Torsten O. Nielsen

Torsten O. Nielsen is a Canadian clinician scientist and pathologist. He is a professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of British Columbia.[1] His research focuses on translational cancer genomics,[2] biomarker development, and molecular diagnostics, primarily in sarcomas[3] and breast cancer.[4]

He is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Early life and education

Nielsen was born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.[5] He completed a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry with first class honours at the University of British Columbia in 1991,[6] followed by the MD/PhD program at McGill University, where he earned his PhD in Experimental Medicine in 1996 and his MD in 1997.[7]

After completing a combined MD/PhD at McGill, he pursued further training in England, at Stanford, and at the Cleveland Clinic, before becoming a clinician-scientist and surgical pathologist with a specialization in sarcomas and breast cancer.[5]

Career

Nielsen began his academic career at UBC in 2002, joining the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine[8] and affiliated with Vancouver General Hospital and the BC Cancer. [9]

He progressed from Assistant Professor to Full Professor by 2012. As a clinician scientist, he combines subspecialty work in musculoskeletal pathology including diagnosis of connective tissue neoplasms and sarcomas with active translational research aimed at improving cancer diagnostics and treatments.[10]

He serves as Director of the UBC MD/PhD Program, where he mentors and trains physician scientists.[11] Nielsen has also contributed to planning for cancer clinical trials in collaboration with groups such as the Canadian Cancer Trials Group,[12] and previously with the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, enhancing the integration of pathology in trial design and biomarker studies.[13] He has chaired the Research Committee of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society and served on its board of directors.[14] He has co chaired the International Ki67 in Breast Cancer Working Group[15] and held leadership roles in breast cancer and sarcoma committees of the Canadian Cancer Trials Group.[3]

Research

His work aims to translate genomic discoveries into clinical applications that improve diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment decisions.[16]

In sarcoma research, Nielsen has helped develop novel diagnostic tests for synovial sarcoma,[17] gastrointestinal stromal tumors and liposarcomas, and has investigated the biology and driver events in tenosynovial giant cell tumor and epithelioid sarcoma.[18] Ongoing work includes characterizing epigenomic landscapes in sarcoma models and advancing precision oncology tools for rare and aggressive soft tissue cancers.[5]

In breast cancer, he played a leading role in developing intrinsic molecular subtyping assays, including pioneering work on the PAM50 gene expression signature, which was translated into the FDA‑cleared Prosigna Breast Cancer[4] Prognostic Gene Signature Assay used worldwide to guide recurrence risk assessments.[19]

Honors and awards

References

  1. ^ Fox, Terry. "Studying six childhood sarcomas to improve survival and life after treatment | BCCRC". bccrc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  2. ^ Huntsman, David. "Origins and progression of childhood, adolescent and young adult (CAYA) sarcomas". www.tfri.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  3. ^ a b "Saving lives with an innovative sarcoma test". Canadian Cancer Society. 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  4. ^ a b Goodman, Alice. "Study Suggests Luminal A Breast Cancer Patients May Not Need Chemotherapy". ascopost.com. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  5. ^ a b c Done, Susan. "Translating Gene Expression into Clinical Care for Breast Cancer and Sarcomas". lmp.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  6. ^ "CCBIO Seminar - Torsten O. Nielsen". Universitetet i Bergen (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  7. ^ Osler, William. "Torsten O. Nielsen, M.D, PhD / Seminar Title: "Clinical testing for breast cancer intrinsic subtypes"". Mcgill University.
  8. ^ Gleave, Martin. "INDUSTRY INFLUENCERS Targeted breast cancer treatment Dr. Torsten Nielsen and his team developed PAM50 — a test that measures key genes expressed by" (PDF). Life Sciences (journal).
  9. ^ Hamilton, Colleen (2025-10-29). "BC Cancer and UBC Push Boundaries in Sarcoma Research". BC Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  10. ^ Huntsman, David. "Torsten Nielsen, David Huntsman receive Canadian Cancer ..." www.med.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  11. ^ Dancel, Roselle Jean (2026-02-24). "BCSSF and UBC Faculty of Medicine Advance Mental Health Research Training in BC". BC Schizophrenia Society. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  12. ^ "Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor (DSRCT) Research Fund". BC Cancer Foundation. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  13. ^ Starr, Phoebe. "Omit Chemotherapy for Luminal A Breast Cancer?". Value-Based Cancer Care.
  14. ^ bdwyer (2022-11-22). "Desmoid Tumors In The Spotlight At The 2022 Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) Conference". The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  15. ^ Nielsen, Torsten O; Leung, Samuel C Y; Rimm, David L; Dodson, Andrew; Acs, Balazs; Badve, Sunil; Denkert, Carsten; Ellis, Matthew J; Fineberg, Susan; Flowers, Margaret; Kreipe, Hans H; Laenkholm, Anne-Vibeke; Pan, Hongchao; Penault-Llorca, Frédérique M; Polley, Mei-Yin (2021). "Assessment of Ki67 in Breast Cancer: Updated Recommendations from the International Ki67 in Breast Cancer Working Group". JNCI - Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 113 (7): 808–819. doi:10.1093/jnci/djaa201. ISSN 0027-8874.
  16. ^ "Breast cancer subtypes with distinct survival outcomes can be identified from archival samples using proteomics | Genome Sciences Centre". www.bcgsc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  17. ^ Themes, U. F. O. "Soft Tissue Sarcoma | Oncohema Key". Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  18. ^ "2026 Torsten O. Nielsen: Medicine Researcher – H-Index, Publications & Awards". Research.com. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  19. ^ Nielsen, Torsten O.; Parker, Joel S.; Leung, Samuel; Voduc, David; Ebbert, Mark; Vickery, Tammi; Davies, Sherri R.; Snider, Jacqueline; Stijleman, Inge J.; Reed, Jerry; Cheang, Maggie C. U.; Mardis, Elaine R.; Perou, Charles M.; Bernard, Philip S.; Ellis, Matthew J. (2010-11-01). "A comparison of PAM50 intrinsic subtyping with immunohistochemistry and clinical prognostic factors in tamoxifen-treated estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer". Clinical Cancer Research: An Official Journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. 16 (21): 5222–5232. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-10-1282. ISSN 1557-3265. PMC 2970720. PMID 20837693.
  20. ^ "RSC 2024 Fellow: Torsten Nielsen | UBC Research + Innovation". research.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  21. ^ "Forty-eight new Fellows elected into the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Fellows' accomplishments recognized by peers for contributions to the promotion of health science" (PDF). Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
  22. ^ "2021 Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement Award: Torsten O. Nielsen! – Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre". 2021-08-03. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  23. ^ "Jeremy Jass Prize for Research Excellence in... : The Journal of Pathology". Ovid. doi:10.1002/path.5032~jeremy-jass-prize-for-research-excellence-in-pathology-2016. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
  24. ^ "Samuel Aparicio, Torsten Nielsen receive Killam Research Prizes". www.med.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2026-03-18.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.