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Ann-Karin (Anka) Hardie Olsen

Senior Scientist

+47 63 89 81 49

+47 920 35 022

Environmental Chemistry and Health Effects

Kjeller

anka@nilu.no

Ann-Karin Hardie Olsen

Dr. Ann-Karin (Anka) Olsen is a senior scientist at NILU’s Health Effects Laboratory.

She is a molecular biologist with expertise in toxicology, with main areas of expertise in genetic toxicology, DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, DNA sequencing, gene expression, epigenetics, endocrine effects and cancer, with special focus on male germ cells.

She has experience with models from bacteria, yeast, cell models (2C, 3D, stem cells), animal experiments and human cohort studies. She has established several state-of-the-art analysis methods, with a focus on the development of new methodologies, so-called NAMs (New Approach Methods), preferably according to the principle of SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design)

Anka started at NILU in 2024 after a long time at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in the Department of Chemical Toxicology as a research professor.

She has led several national and international projects and led the work package on “Biological effects” through 10 years for the Center of Excellence ( CoE/ RCN Sff) Center for Radioactivity, Humans and the Environment (CERAD; 2013-2023. Led by NMBU).

She has long experience in human risk assessment and regulatory toxicology, mainly of consumer products (expert for the European Chemicals Agency ECHA), and food. She is involved in several working groups in the OECD and has contributed to the development of standardized OECD tests for use in chemical regulation. She leads the OECD project for the revision of the in vivo comet assay (OECD Test guideline 489) to include analyses of male germ cells. She is part of the Scientific Committee for Food and the Environment (VKM), participates in several working groups in the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) and the International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT), and is president of the European Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EEMGS).

NILU’s Health Effects Laboratory is certified for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for in vitro human toxicity testing and is the only facility in Norway with this certification for human health risk assessment. Recognized as one of Europe’s leading laboratories in nanotoxicology and nanosafety, it conducts cutting-edge research on genotoxicity, mutagenicity, in vitro carcinogenicity, endocrine effects using advanced cellular models (2D, 3D, organoids, stem cells) and exposure systems. The lab is contributing to regulatory science through frameworks such as Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA), Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA), and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD).

Ann-Karin (Anka) Hardie Olsen has 14 publications at NILU:

Advancing Genotoxicity Assessment by Building a Global AOP Network

Demuynck, Emmanuel; Vanhaecke, Tamara; Thienpont, Anouck; Cappoen, Davie; Van Goethem, Freddy; Winkelman, L. M. T.; Beltman, Joost B.; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Marcon, Francesca; Bossa, Cecilia; Shaikh, Sanah M.; Nikolopoulou, Dimitra; Hatzi, Vasiliki; Pennings, Jeroen L A; Luijten, Mirjam; Adam-Guillermin, Christelle; Paparella, Martin; Audebert, Marc; Mertens, Birgit

2025

New Approach Methods (NAMs) for genotoxicity assessment of nano- and advanced materials; Advantages and challenges

Gutleb, Arno; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Stepnik, Maciej; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Wyrzykowska, Ewelina; Jagiello, Karolina; Judzinska, Beata; Cambier, Sebastien; Honza, Tatiana; McFadden, Erin; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Puzyn, Tomasz; Serchi, Tommaso; Weber, Pamina; Arnesdotter, Emma; Skakalova, Vier; Jirsova, Katerina; Grudzinski, Ireneusz; Collins, Andrew; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Dusinska, Maria

2025

Hazard characterization of the mycotoxins enniatins and beauvericin to identify data gaps and improve risk assessment for human health

