Group Martin Dalin
Short description
Research on liquid biopsies for evaluation of treatment response in childhood cancer.
Research summary
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is fragmented genetic material originating from dead tumor cells, that can be detected in the plasma and other body fluids of cancer patients. Analysis of ctDNA has emerged as a highly specific method to monitor tumor burden during and after oncologic treatment. The concentration of ctDNA is generally low, but recent development of genetic analysis methods has enabled measurements with increased sensitivity. In many cases, ctDNA has been found in patients with tumors too small to be detected with standard imaging modalities.
The aim of our research is to test the potential of ctDNA as a marker for treatment response and disease recurrence in pediatric oncology. This biomarker could potentially be used to optimize the treatment for each patient, and may thereby reduce the mortality and morbidity of cancer in children.
Research tools and resources
We run a translational study enrolling children treated for different typed of cancer at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. We have consecutive plasma, white blood cell and urine samples, collected before, during and after treatment, from a large number of patients. We use a range of DNA analysis techniques, including whole genome and exome sequencing as well as novel ultra-sensitive targeted mutation analysis methods.
Selected publications
- Patient-specific sequencing panels enable sensitive circulating tumor DNA analysis in rhabdomyosarcoma independent of genetic profile.
Rahmqvist I, Dahlstrand Rudin A, Mellström E, R Ibrahim R, Andersson D, Pujol Calderón F, Ordqvist Redfors A, Rostamzadeh N, Franssila W, Karlsson C, Zetterlund F, Khashan R, Frostdahl H, Österlund T, Ek T, Fagman H, Ståhlberg A, Dalin M. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025 Oct 21;9(1):327. doi: 10.1038/s41698-025-01147-6.
- Personalized circulating tumor DNA analysis for sensitive disease monitoring and detection of relapse in neuroblastoma.
Rahmqvist I, Engström E, Mellström E, Ibrahim RR, Pujol-Calderón F, Dahlstrand Rudin A, Ordqvist Redfors A, Rostamzadeh N, Di Rienzo R, Franssila W, Khashan R, Xylander M, Karlsson C, Ek T, Andersson D, Österlund T, Gaarder J, Fagman H, Fransson S, Martinsson T, Ståhlberg A, Dalin M. Biomark Res. 2024 Nov 26;12(1):148. doi: 10.1186/s40364-024-00688-5.
- Long-lasting response to lorlatinib in patients with ALK-driven relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma monitored with circulating tumor DNA analysis.
Ek T, Ibrahim RR, Vogt H, Georgantzi K, Träger C, Gaarder J, Djos A, Rahmqvist I, Mellström E, Pujol-Calderón F, Vannas C, Hansson L, Fagman H, Treis D, Fransson S, Österlund T, Chuang TP, Verhoeven BM, Ståhlberg A, Palmer RH, Hallberg B, Martinsson T, Kogner P, Dalin M. Cancer Res Commun. 2024 Aug 23. doi: 10.1158/2767-9764.CRC-24-0338.
- Circulating cell-free tumor DNA analysis in pediatric cancers.
Andersson D, Fagman H, Dalin MG, Ståhlberg A. (2019) Mol Aspects Med. Sep 25. pii: S0098-2997(19)30091-3. doi: 10.1016/j.mam.2019.09.003.
Contact information
Martin Dalin
E-mail: Martin Dalin
Visiting address:
Sahlgrenska Center
for Cancer Research,
Medicinaregatan 1F
413 90 Gothenburg
Fani Pujol Calderón, Researcher
Fani has a bachelor in Biotechnology at the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona, and a master in Basic and translational research in human pathologies at University of Barcelona. She received her PhD at the University of Gothenburg in 2019, with the thesis “Neurofilaments as biomarkers of neuronal damage”. Fani was a postdoc in the group in 2020-2021, and is now holding a permanent researcher position.
Agnes Dahlstrand Rudin, Postdoc
Agnes graduated from dentist school at Karolinska Institutet in 2014. In 2021, she defended her PhD thesis ”Neutrophil recruitment in periodontal disease" at the University of Gothenburg. After that, she worked as a researcher and teacher at the department of Oral Microbiology and Immunology. As of 2023, Agnes is a postdoc in the group.
Raghda Ibrahim, PhD student
Raghda has a bachelor in Dental medicine and surgery and a master in Biotechnology from the University of Alexandria, Egypt, as well as a master in Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology at Lund University. She started as an associate researcher in 2020, and is a PhD student in the group since 2021.
Elisabeth Mellström, PhD student
Elisabeth received her MD at the University of Perugia, Italy. She has around 14 years of experience as a pediatrician, working in Croydon University Hospital, King’s College Hospital and West Middlesex University Hospital in London, and in Centralsjukhuset, Karlstad. She is now a specialist in pediatric oncology and hematology at Sahlgrenska University Hospital. As of 2019, Elisabeth is a part-time PhD student in the group.
Wilma Franssila, PhD student
Wilma has a bachelor and a master degree in Biotechnology at Chalmers University of Technology. She did her master’s project in the group during 2023-2024, then continued working as associate researcher and is now a PhD student in the group.
Erik Delsing Malmberg, Researcher (part time)
Erik received his MD at Lund University. In 2019, he defended his PhD thesis ”Next Generation Sequencing for Measurable Residual Disease Detection in Acute Myeloid Leukemia” at the University of Gothenburg. Erik is currently working as a senior resident pathologist, subspecializing in haematopathology and is since 2025 a part-time researcher in the group.
Hanna Frostdahl, Medical student (Teaching Assistant)
Hanna has a bachelor in Biomedicine at Uppsala University and is a medical student at the University of Gothenburg. In parallel with her studies, she is a researcher in the group within the amanuens program starting 2024.
Robert Khashan, Medical student/Associate Researcher
Robert is studying medicine at the University of Gothenburg, and did a summer fellowship in the group in 2020. After that he has continued doing research in parallel with his studies, first within the amanuens program, and currently as an associate researcher supported by the Landénska research stipend.
Anna Wenger, Associated postdoc
Anna has a bachelor in Bioengineering and a masters in Biotechnology from Chalmers University of Technology. She defended her PhD thesis “Deregulated epigenetics and cancer stem cells in brain tumours” at the University of Gothenburg in 2022. Since then she has been a postdoc at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (England), funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation, in the group of Professor Sam Behjati.
As of 2025, Anna is at the University of Gothenburg working remotely with her postdoc projects at Sanger, and begun her association with the group.
