Point of focus for European cancer research

The University of Bergen will be the European point of focus of one of the most important areas of modern cancer research.

Angiotargeting focuses on identifying and confirming hitherto unknown therapeutic targets in the blood vessels of cancerous tumours.

The objective of the four-year research project “Angiotargeting,” which has received funding of nearly NOK 50 million by the EU, is to identify hitherto unknown genes that regulate tumour angiogenesis, the formation of blood vessels in tumours. Among the main objectives of the project is to offer patients better treatment by developing molecular treatment methods aimed directly at tumour blood vessels.

Best in Europe

In the past few years, research on communication between cancer cells and normal cells during the generation of new blood vessels has been arousing ever greater interest. Many scientists believe that improving our understanding of the mechanism that underlie the formation of new blood vessels is a promising strategy in the fight against cancer.

In tough competition with other institutes throughout Europe , the Neuro-oncology Research Group at the Department of Biomedicine, led by Professor Rolf Bjerkvig, has been given the role of coordinator of a wide-ranging project. Bjerkvig took the initiative in establishing a European research collaboration, and has selected a group of highly regarded research partners. Fourteen research institutions and 19 research groups are involved; partners include the University of Oxford and the Karolinska Institute.

Virtual institute

The angiogenesis project is being created as a virtual research institute, in which research is carried out in several countries, not to mention in various fields. The research has been organised into seven work-packages, the first two of which comprise clinical research.

“Angiogenesis research is a central aspect of modern cancer research. With traditional treatment with cytotoxins we often find that the cancerous cells develop resistance to the cytotoxin, which may prevent treatment from being successful. In this new type of treatment we want to attack the genetically stable vascular cells, which are less likely to develop resistance. By destroying the blood vessels in this way, we will be able to block the supply of nutrients to the tumour and thus kill the cells,” says Frits Thorsen, a researcher at the Department of Biomedicine.

Testing molecular medicine

Professor Bjerkvig and his neuro-oncology research group at the Department of Biomedicine have been working for several years on the development of experimental models that describe how cancer cells grow. The group has been looking in particular at the biological mechanisms that control the ingrowth of blood vessels into tumours.

“Here at the University of Bergen we will continue to do basic research on angiogenesis. With the aid of advanced experimental models, for example, we will have the possibility of remove blood vessels from tumour tissue, which will let us test agents directly on vascular cells. Our results can then be evaluated for trials in clinical research” says Frits Thorsen.

Much of the clinical research will take place in the Netherlands and at Oxford , but it is hoped that some of this work will also come to be done in Bergen . The clinical centres involved in the project will test the effects of certain promising therapeutic agents that are already on the market. Samples will be taken from patients before and after treatment in order to find out whether particular treatments modify the expression of genes and proteins in cancerous cells.

www.uib.no/med/biomed

Back to front page

To order a free example of the paper edition of Features, contact the Communication and Media Centre either by e.mail or telephone +47 55 58 69 00