News
Five New Grants Awarded in ACROBATIC’s August 2025 Call
In the most recent funding round with a deadline on 22 August 2025 , ACROBATIC received a total of nine applications . Following a competitive evaluation process, five new grants have been awarded to research projects that will advance knowledge and innovation in cancer surgery and related fields.
ACROBATIC at the Danish Cancer Research Days 2025
This year marked the 7th edition of the Danish Cancer Research Days , a national conference that brings together clinicians, researchers, patient associations, and decision-makers to exchange knowledge and set a joint agenda for cancer research and treatment in Denmark. The 2025 program focused on the future of a differentiated healthcare system, early detection, new treatment technologies, as well as late effects and follow-up , with a strong emphasis on collaboration and translation of research into clinical practice.
ACROBATIC Travel Grant Recipient Presents at IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer
ACROBATIC congratulates Thomas Budolfsen, Research Assistant , who received an ACROBATIC travel grant of DKK 5,000 to participate in the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) , held on 6–9 September 2025 in Barcelona, Spain .
ACROBATIC Welcomes Two New Projects
ACROBATIC is pleased to welcome two new research projects that have recently become affiliated with the centre: STROMA (WP 2.28) and DaVulvaMob (WP 2.29) . Both projects strengthen ACROBATIC’s collaborative research network and address key challenges in cancer surgery, aiming to improve evidence-based decision-making and patient outcomes. WP 2.28 WP leader: Charles Vesteghem , Center for Clinical Data Science (CLINDA), Aalborg University & Aalborg University Hospital, and Clinical Cancer Research Centre, Aalborg University Hospital, Denmark Title: Solid Tumour Resectability and Operability Decision Support Using Multimodal AI (STROMA) Abstract: Complete surgical resection (R0) is crucial for improving survival and quality of life in patients with malignant solid tumours. However, preoperative assessment of resectability and operability remains challenging, despite advances in imaging and multidisciplinary team (MDT) evaluation. Incomplete resections significantly increase recurrence risk, while inaccurate operability assessments may deny patients curative treatment or expose them to surgical risk. This project aims to develop and evaluate artificial intelligence (AI)-based decision-support tools combining imaging and electronic health registry data to improve preoperative prediction of resectability and operability in cancer patients. The primary objective is an AI model for colorectal cancer resectability using retrospective data. Secondary aims include assessing operability in colorectal cancer and extending models to ovarian cancer, sarcoma, breast cancer, and bladder cancer, with the goal of a generic predictive framework for solid tumours as well as conducting a prospective validation. The study will use multimodal AI methods integrating structured data (e.g., laboratory results, comorbidities), unstructured data (clinical notes, reports), and imaging (CT, MRI, PET, ultrasound). Development will proceed from regional pilot cohorts to national datasets, applying transfer learning for cross-cancer applicability. Data will be processed within secure high-performance computing environments, with prospective validation planned in a randomised clinical design. Leveraging Denmark’s comprehensive, population-wide health data, the project strives to enhance MDT decision-making, reduce unnecessary surgeries, improve surgical margins, and ultimately optimise patient outcomes. Successful implementation may support regulatory approval and provide a transferable methodology for AI-based surgical decision support across multiple cancer types.
Caroline Lilja presents lymphedema research in Canada
Caroline Lilja has been selected to give an oral presentation at the International Lymphedema Framework Conference 2025 in Niagara Falls, Canada.
ACROBATIC Prehabilitation Master Class
At June 4th we gathered at Aarhus University Hospital for an engaging and inspiring Master Class on prehabilitation within cancer care. We had the privilege of learning from two leading international experts: 🔹 Chelsia Gillis, McGill University 🔹 Anna Campbell, Edinburgh Napier University They shared valuable insights on: ✅ The current state of prehabilitation in Denmark ✅ Key recommendations for future development ✅ How we can collaboratively shape the future of cancer prehabilitation A heartfelt thank you to all participants for your thoughtful questions and reflections. Together, we’re advancing the role of prehabilitation in Danish cancer care. 💪
Fly Me to the Moon Award 2025: Christian Lind Nielsen
We are proud to announce that Christian Lind Nielsen, MD and PhD fellow at the Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, is the recipient of this year’s Fly Me to the Moon Award. The award, presented during the ACROBATIC Two-Day Research Symposium 2025, recognises early-career researchers whose work demonstrates exceptional innovation and potential for impact in surgical oncology.
ACROBATIC Two-Day Research Symposium
🌟 Shaping the Future of Cancer Surgery – ACROBATIC Two-Day Research Symposium 2025 🌟 📍 June 2–3 | Hotel Vejlefjord Over two inspiring days, the ACROBATIC Two-Day Research Symposium brought together more than 70 participants from across Denmark and beyond - spanning regions, disciplines, and career stages — to explore how we innovate, implement, and create real impact in surgical oncology. 💡 Key themes and highlights included: 🔹 Prehabilitation in 2025 – Chelsia Gillis and Anna Campbell MBE shared groundbreaking insights into nutritional and physical prehabilitation, emphasizing personalized approaches and the latest evidence-based strategies. 🔹 Personalized Surgical Pathways - We learned about AI-driven patient selection (Ismail Gogenur) and tailored interventions for older, frail cancer patients (Katharina Skovhus Prior), underscoring the importance of individualized perioperative care. 🔹 How to Write Winning Surgical Research Applications – Søren Paaske Johnsen and Lene Hjerrild Iversen led crucial discussions on improving protocol applications, reviewer expectations, and ensuring patient involvement in research design. 🔹 From Idea to Impact – Jens Christian Hedemann Sørensen offered valuable reflections on the entrepreneurial journey in surgical innovation. 🔹 ’Fly Me to the Moon’ – Early-Career Innovation – Talented young researchers shared visionary work in areas such as lymph node mapping, laser-guided interlocking osteotomies, recurrence detection, ctDNA, and microbiota (Caroline Lilja, Louise Krog, Mette-Julie Töffner Rasmussen, Christian Lind Nielsen and Sarah Jakobsen). 👏 A special congratulations to Christian Lind Nielsen, recipient of this year’s Fly Me to the Moon Award! 🔹 From Research to Real-World Practice - Thomas Skovgaard emphasized how implementation science helps move innovations from trial to clinic, followed by real examples from ACROBATIC projects (Bente Thoft Jensen, Caroline Lilja and Louise Krog). 🔹 Bold ACROBATIC projects – We were introduced to three ACROBATIC projects pushing the boundaries of data use, personalized treatment, and surgical research infrastructure in Denmark (Iñigo Iturrate, Gitte Fredberg Persson and Martin Bøgsted). 🔹 Work Environment, Research, and Career Development – The closing session brought together voices across the professional spectrum to discuss how clinical education and research can coexist with a healthy and sustainable work culture. Thank you to MD, PhD, Tora Haug, Dean at Health Aarhus University, Anne-Mette Hvas, Dean at @Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus Universitet University, and Søren Hjortshøj, Medical Director at Aalborg University Hospital, for joining the discussion. 🙌 Thank you to all speakers, moderators, and participants for contributing to an energizing and forward-thinking symposium!
New Patient Organisation Joins ACROBATIC: Network for Women with Gynaecological Cancer
We are delighted to welcome a new patient organisation to ACROBATIC’s network: the Network for Women with Gynaecological Cancer (Netværk for kvinder med gynækologisk kræft).
New Member of the ACROBATIC Executive Committee: Professor Søren Paaske Johnsen
We are pleased to welcome Professor Søren Paaske Johnsen as a new member of the Executive Committee at ACROBATIC.