Behr, Anne-Cathrin; Fæste, Christiane Kruse; Azqueta, Amaya; Tavares, Ana M.; Spyropoulou, Anastasia; Solhaug, Anita; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Vettorazzi, Ariane; Mertens, Birgit; Zegura, Bojana; Streel, Camille; Ndiaye, Dieynaba; Spilioti, Eliana; Dubreil, Estelle; Buratti, Franca Maria; Crudo, Francesco; Eriksen, Gunnar Sundstøl; Snapkov, Igor; Teixeira, João Paulo; Rasinger, Josef; Sanders, Julie; Machera, Kyriaki; Ivanova, Lada; Gaté, Laurent; Le Hegarat, Ludovic; Novak, Matjaz; Smith, Nicola Margareta; Tait, Sabrina; Fraga, Sónia; Hager, Sonja; Marko, Doris; Braeuning, Albert; Louro, Henriqueta; Silva, Maria João; Dirven, Hubert; Dietrich, Jessica

2025

Protokoll: Krav til konsekvensutredning ved planlegging av vindkraftprosjekter for å hindre forurensning av drikkevann

Alexander, Jan; Kvalem, Helen Engelstad; Mariussen, Espen; Schlabach, Martin; Steffensen, Inger-Lise Karin; Hannisdal, Rita; Ruus, Anders; Amlund, Heidi; Lisbeth, Dahl; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Samdal, Ingunn Anita; Knutsen, Helle Katrine

2025

Overview of methods for production of sterile salmonids, their applicability in aquaculture and possible implications to wild salmon populations and biodiversity in Norway

Hindar, Kjetil; Bodin, Johanna Eva; Dalen, Knut Tomas; Duale, Nur; Garseth, Åse Helen; Malmstrøm, Martin; Sipinen, Ville Erling; Thorstad, Eva Bonsak; Velle, Gaute; Berg, Paul Ragnar; Mo, Tor-Atle; Olesen, Ingrid; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Rimstad, Espen

2025

The ANALYST project: Strengthening the integrated approach of holistic impact assessments for Safe and Sustainable by design plastic value chain

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; SenGupta, Tanima; Rundén-Pran, Elise; El Yamani, Naouale; Dusinska, Maria; Lago, Ana; Ferreira, G.

2025

Development of PFAS-free coatings following a Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach – the PROPLANET project

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; McFadden, Erin; Honza, Tatiana; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Brochmann, Solveig; Verbič, Anja; Stres, Blaž; Novak, Uroš; Likozar, Blaž; Hudecova, Alexandra Misci; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Seif, Johannes P.; Dusinska, Maria; Rundén-Pran, Elise

2025

CompSafeNano project: NanoInformatics approaches for safe-by-design nanomaterials

Zouraris, Dimitrios; Mavrogiorgis, Angelos; Tsoumanis, Andreas; Saarimaki, Laura Aliisa; del Giudice, Giusy; Federico, Antonio; Serra, Angela; Greco, Dario; Rouse, Ian; Subbotina, Julia; Lobaskin, Vladimir; Jagiello, Karolina; Ciura, Krzesimir; Judzinska, Beata; Mikolajczyk, Alicja; Sosnowska, Anita; Puzyn, Tomasz; Gulumian, Mary; Wepener, Victor; Martinez, Diego S. T.; Petry, Romana; El Yamani, Naouale; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Minadakis, Vasileios; Tsiros, Periklis; Sarimveis, Harry; Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Sengupta, Tanima; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Skakalova, Viera; Hutar, Peter; Dusinska, Maria; Papadiamantis, Anastasios; Gheorghe, L. Cristiana; Reilly, Katie; Brun, Emilie; Ullah, Sami; Cambier, Sebastien; Serchi, Tommaso; Tamm, Kaido; Lorusso, Candida; Dondero, Francesco; Melagrakis, Evangelos; Fraz, Muhammad Moazam; Melagraki, Georgia; Lynch, Iseult; Afantitis, Antreas

2025

Comet in Germ Cells = CIG

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie

2024

The in vivo comet assay: uncovering DNA damage in testicular germ cells

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Zheng, Congying; Dahl, Hildegunn; Boisen, Anne Mette Zenner; Dirven, Yvette Carolina Anna; Brunborg, Gunnar; Eide, Dag Markus; Sharma, Anoop Kumar

2024

Embarking on decoding stem cells: ecNGS of hIPSCs exposed to environmental mutagens during trilineage differentiation using the ReproTracker assay

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Cho, Eunnara; Stead, John; Meier, Matthew; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Hartvelt, Sabine; Jamalpoor, Amer; Hendriks, Giel; Duale, Nur; Yauk, Carole

2024

Can we identify safe(r) substitutes for PFAS coatings?

