Background
Marcin Wojewwodzic joined the Cancer Registry in 2023. He obtained his doctoral degree in 2011 from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at the University of Oslo, focusing on molecular mechanisms and physiology of a model organism used in epigenetics, toxicology, and the environment. He works as a researcher and systems biologist in the Section for Molecular Epidemiology and Infections, where he conducts research in environmental toxicology, omics, artificial intelligence, and network analysis. Marcin also supervises students at both the master's and PhD levels. He has received multippel national and international research grants.
Marcin W. Wojewodzic is a researcher and systems biologist at the section for molecylar epidemiology and infections. His research interests and expertise lie in environmental toxicology, 'omics', artificial intelligence (AI), and network analysis. He is interested in environmental cues (such as exposure, including chemicals or diet) that shape molecular changes that lead us to disease.
His overarching research goal at the Cancer Registry is to identify molecular patterns in human samples from previously collected biobanks (including Janus serum samples) that reveal the presence of cancer at an early stage of the disease (pre-diagnostic biomarkers) and link them to exposure to various cues (exposure biomarkers).
He supports and uses a One Health approach to conduct research where multiple stakeholders communicate and collaborate to achieve better public health.
Marcin mentors master's students (including IT and bioinformatics) and doctoral candidates. He also serves as an evaluator for assignments for bioinformatics students. He enjoys engaging with a broader audience. Examples of such activities can be found in journals like 'Dagbladet' or 'Forbes'.
Marcin has a broad background in molecular biology, model organisms, and genomic methods, including laboratory work and bioinformatics analysis derived from large data-driven biomarker discoveries. His expertise lies in designing, establishing, and coordinating next-generation epigenetic sequencing protocols and subsequent bioinformatic analyses. His daily laboratories are secure high-performance computers (HPC).
Marcin obtained his Ph.D. from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Norway, in 2011. His doctoral thesis focused on molecular mechanisms and physiology of a model organism used for epigenetics, toxicology, and the environment. He established environmental epigenetics as a research line. Marcin has a formal education in bioinformatics, including AI methods.
He remained in the same research institution as a postdoctoral researcher from 2012 to 2014, working on the GENOME project. In 2014, he was awarded independent Marie Skłodowska-Curie funding from the EU and moved to Birmingham, UK for 2 years. He was also granted 'Top Funding' from the Research Council of Norway and received a scholarship from the British NERC.
He is also affiliated with the Climate and Environment Department (in the chemical toxicology group) at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, where he is responsible for computational human toxicology. He also provides advice for risk assessment of chemicals to the Norwegian Environment Agency and other European institutions, such OECD, ECHA. In 2023, he was also awarded European funding from EFSA.
Digitalization of the Janus Serum Bank - Establishment of Epigenetic Sequencing Method
Marcin and the group have been pioneers in the development of epigenetic sequencing and analysis in a comprehensive epigenomic project aimed at identifying future epigenetic cancer biomarkers using serum samples. The project is funded by the Norwegian Cancer Society (Grant Number 190157-2017).
They developed an epigenetic protocol for low DNA quantities from serum samples and conducted extensive characterization of DNA methylation profiles from Janus. In this 'high-risk / high-reward project', they profiled pre-diagnostic samples from Janus material with as little as 10 ng of DNA. In total, 96 samples were analyzed, and sequencing generated over 2 TB of raw data. In the project, advanced bioinformatics, statistical modeling, and machine learning methods were employed.
Effects of Cisplatin on the Human Epigenome After Cancer Treatment.
Marcin leads the project 'Effects of Cisplatin on the Epigenome After Cancer Treatment', funded by the Norwegian Cancer Society (Grant Number 190157-2017). The project aims to identify methylation biomarkers in patients' blood 15 years after cisplatin treatment.
For the first time in history, the group has demonstrated that cisplatin has long-lasting effects on global methylation patterns that can lead to metabolic syndrome. Validation of findings in an independent cohort is ongoing.
Changes in the Epigenetic Clock After Cancer Diagnosis.
The follow-up of the cisplatin project is linked to epigenetic clocks, with the main hypothesis being that cisplatin can cause epigenetic age acceleration.
Using AI Methods to Discover Future Biomarkers from Epigenetic Data.
Marcin is actively engaged in projects exploring the intricacies of DNA methylation in cancer, leveraging TCGA samples alongside diverse animal models within the realm of environmental epigenetics. Furthermore, he adeptly integrates principles from gene networks to decipher the underlying molecular determinants that distinguish control tissue from cancer samples.
Other projects:
Soop GL, Husøy T, Wojewodzic MW, Hjertholm H, Spyropoulou A, Katsanou ES, Batakis P, Kyriakopoulou K, Machera K, Dirven H, Lindeman B, Duale N. Transcriptional analysis in peripheral blood cells of individuals with elevated phthalate exposure - Results of the EuroMix study. Environ Res. 2023 Apr 1;222:115377. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.115377. Epub 2023 Jan 26. PMID: 36709869.
Burton J, Wojewodzic MW, Rounge TB, Haugen TB. A Role of the TEX101 Interactome in the Common Aetiology Behind Male Subfertility and Testicular Germ Cell Tumor. Front Oncol. 2022 Jun 14;12:892043. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.892043. PMID: 35774118; PMCID: PMC9237224.
Gislefoss RE, Berge U, Lauritzen M, Langseth H, Wojewodzic MW. A Simple and Cost-Effective Method for Measuring Hemolysis in Biobank Serum Specimens. Biopreserv Biobank. 2021 Dec;19(6):525-530. doi: 10.1089/bio.2021.0037. Epub 2021 Oct 5. PMID: 34613836.
Wojewodzic MW. Bacteriophages Could Be a Potential Game Changer in the Trajectory of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Phage (New Rochelle). 2020 Jun 1;1(2):60-65. doi: 10.1089/phage.2020.0014. Epub 2020 Jun 23. PMID: 36147892; PMCID: PMC9041474.
Bucher-Johannessen C, Page CM, Haugen TB, Wojewodzic MW, Fosså SD, Grotmol T, Haugnes HS, Rounge TB. Cisplatin treatment of testicular cancer patients introduces long-term changes in the epigenome. Clin Epigenetics. 2019 Dec 3;11(1):179. doi: 10.1186/s13148-019-0764-4. PMID: 31796056; PMCID: PMC6892132.
Frisch D, Becker D, Wojewodzic MW. Dissecting the Transcriptomic Basis of Phenotypic Evolution in an Aquatic Keystone Grazer. Mol Biol Evol. 2020 Feb 1;37(2):475-487. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msz234. PMID: 31722403.
