Since protein expression is more directly representative of functional changes in tumor cells compared to other molecular levels, we envision that robust targets for patient stratification can be identified by analysis of changes in protein expression.
We hypothesize that combining transcriptomics and proteomics analyses will unveil regulatory mechanisms of cellular functions and pathways that are important for disease development, that is, mechanisms that may not be apparent at a single molecular level.
We perform experimental methods and computational analyses of molecular data derived from tumor biopsies, patient-derived xenograft cell lines and liquid biopsies. The data will be used in drug screening to explore how treatment response is linked to subtypes.
Another aim is to uncover the link between biological pathways of clinical interest including the rewired metabolic program in the tumors and the circulating metabolite profiles. We will explore the clinical relevance of plasma-circulating cell-free DNA in patients with primary resectable, borderline and locally advanced (i.e., NorPACT-2 and NorPACT-3 clinical studies) and metastatic pancreatic cancer (in collaboration with work packages 'Surgery' and 'Circulating tumor DNA').
(Molecular data will also be correlated with morphological heterogeneity of the tumor (in collaboration with work package 'Pathology').)
Collaborators
Knut Jørgen Labori (work package “Surgery”), Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo
Caroline Verbeke (work package “Pathology”), University of Oslo/Oslo University Hospital
Kjetil Tasken (work package “Drug screening”), Oslo University Hospital/University of Oslo
Oddmund Nordgård (work package “Circulating tumour DNA”), SUH
Janne Lethio (Proteomics), Karolinska Institutet
Bjørn Skålhegg (Metabolism, amino acid profiles), University of Oslo
Gry Aarum Geitvik (Liquid biopsies), Oslo University Hospital
Ole Christian Lingjærde (Statistics), University of Oslo
Tine Normann Alver (work package “Omics and biomarkers”), Oslo University Hospital
Publications