New research centre aims to find out why we get sick
Through access to unique data and interdisciplinary collaboration, a newly established research centre at UiB aims to understand why people are affected by different cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and diseases of the central nervous system. The centre has been established with support from the Trond Mohn Foundation.
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Norwegian researchers have unique access to data that can provide new insights into the causes of various diseases. However, the advantage offered by national registries and biological samples requires collaboration across different fields. The Trond Mohn Foundation (TMS) supports this research in a newly established research centre for translational epidemiology with three new projects at UiB.
Three new research projects
In 2022, the Trond Mohn Foundation announced research funding in collaboration with UiB. Eight applications were submitted, and three projects are now receiving 6 million NOK from TMS. The projects will investigate topics such as:
- Cancer risk in women and their offspring taking the women's reproductive history into account, led by Professor Tone Bjørge at Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS)
- Causes of cancer in children – what role does the immune system play? led by Professor Ola Myklebost at Department of Clinical Science.
- Brain damage in newborns, how can we predict and prevent them? led by Professor Rolv Terje Lie at Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS)
The projects are parts of a new research centre established by the University of Bergen. The centre will focus on non-communicable diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the central nervous system (neurodegenerative diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders), as well as birth-related conditions. This will be done by combining laboratory research with population-based data, such from the Norwegian Mother, Father, and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), one of the world's largest health survey.
The new centre - TRACE - is led by Professor Tone Bjørge at Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS).
New ways of collaborating
Researchers who do not usually collaborate can now come together through the TRACE centre at the University of Bergen. The centre aims to make collaboration easier across different scientific fields. Researchers with expertise in medical statistics, epidemiology, informatics, and biomedicine, will study the causes of non-communicable diseases and their distribution in society.
High expectations
"I am proud and happy about the grant. These funds are crucial for the activities at our centre," says Bjørge. Marit Bakke, Vice Dean of Research at the Faculty of Medicine, is also pleased with the establishment of the centre. "Linking data from laboratory research, patient care, and population studies can explain disease mechanisms and give rise to new treatments. It will also strengthen research environments," says Bakke.
Anne Marie Haga at the Trond Mohn Foundation is excited about the collaboration with UiB and congratulates TRACE and the project leaders. "We have high expectations for this initiative and look forward to following the scientific development at the centre," says Haga.
