Jim Lorens' group wins the faculty award Best Research Group of the Year 2014
Jim Lorens' research group in Tumor Cell Plasticity was June 18th 2015 awarded with the Best Research Group of the Year 2014 by the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen.
Hovedinnhold
A link between basic research, clinic and business
The faculty's explanation for the award is the following:
"The research group is among other studying how mechanisms for phenotypic plasticity makes cancer cells able to adapt to changes in the microenvironment that promote tumor growth, metastasis and development of resistance to drugs. In this connection, the group recently identified a mechanism that regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer. This work, together with the group's identification of Axl receptor tyrosine kinase that is important for the development of the same form of cancer, has generated great interest internationally - both with publications in highly reputable journals, and related to the opportunities that the findings provide for the development of improved cancer treatment. The research group has also developed new and groundbreaking technology that ia has been part of the basis for establishing the biotech company BerGenBio AS, which these days has the first clinical trials in the world of Axl inhibitor in leukemia patients. The research group is a part of the Centre of Excellence CCBIO and has as such a considerable international network. They are also active in research education, including two-way exchange of students and postdocs with Berkeley and the University of Zurich.
The Research Group for Tumor Cell Plasticity and its leader Jim Lorens have during the recent years created a link between basic research, clinic and business which makes the group appear as the faculty's foremost example of successful innovation, and in sum the group therefore is a worthy winner of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry’s Prize "Research Group of the Year” for 2014."
Bench to Biotech to Benchside in Bergen
Jim Lorens gave a presentation of the group's work, "Bench to Biotech to Benchside in Bergen", and emphasized that the committment and high skills of his group members were essential in achieving this award.
Congratulations to the entire group!