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Varsou, Dimitra Danai; McFadden, Erin; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Honza, Tatiana; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Brochmann, Solveig; Afantitis, Antreas; Dusinska, Maria; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Seif, Johannes P.; Del Real Torres, Alejandro

2024

Hazard assessment methodologies applicable to the SSbD framework: where we are

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; SenGupta, Tanima; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Dusinska, Maria

2024

Risikovurdering av grillet mat.

Kvalem, Helen Engelstad; Alexander, Jan; Bukhvalova, Barbara Alexandra; Dahl, Lisbeth; Knutsen, Helle Katrine; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Schlabach, Martin; Mariussen, Espen

2024

Strengthening the integrated approach of holistic impact assessments for Safe and Sustainable by Design plastic value chain (ANALYST)

ANALYST aims to accelerate the transition towards a safer and more sustainable industrial value chain while encouraging and expanding the existing knowledge on the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) […]

Project period: 2024 – 2027

Ongoing

Enhanced Safe and Sustainable coatings for supporting the Planet (PROPLANET)

PROPLANET addresses novel coating materials solutions, tackling the problem from a sustainable-business perspective, enabling overcoming the barrier for environmental protection, safety, chemical improvements, and circular value chains. The main goal […]

Project period: 2023 – 2026

Ongoing

Dr. Ann-Karin (Anka) Olsen is a senior scientist at NILU’s Health Effects Laboratory.

She is a molecular biologist with expertise in toxicology, with main areas of expertise in genetic toxicology, DNA damage and repair, mutagenesis, DNA sequencing, gene expression, epigenetics, endocrine effects and cancer, with special focus on male germ cells.

She has experience with models from bacteria, yeast, cell models (2C, 3D, stem cells), animal experiments and human cohort studies. She has established several state-of-the-art analysis methods, with a focus on the development of new methodologies, so-called NAMs (New Approach Methods), preferably according to the principle of SSbD (Safe and Sustainable by Design)

Anka started at NILU in 2024 after a long time at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in the Department of Chemical Toxicology as a research professor.

She has led several national and international projects and led the work package on “Biological effects” through 10 years for the Center of Excellence ( CoE/ RCN Sff) Center for Radioactivity, Humans and the Environment (CERAD; 2013-2023. Led by NMBU).

She has long experience in human risk assessment and regulatory toxicology, mainly of consumer products (expert for the European Chemicals Agency ECHA), and food. She is involved in several working groups in the OECD and has contributed to the development of standardized OECD tests for use in chemical regulation. She leads the OECD project for the revision of the in vivo comet assay (OECD Test guideline 489) to include analyses of male germ cells. She is part of the Scientific Committee for Food and the Environment (VKM), participates in several working groups in the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) and the International Workshops on Genotoxicity Testing (IWGT), and is president of the European Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society (EEMGS).

NILU’s Health Effects Laboratory is certified for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) for in vitro human toxicity testing and is the only facility in Norway with this certification for human health risk assessment. Recognized as one of Europe’s leading laboratories in nanotoxicology and nanosafety, it conducts cutting-edge research on genotoxicity, mutagenicity, in vitro carcinogenicity, endocrine effects using advanced cellular models (2D, 3D, organoids, stem cells) and exposure systems. The lab is contributing to regulatory science through frameworks such as Adverse Outcome Pathways (AOPs), Integrated Approaches to Testing and Assessment (IATA), Next Generation Risk Assessment (NGRA), and Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD).

