Oscar Bedoya Reina

Dr. Bedoya-Reina conducted Ph.D. studies in Bioinformatics and Genomics at the Pennsylvania State University in Webb Miller's lab. During this time, he studied the genomes and transcriptomes of several model and non-model species and developed computational tools to analyze them. Dr. Bedoya-Reina further joined Chris Ponting's lab at the Universities of Oxford and Edinburgh to study the role of non-coding RNAs in hypoxia response, and later joined Susanne Schilisio's lab at Karolinska Institute to conduct single cell studies in sympathoadrenal malignancies and models. Since 2020, Dr. Bedoya-Reina is an Assistant Professor at the Karolinska Institute. He is a member of the Childhood Cancer Research Unit, at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health (Karolinska Institutet) where he investigates neuroblastoma in close collaboration with a multidisciplinary group experts (Per Kogner, John-Inge Johnsen, Malin Wickström, Ninib Baryawno, and Cecilia Dyberg). Dr. Bedoya-Reina recently joined the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Örebro as Lecturer in Translational Bioinformatics. His current research aims at elucidating the origin of metastasis in neuroblastoma, to clarify the role of the newly identified cell populations in metastasis and drug resistance, and to elucidate the drivers of the epithelial/noradrenergic to mesenchymal transformation. Furture work will include additional molecular profiling in complex diseases. 

As as synthesis of my research experience, I aim at 1) identifying interspecific differences in cell populations, their genetic basis and phenotype consequences, 2) modeling the evolution of cell populations within one individual in age, space and disease, and 3) characterizing the changes in the cell microenvironment in homeostasis and disease. To do this, my research uses high-throughput technologies and bioinformatic approaches, with a focus on the development of novel computational methods with application in translational medicine.

My current research aims at elucidating the molecular and cell origins of metastasis, relapse, and drug resistance in neuroblastoma, a cancer responsible for 15% of all pediatric oncology deaths worldwide. Furture work aims at conducting detailed molecular profiling in complex diseases. On the computational side, I am interested in developing computational tools for modeling the evolution of single cell populations at different time scales. Similarly, I am interested in developing new approaches to characterize and compare the repertoire of T- and B- cell receptors in cancer and disease, and to conduct molecular profiling in complex diseases.

I contribute and have contributed with lectures in Bioinformatics and Genomics for the KI courses "Genomics for Biomedical Scientists: Handle Your Gene Expression Data" and "Translational Pediatric Oncology in the Era of Immunotherapy and Omics", and about my research in the courses "Frontiers in Biomedicine", and "Advanced Cancer Biology".