Publications (link to AU profile)
 

Research

Our research focus is to investigate how the genetic composition of cancer cells affect anti-cancer treatment. In addition, we study the genetic changes occurring in cancer cells when they become resistant to treatment. To achieve this goal, we investigate circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), which are small fragments of DNA released from tumor cells to the blood stream. Our aim is to use ctDNA to identify the patients that will respond to different anti-cancer treatments. In addition, we investigate if ctDNA can be used to monitor the treatment of patients, and in particular to identify resistance to treatment at an earlier time point than is normally possible.

The main research focus is lung cancer and benefits from a long-lasting collaboration with ass. prof. Peter Meldgaard, Dept. of Oncology, Aarhus University Hospital. We investigate the potential of ctDNA to monitor the effect of several anti-cancer treatments targeting oncogenes present in lung cancer. We have already demonstrated that ctDNA can identify lung cancer patients that will respond to EGFR and ALK directed treatment, and shown that ctDNA can give information on when resistance to treatment has developed. This has now been extended to immunotherapy of lung cancer where we have demonstrated the potential of ctDNA to identify patients responding to treatment.

We are now extending our studies to several national and international clinical studies where we investigate the potential of ctDNA to predict treatment effect. In addition, we are investigating if the ctDNA present at the time of resistance to treatment hold information that can be used to suggest new treatments overcoming resistance. In these trials lung cancer patients are treated at several oncological centers, and ctDNA is analyzed in our research group.

A new avenue of our research is the new method cfCHIP. Based on studies of ctDNA in a blood sample this technique can give information on the transcriptional activity of genes in the lung tumor.