Ann-Karin (Anka) Hardie Olsen has 14 publications at NILU:

Advancing Genotoxicity Assessment by Building a Global AOP Network

Demuynck, Emmanuel; Vanhaecke, Tamara; Thienpont, Anouck; Cappoen, Davie; Van Goethem, Freddy; Winkelman, L. M. T.; Beltman, Joost B.; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Marcon, Francesca; Bossa, Cecilia; Shaikh, Sanah M.; Nikolopoulou, Dimitra; Hatzi, Vasiliki; Pennings, Jeroen L A; Luijten, Mirjam; Adam-Guillermin, Christelle; Paparella, Martin; Audebert, Marc; Mertens, Birgit

2025

New Approach Methods (NAMs) for genotoxicity assessment of nano- and advanced materials; Advantages and challenges

Gutleb, Arno; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Stepnik, Maciej; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Wyrzykowska, Ewelina; Jagiello, Karolina; Judzinska, Beata; Cambier, Sebastien; Honza, Tatiana; McFadden, Erin; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Puzyn, Tomasz; Serchi, Tommaso; Weber, Pamina; Arnesdotter, Emma; Skakalova, Vier; Jirsova, Katerina; Grudzinski, Ireneusz; Collins, Andrew; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Dusinska, Maria

2025

Hazard characterization of the mycotoxins enniatins and beauvericin to identify data gaps and improve risk assessment for human health

Behr, Anne-Cathrin; Fæste, Christiane Kruse; Azqueta, Amaya; Tavares, Ana M.; Spyropoulou, Anastasia; Solhaug, Anita; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Vettorazzi, Ariane; Mertens, Birgit; Zegura, Bojana; Streel, Camille; Ndiaye, Dieynaba; Spilioti, Eliana; Dubreil, Estelle; Buratti, Franca Maria; Crudo, Francesco; Eriksen, Gunnar Sundstøl; Snapkov, Igor; Teixeira, João Paulo; Rasinger, Josef; Sanders, Julie; Machera, Kyriaki; Ivanova, Lada; Gaté, Laurent; Le Hegarat, Ludovic; Novak, Matjaz; Smith, Nicola Margareta; Tait, Sabrina; Fraga, Sónia; Hager, Sonja; Marko, Doris; Braeuning, Albert; Louro, Henriqueta; Silva, Maria João; Dirven, Hubert; Dietrich, Jessica

2025

Protokoll: Krav til konsekvensutredning ved planlegging av vindkraftprosjekter for å hindre forurensning av drikkevann

Alexander, Jan; Kvalem, Helen Engelstad; Mariussen, Espen; Schlabach, Martin; Steffensen, Inger-Lise Karin; Hannisdal, Rita; Ruus, Anders; Amlund, Heidi; Lisbeth, Dahl; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Samdal, Ingunn Anita; Knutsen, Helle Katrine

2025

Overview of methods for production of sterile salmonids, their applicability in aquaculture and possible implications to wild salmon populations and biodiversity in Norway

Hindar, Kjetil; Bodin, Johanna Eva; Dalen, Knut Tomas; Duale, Nur; Garseth, Åse Helen; Malmstrøm, Martin; Sipinen, Ville Erling; Thorstad, Eva Bonsak; Velle, Gaute; Berg, Paul Ragnar; Mo, Tor-Atle; Olesen, Ingrid; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Rimstad, Espen

2025

The ANALYST project: Strengthening the integrated approach of holistic impact assessments for Safe and Sustainable by design plastic value chain

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; SenGupta, Tanima; Rundén-Pran, Elise; El Yamani, Naouale; Dusinska, Maria; Lago, Ana; Ferreira, G.

