Who are we?
We are a cross-disciplinary and innovative research group studying the tumor microenvironment, including tumor immunology and how it influences cancer progression. Our research covers several cancer types, including oral cancer, breast cancer and brain cancer.

How we contribute to teaching 
Several members of our research group serve as study program leaders and/or teach subjects in cancer biology, cell biology, biochemistry, and immunology. Teaching is provided across a range of study programs, including biomedicine, clinical nutrition, biomedical laboratory science, and medicine.

We communicate cancer research in creative and innovative ways
We are an award-winning research group in science communication, having received UiT’s prize for Innovative Research Communication in 2024. Our outreach is characterized by creativity and innovation, making cancer research accessible to the public through a variety of channels. We are active across multiple arenas and collaborates widely.

Foto: Oddleif Larsen/UiT

Publications

See list of publications on the Cristin website.

Featured publications

	Knutsen, E., Harris, A.L. & Perander, M. (2022) Expression and functions of long non-coding RNA NEAT1 and isoforms in breast cancer. Br J Cancer 126, 551–561. DOI 10.1038/s41416-021-01588-3
	Winkler, J., Liu, P., Phong, K., Hinrichs, J.H., Ataii, N., Williams, K., Hadler-Olsen, E., Samson, S., Gartner, Z.J., Fisher, S., & Werb Z. (2022) Bisphenol A replacement chemicals, BPF and BPS, induce protumorigenic changes in human mammary gland organoid morphology and proteome.  Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 119(11), e2115308119 DOI 10.1073/pnas.2115308119
	von Hofsten, S., Paulsen, M.H., Magnussen, S.N., Ausbacher, D., Kranz, M., Bayer, A., Strom, M.B. & Berge, G. (2022) The marine natural product mimic MPM-1 is cytolytic and induces DAMP release from human cancer cell lines. Scientific reports, 12(1), 15586-15586 DOI 10.1038/s41598-022-19597-4
	Tellez-Gabriel, M., Tekpli, X., Reine, T. M., Hegge, B., Nielsen, S. R., Chen, M., Moi, L., Normann, L. S., Busund, L.-T. R., Calin, G. A., Mælandsmo, G. M., Perander, M., Theocharis, A. D., Kolset, S. O. & Knutsen, E. (2022) Serglycin Is Involved in TGF-β Induced Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Is Highly Expressed by Immune Cells in Breast Cancer Tissue. Cancer Tissue. Front. Oncol, 12, 868868-868868.  DOI 10.3389/fonc.2022.868868
	Andreassen R & Hadler-Olsen E. (2022) Eating and speech problems in oral and pharyngeal cancer survivors – Associations with treatment-related side-effects and time since diagnosis.   Special Care in Dentistry. DOI 10.1111/scd.12791
	Norvoll Magnussen, S., Toraskar, J. P., Hadler-Olsen, E. S., Steigedal, T. S. & Svineng, G. (2021)  Nephronectin as a Matrix Effector in Cancer.   Cancers (Basel), 13(5), 959.  DOI 10.3390/cancers13050959
	Dragomir, M. P., Knutsen, E. & Calin, G. A. (2021) Classical and noncanonical functions of miRNAs in cancers. Trends in Genetics., 38(4), 379-394 DOI 10.1016/j.tig.2021.10.002
	Wirsing, A. M., Bjerkli, I.-H., Steigen, S. E., Rikardsen, O., Magnussen, S. N., Hegge, B., Seppola, M., Uhlin-Hansen, L. & Hadler-Olsen, E. (2021) Validation of Selected Head and Neck Cancer Prognostic Markers from the Pathology Atlas in an Oral Tongue Cancer Cohort.  Cancers. 13(10), 2387. DOI 10.3390/cancers13102387

PhDs

Karoline Sollid Evensen

2025 - 2029

Main supervisor: Synnøve Magnussen (IMB, UiT) 

Co-supervisors: Hege Lynum Pedersen (IMB, UiT) and Tor Brynjar Stuge (IMB, UiT)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common type of oral cancer, characterized by its invasiveness, high recurrence rate, and poor prognosis. Current treatment options often result in severe, life-long side effects, highlighting the urgent need for improved therapeutic strategies.

The oral mucosa is inherently tolerogenic, and this project investigates how OSCC may exploit tolerance mechanisms in the oral cavity to evade immune responses. By understanding the interplay between immune tolerance and the tumor microenvironment in OSCC, the project aims to uncover novel mechanisms of immune evasion and potentially revealing targets for new treatment strategies.

Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo experiments, the study will explore how tolerance and immune escape mechanisms are established, with a focus on their role in OSCC.

Foto: Jakob BJørvig Henriksen/UiT

Saikat Das Sajib

2021 -2025

Main supervisor: Erik Knutsen (IMB, UiT) 

Co-supervisors: Bård O. Karlsen (Nordlandssykehuset HF) and Marieke Kuijjer (NCMM, UiO)

Lymph nodes have been identified as the primary route of metastasis for breast cancer cells in most cases. My PhD project therefore focuses on generating more basal knowledge about the cancer cells in the lymph node, their interaction with lymphocytes, and their individual (subclass) association toward prognostic parameters. By using single cell RNA sequencing and several molecular methods, we are aiming to establish a transcriptome signature that will ultimately help in development of a more sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for risk assessment of cancer cells in lymph nodes.

Foto: Jørn Berger-Nyvoll/UiT

Anne Kristin McLaren Berge

2021 - 2025

Main supervisor: Erik Knutsen (IMB, UiT) 

Co-supervisors: Eva Sjøttem (IMB, UiT), Hallvard Lauritz Olsvik (IMB, UiT) and Maria Perander (IMB, UiT)

Our project is focused on TRIM proteins in relation to autophagy and cancer. Autophagy is the renovation system of the cell and is essential for keeping our cells healthy. In cancer, autophagy is a double-edged sword as it can either prevent or promote the disease. Several TRIM proteins are already known to be involved in autophagy, but it remains to fully understand the participation of these proteins in the cells renovation system. Through bioinformatical methods in combination with wet-lab experiments, our goal is to know more about how TRIM proteins might be involved in cancer, either through autophagy or through a non-autophagic pathway.

Foto: Oddleif Larsen/UiT

Ruth Schwienbacher

2020 - 2026

Main supervisors: Anna Maria Wirsing (IMB, UiT) and Sonja Steigen (UNN)

Co-supervisors: Synnøve Magnussen (IMB, UiT) and Gerd Berge (IMB, UiT)

The overall aim of the PhD project is to explore the cellular composition and organization of the immune infiltrate in relation to human leucocyte antigen (HLA) class I expression. The study is part of the nationwide NORwegian Oral Cancer (NOROC) study and is based on immunohistochemical and molecular analysis.

Foto: Jørn Berger-Nyvoll/UiT (left) and Kjersti Sellæg (right)

Ibrahim Afolabi Abdulsalam

2017 - 2026

Main supervisor: Elin Hadler-Olsen (IMB, UiT)

Co-supervisors: Synnøve Magnussen (IMB, UiT) and Anna Maria Wirsing (IMB, UiT)

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is an aggressive and invasive solid malignancy of epithelial origin. It affects different subsites in the oral cavity and is characterized by poor prognosis, high incidence, and mortality rate. The 5-year survival for OSCC stagnates at around 50% due to inadequate effective diagnostic and prognostic markers. Currently, the TNM classification is mainly used in stratifying patients for treatment but does not sufficiently reflect the biological diversity among OSCCs of the same TNM stage. Thus, we aim at establishing potent prognosticators (HEVs, FOXP3⁺-Tregs, M2-TAMs) that modulate anti-tumour immunity and patients' outcome, to reinforce the TNM stage in administering improved individual diagnosis and therapies.

Foto: Jørn Berger-Nyvoll/UiT

Members

Erik KnutsenAssociate Professor

Erik Knutsen  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: erik.knutsen@uit.no

Work phone: +4777620899

Private phone: +47 48201910

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Gunbjørg SvinengDean

Gunbjørg Svineng  –  Dean

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Position: Dean

E-mail: gunbjorg.svineng@uit.no

Work phone: +4777646757

Private phone: +47-41314428

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Anna Maria WirsingAssociate Professor

Anna Maria Wirsing  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: anna.wirsing@uit.no

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Elin Synnøve Hadler-OlsenProfessor

Elin Synnøve Hadler-Olsen  –  Professor

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Position: Professor

E-mail: elin.hadler-olsen@uit.no

Work phone: +4777620912

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Tonje Nygård LillevikPrincipal Engineer

Tonje Nygård Lillevik  –  Principal Engineer

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Position: Principal Engineer

E-mail: tonje.n.lillevik@uit.no

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Synnøve MagnussenAssociate Professor

Synnøve Magnussen  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: synnove.magnussen@uit.no

