Historical Background of Cancer Research KI
In 2019, Cancer Research KI was formed by merging the Strategic Research Area StratCan and the KICancer Network into one organisation. Cancer Research KI aims to expand the existing strength in cancer biology at Karolinska Institutet, by supporting high-impact research projects, promising young researchers, and required infrastructure.
StratCan
StratCan research environment 2015-19
StratCan Executive Board members are appointed by the KI Dean of research. The members are selected to represent different areas of expertise and to be based at different departments on both campuses in order to cover most of the large cancer research field at KI:
StratCan Executive Board 2016-19 research focus
Jonas Bergh, StratCan Research KI (Onk-Pat), research: Breast Cancer
Kamila Czene, Co-Director StratCan (MEB, Deputy Dean), research: Etiology of breast cancer
Martin Bergö (MedH), research: Antioxidants and cancer
Eva Hellström-Lindberg (MedH, Director HERM), research: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS)
Lars Holmgren (Onk-Pat, Deputy Dean), research: Mechanisms of blood vessel formation
Randall Johnson (CMB), research: Hypoxia in physiological and pathological contexts
Olli Kallioniemi (Onk-Pat, Director SciLifeLab), research: Precision Cancer Medicine
Sonia Lain (MTC), research: Tumor selective compounds
Andreas Lundqvist (Onk-Pat), research: Cell based immunotheraphy for cancer
Anna Martling (MMK), research: Colorectal cancer and surgery
Ingemar Ernberg (MTC, Director KICancer) affiliated member, field: Cancer and infections
Cancer Researchers at KI and their research areas
StratCan research environment 2010-14
StratCan was operating using funding from the government-based call for Strategic Research Areas. The research themes and original ten applicant research groups included in the application for funding of the Strategic Research Area are listed below. StratCan was initially called "Center for Integrated Cancer Studies at Karolinska Institutet (CICS-KI)". StratCan received an excellent evaluation for its first five years (2010-2014) and was granted funding by the Swedish government for another period of five years (2015-2019) with 20 MSEK/ year.
Under the leadership of Director Rune Toftgård four broad research areas were selected for prioritization:
1. Prevention and early detection
2. Functional annotation of genomic data
3. Tumor microenvironment
4. Targeted therapy and personalized medicine
The large majority of the funding was used to support new initiatives and existing network activities.
Examples of new initiatives were:
- novel structured collaborations with MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Mayo Clinic
- calls for a series of mid-career research positions in basic and translational cancer research
- initiation of the Blue Sky calls, allowing exploration of early and bold concepts
- implementation of highly interactive research summer schools with 3-5 invited world-leading researchers meeting 15-40 KI-based PhD students and PostDocs
- support recruitment packages of leading cancer researcher including Randall S Johnson, Marin Bergö and Lauti Aaltonen
Examples of support to already existing network activities were:
- support to the annual KI Cancer Research retreat at Djurönäset
- support to NatiOn program for training of clinical cancer researchers
Research Groups named in the original StratCan application:
Jonas Bergh, research: Breast cancer translational research studies
Christer Betsholtz, research: Vascular biology
Henrik Grönberg, research: Prostate cancer and new biomarkers
Catharina Larsson, research: Disease development on the molecular level
Hans-Gustav Ljunggren, research: NK cells in health and disease
Rolf Ohlsson, research: Epigenome and cancer
Rune Toftgård, research: Hedgehog signalling in embryonic development and cancer
Jussi Taipale, research: Cell cycle progression and transcriptional regulation of cell growth
Klas Wiman, research: Tumor suppressor p53 and novel anti-cancer drugs
Arne Östman, research: Tumor stroma and protein tyrosine phosphatases
KICancer
KICancer and StratCan side by side (2010-2019)
Between 2010 and 2019, StratCan and KICancer operated side by side and established their different profiles, KI Cancer focused on providing a researchers’ network, while also running NatiOn, FoTO, the KIC retreat and from 2014 the Personalized Cancer Medicine program and Cancer Core Europe. Most of KICancers budget of 300.000 SEK were used to support new diagnose-based networks, with the intention of bringing together basic and clinical scientists working on the same type of cancer.
KICancer (2006-2010)
NatiOn was born in 2010 when KI’s departments Onk-Pat, MTC and Uppsala University together were granted 3 million SEK/year for five years for a national clinical research school. At that time, the director of NatiOn was Dan Grandér and the chair Ingemar Ernberg.
In 2007, the KICancer Network received a total of 9 million SEK from KI fonder over three years, which were used for interdisciplinary and interdepartmental grants.
Over the years, the KICancer Network, led by Ingemar Ernberg, became a role model for other research areas, not least for bringing basic science and the clinic closer together.
Establishment of the KICancer Network (2003)
A group of scientists chose to activate the Cancer Network despite lacking resources, saying, "Let us do something, and the resources will follow." The KICancer Network was started with a broad steering group chaired by Ingemar Ernberg. After one year they received 100.000 SEK/year from the faculty, which later increased to 300.000 SEK/year. A lot of activities were initiated: a strategy document, homepage, descriptions of cancer research groups, an annual retreat and other initiatives.
Cancer Research Network at KI (1996-2002)
After KI introduced Research Training Programs in 2002, the KI departments MTC and Onk-Pat applied together for a Research Training Program in Tumor Biology and Oncology. The grant resulted in establishing FoTO which was chaired by Ingemar Ernberg.
In 2000,KI made a large all-over faculty evaluation of three major research areas including cancer. This evaluation resulted in discussions among the KI cancer community to increase networking between researchers, the education of students, and to activate the 1996 formally established cancer research network.
In 1996,the KI departments of Onk-Pat and MTC started a new eight-week course for biomedical students in tumor biology and oncology, including Stefan Einhorn, Ingemar Ernberg, Maria Masucci, Dan Grandér, Claes Karlsson, and others.
Initiation of the first Cancer Network at KI (1996)
After the major institutional reform KI93, when 120 departments were transformed into 30, the faculty saw the need for more interactions between departments and the three campuses, and therefore instituted several networks, including the Cancer Network. Those networks were not provided with funding and therefore their operational capacity and impact was limited. At that time, Rune Toftgård was the chair of the Cancer Network steering group.