Marit Saunes and Eidi Christensen – Academic strength of St Olavs University Hospital in Trondheim
Kunnskapssenteret , where the Department of Dermatology is located . Photograph : M . Herzog ; www . visualis-online . com .
Photodynamic therapy
Since 1997 the Department has offered topical photodynamic therapy to patients with non-melanoma skin cancer . In parallel with treatment , clinical studies on long-term follow-up after photodynamic therapy of basal cell carcinomas have been carried out . The research concentrates on diagnostics and evaluation of clinical and histological characteristics of basal cell carcinomas prior to photodynamic therapy .
In recent years , the department has been the driving force behind a national , randomized , controlled-blinded , multi-centre study with the aim of investigating whether a simpler and more flexible photodynamic therapy schedule is as effective as today ’ s standard treatment of basal cell carcinomas . The study is a collaboration between private dermatological practices , a central hospital and university clinics . It is founded by the liaison committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority and the NTNU . The study includes a 3-year follow-up after treatment .
Wounds and inflammation
NanoHeal is a multi-disciplinary research programme funded by the NANO2021 Norwegian Research Council , and a collaboration with the Paper and Fibre Research Institute ( RISE PFI AS ), the University of Wales , Cardiff , and Swansea University , Wales . The goal has been to develop novel material solutions for use in advanced wound healing , based on nano-fibrillated cellulose structures .
As a result of the NanoHeal project we are developing a standardized in vitro wound healing model to be used in several projects , including student projects , collaborator projects with plastic surgeons at St . Olavs hospital and translational projects with the Department of Physics and the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications at NTNU .
Epidemiology and HUNT
The Nord-Trøndelag Health survey ( HUNT ) is an extensive population-based health study with both personal and family medical information from > 120,000 individuals collected during 3 recruitment phases spanning 3 decades since 1984 – 1986 ( HUNT 1 , 2 and 3 ). The 4 th recruitment phase has just started ( planned for 2017 – 2019 ). Data have been collected from multiple questionnaires , standardized clinical examinations , urine and non-fasting blood samples . The HUNT study provides us with a unique opportunity to study different diseases at the population-based level . From HUNT 3 we have collected information on psoriasis , and used this in our research projects on psoriasis and cardiovascular disease , osteoporosis and quality of life .
More than 70,000 individuals from HUNT have been genotyped through a collaboration between researchers at the K . G . Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology , NTNU , and the University of Michigan , USA . By using already available genotypes from HUNT , we are currently performing genetic association analyses on psoriasis and atopic dermatitis . Our
Forum for Nord Derm Ven 2018 , Vol . 23 , No . 1 Dermato-Venereology in the Nordic Countries 17