Work phone: +4777644722

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Saikat Das SajibResearcher

Saikat Das Sajib  –  Researcher

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Position: Researcher

E-mail: saikat.d.sajib@uit.no

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Ruth Schwienbacher

Ruth Schwienbacher

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E-mail: ruth.schwienbacher@uit.no

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Gerd BergeAssociate Professor (Group leader)

Gerd Berge  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: gerd.berge@uit.no

Work phone: +4777644648

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Sonja Eriksson SteigenProfessor

Sonja Eriksson Steigen  –  Professor

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Position: Professor

E-mail: sonja.eriksson.steigen@uit.no

Private phone: 90665472

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Gaute Martin HansenAssociate Professor

Gaute Martin Hansen  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: gaute.hansen@uit.no

Work phone: +4777645368

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Oddveig Gjertrud RikardsenAssociate Professor

Oddveig Gjertrud Rikardsen  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: oddveig.rikardsen@uit.no

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Susannah von HofstenResearcher

Susannah von Hofsten  –  Researcher

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Position: Researcher

E-mail: susannah.hofsten@uit.no

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Karoline Sollid EvensenDoctoral Research Fellow

Karoline Sollid Evensen  –  Doctoral Research Fellow

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Position: Doctoral Research Fellow

E-mail: karoline.s.evensen@uit.no

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Kjersti SellægAssociate Professor

Kjersti Sellæg  –  Associate Professor

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Position: Associate Professor

E-mail: kjersti.sellag@uit.no

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Mathias KranzResearcher

Mathias Kranz  –  Researcher

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Position: Researcher

E-mail: mathias.kranz@uit.no

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May-Britt FiveHead Engineer

May-Britt Five  –  Head Engineer

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Position: Head Engineer

E-mail: may-britt.five@uit.no

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Lars Uhlin-HansenProfessor

Lars Uhlin-Hansen  –  Professor

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Position: Professor

E-mail: lars.uhlin-hansen@uit.no

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Beate HeggeSenior Engineer

Beate Hegge  –  Senior Engineer

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Position: Senior Engineer

E-mail: beate.hegge@uit.no

Work phone: +4777646661

Private phone: 97753376

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Ibrahim Afolabi AbdulsalamDoctoral Research Fellow

Ibrahim Afolabi Abdulsalam  –  Doctoral Research Fellow

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Position: Doctoral Research Fellow

E-mail: ibrahim.abdulsalam@uit.no

Work phone: +4777644898

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Alumni

Kjersti Sellæg

Oral cancer is a growing health concern, especially among younger people. The immune system plays an important role in fighting cancer by sending immune cells into the cancer tissue to attack the cancer cells. When immune cells are abundant in the cancer tissue, patients are less likely to succumb to the disease, and more likely to respond to treatments like immunotherapy. High endothelial venules (HEVs) are a unique type of blood vessels found in cancer tissues that help the immune cells enter the tissue. Patients who have few or no HEVs within their cancer, tend to have a shorter life expectancy.
This thesis aims to understand how HEVs develop in oral cancer and how they interact with their surroundings. We also study the prognostic value of HEVs and immunosuppressive cell types in tongue cancer patients. A combination of high numbers of HEVs and low numbers of immunosuppressive cells identified patients with superior survival. HEVs within cancer tissues featured different characteristics and HEV development was promoted by the cancer immune response. Gaining insights into how these vessels function could lead to new treatments that improve the chances of survival for cancer patients.

Susannah von Hofsten 

Anticancer activity of amphipathic barbiturates June 2023 Main supervisor: Gerd Berge (IMB, UiT) Co-supervisors: Synnøve Magnussen (IMB, UiT), Morten Bøhmer Strøm (IFA, UiT) and Dominik Ausbacher (IFA, UiT) Link to doctoral thesis: https://munin.uit.no/handle/10037/29295

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The current project focused on exploring the potential of a new type of compounds, called marine product mimics (MPMs), to become new drugs for cancer treatment. The MPMs were designed with inspiration from antimicrobial molecules and natural compounds that have been isolated from marine animals. It was shown that the compound MPM-1 could kill several different types of cancer cells. Nine additional MPMs were made and included in more studies. Results indicated that the MPMs penetrate cancer cells and cause cell death from within. They also caused the cancer cells to release molecules with immune stimulating effects. This suggests that the MPMs can stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. A mouse study was performed where tumors were treated with injections with MPM-1. This caused the tumors to disappear completely. However, whether the MPMs have the potential to be used in treatment of human cancer remains to be seen.