2025

Development of PFAS-free coatings following a Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) approach – the PROPLANET project

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; McFadden, Erin; Honza, Tatiana; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Brochmann, Solveig; Verbič, Anja; Stres, Blaž; Novak, Uroš; Likozar, Blaž; Hudecova, Alexandra Misci; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Seif, Johannes P.; Dusinska, Maria; Rundén-Pran, Elise

2025

CompSafeNano project: NanoInformatics approaches for safe-by-design nanomaterials

Zouraris, Dimitrios; Mavrogiorgis, Angelos; Tsoumanis, Andreas; Saarimaki, Laura Aliisa; del Giudice, Giusy; Federico, Antonio; Serra, Angela; Greco, Dario; Rouse, Ian; Subbotina, Julia; Lobaskin, Vladimir; Jagiello, Karolina; Ciura, Krzesimir; Judzinska, Beata; Mikolajczyk, Alicja; Sosnowska, Anita; Puzyn, Tomasz; Gulumian, Mary; Wepener, Victor; Martinez, Diego S. T.; Petry, Romana; El Yamani, Naouale; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Shaposhnikov, Sergey; Minadakis, Vasileios; Tsiros, Periklis; Sarimveis, Harry; Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Sengupta, Tanima; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Skakalova, Viera; Hutar, Peter; Dusinska, Maria; Papadiamantis, Anastasios; Gheorghe, L. Cristiana; Reilly, Katie; Brun, Emilie; Ullah, Sami; Cambier, Sebastien; Serchi, Tommaso; Tamm, Kaido; Lorusso, Candida; Dondero, Francesco; Melagrakis, Evangelos; Fraz, Muhammad Moazam; Melagraki, Georgia; Lynch, Iseult; Afantitis, Antreas

2025

Comet in Germ Cells = CIG

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie

2024

The in vivo comet assay: uncovering DNA damage in testicular germ cells

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Zheng, Congying; Dahl, Hildegunn; Boisen, Anne Mette Zenner; Dirven, Yvette Carolina Anna; Brunborg, Gunnar; Eide, Dag Markus; Sharma, Anoop Kumar

2024

Embarking on decoding stem cells: ecNGS of hIPSCs exposed to environmental mutagens during trilineage differentiation using the ReproTracker assay

Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Cho, Eunnara; Stead, John; Meier, Matthew; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Hartvelt, Sabine; Jamalpoor, Amer; Hendriks, Giel; Duale, Nur; Yauk, Carole

2024

Can we identify safe(r) substitutes for PFAS coatings?

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Varsou, Dimitra Danai; McFadden, Erin; Ma, Xiaoxiong; Honza, Tatiana; SenGupta, Tanima; El Yamani, Naouale; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Brochmann, Solveig; Afantitis, Antreas; Dusinska, Maria; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Seif, Johannes P.; Del Real Torres, Alejandro

2024

Hazard assessment methodologies applicable to the SSbD framework: where we are

Longhin, Eleonora Marta; Murugadoss, Sivakumar; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; SenGupta, Tanima; Rundén-Pran, Elise; Dusinska, Maria

2024

Risikovurdering av grillet mat.

Kvalem, Helen Engelstad; Alexander, Jan; Bukhvalova, Barbara Alexandra; Dahl, Lisbeth; Knutsen, Helle Katrine; Olsen, Ann-Karin Hardie; Schlabach, Martin; Mariussen, Espen

2024

Strengthening the integrated approach of holistic impact assessments for Safe and Sustainable by Design plastic value chain (ANALYST)

ANALYST aims to accelerate the transition towards a safer and more sustainable industrial value chain while encouraging and expanding the existing knowledge on the safe and sustainable by design (SSbD) […]

Project period: 2024 – 2027

Ongoing

Enhanced Safe and Sustainable coatings for supporting the Planet (PROPLANET)

PROPLANET addresses novel coating materials solutions, tackling the problem from a sustainable-business perspective, enabling overcoming the barrier for environmental protection, safety, chemical improvements, and circular value chains. The main goal […]

Project period: 2023 – 2026

Ongoing