Section for integrative genomics

About the section

Integrative cancer genomics is a new section at the Research Department and was established in 2020. The research is mostly external financed though with from the Cancer Society, The Norwegian Research Council and EUs Horizon 2020.

The section administers  two major biobanks, the NORCCAP biobank containing feces and blood collected from 1999-2001, and the CRC-biome biobank, which contains feces samples from the ongoing Bowel Cancer Screening in Norway trial. 

Vision

To integrate data from population-based surveys, cancer screening, national registries, and clinical studies with omics analyses of related biological samples to understand cancer development and develop cancer biomarkers.

We will take advantage of our expertise in molecular biology, next-generation sequencing protocols, and other omics technologies, bioinformatics, high-performance computing, and machine learning methods. These will be combined with the use of unique biobank materials and data sources to discover how early molecular changes in non-invasive fluids/materials can predict cancer. Our current focus is genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and microbiome analyses of fecal and blood samples. We are always looking for new, innovative partners and projects supporting our vision.

Ongoing projects

CRCbiome - The microbiome as a colorectal cancer screening biomarker 

VegMeatCRC

Sequencing HPV for biomarker discovery 

Small non-coding RNA as early detection cancer biomarkers

Epigenetics and Cancer 

EradicateGBC

Fin-HIT - The Finnish Health in Teens study

Selected Publications

Umu SU, Langseth H, Keller A, Meese E, Helland Å, Lyle R, Rounge TB (2019)
A 10-year prediagnostic follow-up study shows that serum RNA signals are highly dynamic in lung carcinogenesis
Mol Oncol (in press)
DOI 10.1002/1878-0261.12620, PubMed 31851411

Rounge TB, Lauritzen M, Erlandsen SE, Langseth H, Holmen OL, Gislefoss RE (2019)
Ultralow amounts of DNA from long-term archived serum samples produce quality genotypes
Eur J Hum Genet (in press)
DOI 10.1038/s41431-019-0543-x, PubMed 31719661 

Raju SC, Viljakainen H, Figueiredo RAO, Neuvonen PJ, Eriksson JG, Weiderpass E, Rounge TB (2020)
Antimicrobial drug use in the first decade of life influences saliva microbiota diversity and composition
Microbiome, 8 (1), 121
DOI 10.1186/s40168-020-00893-y, PubMed 32825849

Bucher-Johannessen C, Page CM, Haugen TB, Wojewodzic MW, Fosså SD, Grotmol T, Haugnes HS, Rounge TB (2019)
Cisplatin treatment of testicular cancer patients introduces long-term changes in the epigenome
Clin Epigenetics, 11 (1), 179
DOI 10.1186/s13148-019-0764-4, PubMed 31796056 ​

Major collaborators

Torbjørn Rognes, Professor, University of Oslo

Eivind Hovig, Professor, University of Oslo and Oslo Universital Hospital

Ole Herman Ambur, Associate Professor, OsloMet

Robert Lyle, Core Facility Leader/Senior Scientist, Norwegian Sequencing Centre.  

Vahid Bemanian, Senior engineer/researcher, Akershus University Hospital

Pekka Ellonen, Technology lab at FIMM, Helsinki, Finland

Irene Kraus Christiansen, Reseracher, Akershus University Hospital

Trine B Haugen, Professor, OsloMet

Justo Bermejo, Professor, University of Hiedelberg, Germany