Maria K. Andersen
I am a researcher and project leader at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). My research focus for the last 12 years has been molecular analysis of human prostate cancer tissue, gaining substantial hand-on experience with a variety of different methodologies including microRNA analysis, RNA-sequencing, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics, immunohistochemistry, histopathology, and mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) for metabolomics, lipidomics and proteomics. I earned my PhD in Medicine in 2019, performing multi-omics profiling of prostate cancer. Since July 2024, I have been leading two externally funded research projects on lipid metabolism in prostate cancer, which includes mass spectroscopy imaging (MSI) and LC-MS of metabolites and lipids of prostate cancer and adipose tissue which will be investigated in relation to MRIs, serum lipid levels and medication use for the same patients. The aim is to bring all these dimensions together and elucidate how the body’s lipid levels and lipid metabolism act in concert and contribute to prostate cancer development. In the last years, I have also gained significant experience balancing the ideals of open science with the strict privacy requirements laid out by GDPR and national laws, which has become increasingly challenging in health and medical research.