”. The accreditation demands constant development of research, infrastructure and treatments.

Still a way to go

Things are still far from perfect. Almost everyday in the news, there are discussions about whether Norwegian cancer patients are offered the best cancer treatments. I believe we still have a way to go. In order to give better cancer treatments, we must heavily invest in the development of:

  • Molecular diagnostics
  • Cell and gene therapy
  • Precision medicine
  • The treatment of antibiotic resistance

Because of the success we have had so far with the Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park and the need to strengthen cancer care further, we wish to expand the Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park during the next five to seven years with close to 50 000 square metres. The first expansion will total 7 000 square metres. The planning scheme begins this year and the building itself will be located between the Innovation Park and the Institute for Cancer Research.

Enormous ambitions

The expansion of the Innovation Park is an important supplement to the plans on developing Oslo into Oslo Science City. We are also a living example of how public-private partnerships is the way to go in order to build a sustainable health industry, like the White Paper on the Health Industry has stated.

Norwegian cancer research is world class. The 15 companies in the Radforsk portfolio has spun out of this research. We have enormous ambitions to contribute even more to the development of the cancer treatments of tomorrow – to improve the lives of cancer patients all over the world.

As Prime Minister Erna Solberg said in her speech on 24 August 2015: “Smart minds and new ideas, students and professors, Norwegians and foreigners, founders and employees. Together for a common goal: to improve the treatment of the approximately 30 000 Norwegians that are diagnosed with cancer every year.”

That statement is still true today.

 

Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark:
Kraftsenter for utvikling av kreftbehandling

Vi ønsker å utvide Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark med nærmere 50.000 km² de neste fem til syv årene. Målet er å utvikle enda bedre kreftbehandling til det beste for kreftpasienter, i tett samarbeid med økosystemet rundt parken.

Av Jónas Einarsson, administrerende direktør i Radforsk og initiativtaker til Oslo Cancer Cluster, Oslo Cancer Cluster Inkubator og Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark.

Den 24. august 2015 åpnet Statsminister Erna Solberg Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark. I sin tale sa hun: «Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark vil fylle en viktig rolle i utforming av fremtidens kreftbehandling.»

Og med det gikk startskuddet gikk for et unikt samarbeid mellom kreftforskere, klinikere, lærere, elever, forretningsutviklere og en rekke andre profesjoner som trengs for å utvikle morgendagens kreftbehandling.

Felles for alle oss som jobber her, er at vi har én visjon: Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark og miljøet rundt med Radiumhospitalet og Institutt for Kreftforskning, skal være et internasjonalt kraftsenter for utvikling av kreftbehandling.

Fem år etter åpningen så lever vi ut denne visjonen hver dag. Jeg vil tørre å påstå at det vi har bidratt til er en suksess:

  • Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator huser i dag ni oppstartsbedrifter, og vi jobber tett med syv andre som sitter andre steder og som det ikke er plass til
  • Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark sine 24 private og offentlige leietakere ønsker mer plass da de stadig utvider sin virksomhet
  • Ullern videregående skole er en av de best søkte skolene i Oslo, og øker stadig elevtallet. Elevene på skolen får tilbud om å delta i det skolefaglige samarbeidet med Oslo Cancer Cluster, for å utdanne morgendagens forskere og entreprenører. Høsten 2019 startet Forskerlinja, et unikt tilbud til skoleelever i Oslo om fordypning i biomedisinske fag

Dette er bare inne i Innovasjonsparken. I området rundt oss skjer det unike ting som endrer måten pasienter med kreft blir behandlet på om få år:

  • I 2023 åpner det nye klinikkbygget på Radiumhospitalet med et spesialisert protonsenter
  • Institutt for Kreftforskning blir stadig videreutviklet under kyndig ledelse av professor Kjetil Taskén. De dyktige forskerne ved instituttet leverer daglig internasjonalt, anerkjent forskning
  • Oslo universitetssykehus er som eneste sykehus i Skandinavia akkreditert som et «Komplett kreftsenter», «Comprehensive Cancer Center». Akkrediteringen krever konstant utvikling av forskning, infrastruktur og behandling

Likevel er ikke tingenes tilstand rosenrød. I media kan vi nesten daglig lese diskusjoner om hvorvidt kreftbehandlingen pasienter i Norge tilbys er den beste. Min påstand er at vi har mye å gå på. For å gi bedre kreftbehandling må vi satse tungt på å utvikle:

  • Molekylær diagnostikk
  • Celle- og genterapi
  • Presisjonsmedisin
  • Behandling av antibiotikaresistens

På bakgrunn av den suksessen vi har hatt med Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovasjonspark så langt, og behovet for å styrke kreftomsorgen ytterligere, ønsker vi de neste fem til syv årene å utvide Oslo Innovasjonsparken med nær 50.000 km². Den første utvidelsen vil være på 7000 km². Prosjekteringen starter i år, og selve bygget vil ligge mellom Innovasjonsparken og Institutt for Kreftforskning.

Utvidelsen av Innovasjonsparken er et viktig tilskudd til planene om å utvikle Oslo som en kunnskapshovedstad, Oslo Science City. Vi er i tillegg et levende eksempel på at privat-offentlig samarbeid er veien å gå for å bygge en bærekraftig helsenæring, slik Stortingsmeldingen om helsenæring slår fast.

Norsk kreftforskning er i verdensklasse. Våre 15 bedrifter i Radforsk-porteføljen er spunnet ut av denne forskningen. Vi har enorme ambisjoner om at vi kan bidra enda mer til utviklingen av morgendagens kreftbehandling – til det beste for kreftpasienter over hele verden.

Som Statsminister Erna Solberg sa i sin tale den 24. august 2015: «Kloke hoder og nye ideer, studenter og professorer, nordmenn og utlendinger, gründere og ansatte. Samlet med ett felles mål: å bedre behandlingen til de om lag 30.000 nordmenn som blir diagnostisert med kreft hvert år.»

Det er like sant i dag.