Karl-Johan Malmberg, professor at the University of Oslo and research group leader at Oslo University Hospital, express his gratitude for the recognition and praise his colleagues for their dedication and creativity:
"It is a great honour to receive such a wonderful prize and the recognition it brings to our work," Malmberg says.
He leads PRIMA, a Centre of Excellence at UiO and OUS, and highlighted the importance of collaboration in the research community.
"I must also emphasize how incredibly fortunate I am to work with such smart, dedicated, creative, and generous colleagues," he adds.
NK cells, the body’ own natural killer cells
Malmberg has spent over 30 years researching the natural killer cells, known as NK cells, which play a crucial role in the body's defence against cancer.
His work focuses on using these cells in immunotherapy to target and destroy cancer cells.
In the laboratory, Malmberg and his colleagues enhance NK cells by manipulating their genes, giving them superpowers to target and kill cancer cells. The next step is to develop off-the-shelf therapy based on the most potent NK cells.
"With such engineered NK cells, many more patients can be treated," Malmberg explains.
World-leading and a pioneer in his field
Throughout his career, Malmberg has published 133 articles and lead several national and international research projects.
Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross, Secretary General of the Norwegian Cancer Society, praised Malmberg as a pioneer in his field, highlighting the significance of his research for future cancer patients.
"Malmberg is simply world-leading in his field. His research will undoubtedly have a major impact on future cancer patients," she stated in a press release.
The Norwegian Cancer Society emphasized how Malmberg has built strong research environments around him, including the Centre of Excellence, PRIMA.
"I am most proud of having been part of building and leading incredibly strong research teams. With great patience and methodical hard work, we have become increasingly better at exploring the fascinating biology of NK cells," he says.
From basic research to patient treatments
Malmberg pointed out the excitement of following research from basic discoveries to clinical practice and patient treatment.
"We can now go all the way from fundamental discoveries to designing clinical studies where we use NK cells' ability to recognize and kill cancer cells. The goal is to develop new and more effective cell therapies against cancer. I find that very exciting!"
About King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize
The Norwegian Cancer Society annually awards King Olav V's Cancer Research Prize to a researcher who has significantly advanced the quality of Norwegian cancer research.
The prize was first awarded in 1992, and Karl-Johan Malmberg is the 34th recipient of the prize, which includes a monetary award of NOK 1 million. Previous winners from the Institute of Clinical Medicine at the University of Oslo include Ragnhild A. Lothe, Harald Stenmark, Kjetil Taskén, Vessela Kristensen, Bjarne Bogen and Åslaug Helland.