U-CAN important part of new cancer biomarker research
The interest in U-CAN as source for research material remains high and in 2025 there were new publications, new projects, and new grants for important research on the samples and data collected from persons with cancer.
The Swedish Cancer Society recently awarded a large grant for a new study led by Ingrid Glimelius at IGP, Uppsala University. She will together with several colleagues study data and samples from U-CAN to develop new methods to detect new cancer in individuals who have received previous treatment for another cancer. The project stems from the theory that although current treatments have improved survival in many cancers, some of them can also increase the risk for developing a new cancer. In the project, the researchers will first determine how common it is for participants in U-CAN to develop a new cancer after treatment. Then, they will search for biomarkers that indicate risk or presence of new cancer at an early disease stage so that treatment can be initiated early. The project involves collaboration between several U-CAN researchers in Uppsala.
See more reporting on the project SCUBA - Early detection of second primary malignancies in cancer survivors in the U-CAN biobank here
In 2025, researchers at the universities in Uppsala and Umeå initiated a large collaborative study using different biobank cohorts for development of new methods for early detection of cancer. U-CAN in Uppsala and Umeå are both central resources for samples to the study, and the project includes a large number of researchers who are also active in the collection of samples for biobanking in U-CAN. Tobias Sjöblom leads the part of the project headed by Uppsala University in collaboration with researchers from KTH, Karolinska Institute, and University of Gothenburg. He aims to use samples and data from U-CAN to discover new biomarker candidates, and test new biomarkers by analysis of U-CAN sample collections developed specifically to be suitable for research on early cancer detection. Beatrice Melin leads research in Umeå to study early cancer development using U-CAN and other biobank cohorts. The project has been awarded a grant from the Sjöberg Foundation to analyse U-CAN samples.
Read more about the project Developing a precancer atlas – a blueprint for early detection of cancer here
- Uppsala University, Million SEK grant to IGP researchers from the Sjöberg Foundation
- The Sjöberg Foundation, Developing a cancer atlas – a blueprint for early detection of cancer
In October 2025, a major biomarker study was accepted for publication in the prestigious scientific journal Science. The study was led by Mathias Uhlén at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and involved many collaborators, of which several are active in U-CAN. The researchers performed large-scaled analysis of thousands of proteins in blood plasma samples to find biomarker signatures specific for different diseases and conditions that can be used for differing between them. Samples from more than 2,000 participants in U-CAN were analysed in the study, with focus on the most common solid tumour types: lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. The study showed promising results for biomarker-based models to classify different cancer types and detect cancer early, and also highlighted research questions for further study.
Read more about the published study here