Kalland and his team have been focusing of regulatory molecular mechanisms of gene expression in normal cells, virus infected cells and cancer cells; Biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, morphology and genome-wide methods and bioinformatics have been applied in experimental cell culture systems and in patient samples; Major previous achievements are the discovery that the HIV-1 Rev protein is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle protein (1994) and the discovery of the now prototypic nuclear export signal first described in Rev (1994/1995);  Recently, an experimental model of stepwise malignant transformation of human prostate cells were established in the group and studied using genome-wide analyses of gene and microRNA expression and epigenetic changes, using microarray and next generation sequencing technology and phenotypic assays. The model is exploited in a drug discovery program.

The current main interests are cancer associated transcriptional reprogramming potential, such as the EMT (epithelial to mesenchymal transition) and specific gene expression activation of cancer initiating cell subpopulations. These studies have led to an increased insight into sources of cancer cell heterogeneity and have motivated the implementation of a cryoimmunotherapy strategy in order to exploit the tumor neoantigenome and address subcellular heterogeneity. The cryoimmunotherapy module will be combined with specific molecular targeting of gene expression that is preferentially activated in cancer initiating cell subpopulations.