Prestigious Novo Nordisk research stipend to BRIC researcher

In his project, Jesper B. Andersen investigates the role of aberrantly expressed small non-coding RNAs (miRs) in liver cancer. The goal is to underpin miR-driven tumor heterogeneity to identify novel mechanisms of inherited drug resistance. Deregulation of miR controlled cellular pathways elicits compensatory networks essential for tumor growth, which may represent novel candidates for treatment.

The two recipients and Finn Cilius Nielsen, representing the NNF Committee on Medical and Natural Sciences Research.

- It is a great honour and recognition of my work to receive the Hallas-Møller stipend. This grant will enable me to focus on the research and the long-term objectives of my laboratory. It will position my group at the international front of genomic research into tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance of liver cancers, says Jesper B. Andersen.

Jesper B. Andersen was appointed group leader at BRIC in 2014, and the aim of the work in his research group is to understand tumor heterogeneity and its role in drug resistance. Thus, to comprehensively define the underlying molecular characteristics of liver cancers to implement patient stratification and translate this information into useful applications in oncology in collaboration with my clinical colleagues.

The Hallas-Møller Investigator award is given to a scientist primarily within the fields of clinical or basic biomedical research. This year Jesper B. Andersen is one of two recipients to receive the generous award.