The Norwegian prime minister commends research from the Lorens team at BerGenBio and CCBIO
The Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg highlighted CCBIO PI James Lorens and his company BerGenBio in her New Year's Address as an example of excellent cancer research.
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As tradition is, the Norwegian prime minister broadcasted her New Year's Address on national television New Year's Day.
In her speech, she among other topics spoke of the need for individuals to spur our society forward, and creative minds to make important breakthroughs in research. She also mentioned some of the individual people who had inspired her. Among them, James Lorens' research group and BerGenBio:
"Another source of inspiration is James Lorens and the company BerGenBio. James led a group of researchers at the University of Bergen that developed the technology that BerGenBio is now further developing. They have recently tested their new cancer drug. The results for leukaemia were even better than expected. An important breakthrough. Now the drug will be tested on other forms of cancer.
More and more of us are being diagnosed with cancer. It is tragic to watch cancer breaking down a healthy person. When someone close to us is torn away far too soon. New and better drugs give cause for hope. They give cancer patients precious extra years with their loved ones.
We want more breakthroughs like this. This is why the Government has considerably increased funding for research."
You can read the entire New Year's Address here.
Real translation from "bench to bedside"
CCBIO Director Lars A. Akslen congratulates Jim Lorens and BerGenBio for being highlighted in the New Years's Address from the prime minister.
"This breakthrough work is very promising and what we need to solve some of the current challenges in contemporary medical oncology" Akslen says.
"Also, the industrial efforts represent a model story that should encourage many more to perform real translation from "bench to bedside". Jim Lorens, a CCBIO Principal Investigator, is clearly one of the "founding fathers" of this thinking in our area", Akslen concludes.
The clinical trials work here in Bergen is significantly supported by Bjørn-Tore Gjertsen, PI and co-director at CCBIO.
Read more here about the Lorens group and the Gjertsen group.