Director's Column
Achieving cancer cell reprogramming
While the first phases of CanCell were dedicated to exploration of the differences between cancer cells and normal cells and identification of the “Achilles’ heels” of cancer, CanCell has now entered the phase where we hope to achieve cancer cell reprogramming.
As a result of collaborations between CanCell’s groups, the centre has made several important discoveries in 2025, including a mechanism for piecemeal degradation of mitochondria (Trachsel Moncho et al., Journal of Cell Biology), identification of BEACH domain proteins as intracellular sorting adaptors (Pankiv et al., Journal of Cell Biology), and the discovery that the transcription factor NFkB mediates tumour development downstream of oncogenic RAS (Dillard et al., PLoS Biology). CanCell scientists published 47 articles in 2025 in international journals of high reputation, including Nature, Nature Communications, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, PLoS Biology, Autophagy, Elife, Journal of Cell Biology, and Cell Reports Methods.
CanCell has a strong programme for career development, and, in 2025, Chiara Veroni, Aram Andersen, Jeanne Corrales and Anette Dahl successfully defended their PhD theses. In addition, five CanCell MSc students graduated in 2025.
Many CanCell young scientists not only contribute to top science but also engage in social, societal and career-related events through CanCell Young Scientists (CYS), in CanCell’s Equality Forum, in CanCell’s recently launched Green Lab Committee and as course teachers for students from Ullern High School.
CanCell’s scientists continue to succeed in securing external funding for specific cancer-related projects.
In 2025, CanCell scientists Anne Simonsen, Jorrit Enserink and Maja Radulovic received grants from the Norwegian Cancer Society, Simona Migliano and Jorrit Enserink received grants form the Norwegian Childhood Cancer Society, Anne Simonsen obtained a FRIPRO grant from the Research Council, and Harald Stenmark received a PhD grant from Helse Sør-Øst.
We thank the funding bodies for this generous support, which will strongly boost CanCell’s research activities in the coming years. CanCell would also like to thank our other funding bodies, including the Research Council of Norway, EU Horizon-2020 research programme, the EEA Norway Grants, and the Radium Hospital Foundation, for their continued support.
We appreciate the support from our host institutions, the University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, our board of directors, and our scientific advisory board.
Finally, we would like to thank CanCell’s User Panel and the patients and health care personnel involved in CanCell’s translational research.