Dear reader of MED-nytt
Scientific advances are closely integrated with the development and improvement of research infrastructure. In the same way in which the James Webb space telescope enables us to look even further into space than the Hubble telescope, new instruments and data solutions in medical research provide us with us images of even higher resolution and analyses with even higher sensitivity and capacity than before.
New instruments are expensive and require dedicated staff for optimal exploitation and proper use. This establishes requirements for how the institutions organise research infrastructures.
The establishment of core facilities at a regional and national level, as well as in European consortia contributes to the sharing of expensive resources and expertise and we avoid an unnecessary duplication of equipment. At the same time, the traditional “bottom-up” process is challenged where on the basis of their own instrumentation needs, researchers apply for funding for equipment. To a greater extent than before, institutions must take a position and prioritise equipment on the basis of a comprehensive assessment that does not necessarily always align with the wants of the individual researcher.
Revision of the UiO roadmap for research infrastructure
Therefore, as one of Norway’s first research institutions, the University of Oslo has taken the initiative to create its own roadmap for research infrastructure. The roadmap provides conditions for future priorities and investments but also provides an overview of what expensive equipment is available. Work was started in March 2019 with the broad involvement of researchers at UiO in order to record existing equipment and register new needs. The roadmap (in Norwegian) was adopted by the University Board in autumn 2020 and is now subject to revision. With regard to this, the departments and NCMM have submitted updates to the list of equipment and new needs.
The Faculty has compiled the input, assessed it at the Faculty management meeting and forwarded it to the University of Oslo before 11 April. From there, input from throughout the entire University of Oslo will be distributed to four working groups that will revise the subject sub-roadmaps within 1) life sciences, 2) mathematics, natural science and technology, 3) the humanities and social sciences and 4) e-infrastructure. A draft by the working groups will be ready over the summer holidays and an updated roadmap will be available in October following processing by the Research Infrastructure Committee, the Dean Meeting and the University Board.
Conditions for research infrastructure
An underlying goal is for UiO to be able to provide access to the most advanced scientific equipment available, either itself or in collaboration with other institutions. For medical research, collaboration with the university hospitals is central to initiatives including the HS?-backed regional technology core facilities at Oslo University Hospital and EpiGen at Akershus University Hospital. Access to advanced scientific equipment is also ensured through the membership of University of Oslo in national and international consortia and groupings within Nordic EMBL and the ERIC Regulation. A few practical challenges such as VAT clearing between institutions and different financial systems must be resolved. UiO has chosen to use BookitLab for booking core facilities and invoicing in accordance with NTNU and UiB procured this solution. Hopefully, the system will also be able to be integrated into facilities in which the University of Oslo collaborates with Oslo University Hospital and Akershus University Hospital.
The expensive infrastructure that is owned by UiO will be aggregated into core facilities. The instruments included in the facilities should be collected physically if this is a practical possibility. Important prerequisites include the availability of space for the equipment and those will be using it. Furthermore, there must be space offered to researchers who need to be in close proximity to the instruments for shorter or longer periods and the samples must tolerate being transported. The Life Sciences building is a space of golden opportunity for collecting advanced scientific equipment and expertise under one roof and perhaps it will be possible for us to develop something similar to SciLifeLab.
If this is not appropriate or practically possible, the core facility must be in close proximity to researchers and organised into a hub-node structure. This applies to areas such as advanced light microscopy, flow cytometry and instrumentation linked to comparative medicine. Most of the life sciences research in the Oslo area will be undertaken outside the Life Sciences building.
New research infrastructures
Several new areas that require advanced medical research infrastructure are in different phases of establishment in the region. “Organ-on-a-chip” is considered among the most important innovations that render in vitro studies more comparable to the in vivo situation and is an important foundation for the SFF “Hybrid Technology Hub” that was started in 2017. Large international investments are being made in the development of technology that will change how we study new medicinal products and 3D organ printing.
At the Radium Hospital, Oslo University Hospital builds a centre for proton therapy (link in Norwegian), which includes a separate research unit. The centre opens up a new field of research in cancer treatment that will integrate clinical, translational and fundamental research within medicine and physics. MED and MN are collaborating with Oslo University Hospital on the establishment of a research partnership in this field.
The Radium Hospital at Oslo University Hospital has also established the Centre for Advanced Cell Therapy (ACT). The centre will primarily develop new forms of cancer treatment, alongside development of gene and cell therapy, which is relevant to a number of congenital diseases such as immune deficiencies. A collaboration between Oslo University Hospital and the University of Oslo will result in significant gains in this field.
Innovative technology projects
Examples of such gains are the recent awards to innovative technology projects by the Research Council of Norway. Emma Haapaniemi at NCMM was awarded NOK 20 million for developing gene and cell therapy for primary immunodeficiency through the project, “CRISPR-Cas9 corrected T cells for personalized therapy”. Similar amounts were also awarded to Victor Greiff at Klinmed for the project, “AB-AG-DESIGN: Rule-guided antibody and antigen design” and to Torkel Hafting at IMB for the project, “Wireless Neuroprobe-On-A-Chip”. Congratulations to the Project Managers and their colleagues on the awards!
It’s great to see that the Faculty researchers assert themselves particularly well in the competition for external research funding and receive three out of ten awards in this round. At the same time, it is incredibly inspiring for further work on the roadmap and for ensuring that our researchers have access to first-class instruments.
Kind regards,
Jens Petter