Grant recipient:
Professor William Winston Agace, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Project title:
Center for intestinal immune regulation (CIIR)

Brief description:
Crosstalk between immune cells and environmental signals from our diet and intestinal bacteria is essential for intestinal health. Alterations in this crosstalk can rewire immune cell function, contributing to the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Read more

Grant recipient:
Anne Ladegaard Skov, Department of Chemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Project title:
Soft wearables with high energy density: merging chemical biology and silicone chemistry with compliant active devices (WeArAble)

Brief description:
Wearables, e.g. smartwatches and trackers of various types, are increasingly becoming a more natural part of our lives, yet soft and compliant wearables in the shape of prosthetics and soft exoskeletons are far from being available as commodity products. Read more

Grant recipient:
Anja Boisen, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Project title:
EMGUT – Energy Materials for the GUT

Brief description:
There is a growing interest in the influence of our gut condition on our general health. The microorganisms in our gut (microbiota) are for example anticipated to have profound impact on progress and development of major human diseases, which include obesity, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, Inflammatory Bowel Disease and depression. Read more

Grant recipient:
Professor Daniel Otzen, iNANO, Aarhus University

Project title:
Center for enzymatic deconstruction of thermoset plastics for a sustainable society (En’Zync)

Brief description:
Among the strongest and most durable plastics exist a group called thermosets, used for wind turbines, airplanes, and insulation foams. Read more

Grant recipient:
Professor Per Halkjær Nielsen, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University

Project title:
Recovery of extracellular polymers from wastewater treatment residuals as a new circular biopolymer (REThiNk)

Brief description:
Activated sludge is the most widely used biological treatment process for wastewater, and it produces >10% of all biowaste in the western world. We present a new strategy for turning these biosolids into valuable biopolymers via extraction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) that are secreted from bacteria in the activated sludge. Read more

Grant recipient:
Professor Anne S. Meyer, Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark (DTU)

Project title:
SUgar Beet REvolution: Enzymatic Biorefining of Sugar Beet Pulp to Nutraceuticals and Recyclable Materials (SURE)

Brief description:
Sugar beet is one of the highest yielding crops in the Northern Hemisphere, with 2.5 million tons/year produced in Denmark alone. It is grown to produce sugar, but the fibrous pulp is rich in functional cellulose fibers and unique bioactive polysaccharides. Read more

Søren Husted, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Project title:

Biocompatible nanofertilizers for targeted delivery and programmed release of essential mineral ions in crops

Project description:

To take advantage of the most recent breakthroughs within phyto-nanotechnology, allowing exploration and production the first generation of foliar fertilizers based on smart nanomaterials, tailored to effectively penetrate the micro- and nanoporous leaf cuticle. Read more.

Sine Hadrup, Dept. of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark

Project title:

Nanomaterials for efficacious cancer immunotherapy: in vivo engineering of immune cells and tumor microenvironment

Project description:

To transform the logistically challenging, expensive and ineffective chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy into an ‘off-the-shelf’ in vivo modification strategy that can easily be tailored to the patients’ need. Read more

Nini Pryds, Department of Energy conversion and storage, Technical University of Denmark

Project title:

Ultra-sensitive Bio-Magnetometers with Macro to Nano Resolution (BIO-MAG)

Project description:

Aim: To create small, biocompatible, and lightweight magnetic sensors with femtotesla sensitivity, suitable for mapping neuronal activity in living organisms at room temperature using radically new smart materials. Read more

Michael Skipper Andersen, Aalborg University.

Project title:

Predictive, multi-scale, multi-factorial Mathematical modeling of Knee OsteoArthritis (MathKOA).

Project description:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease that causes degradation of the structures in the affected joint. The disease is the 6th most common cause of disability worldwide and causes mobility limitations, pain and reduced quality-of-life. OA is a multi-scale disease that is affected by factors on the body, joint, tissue and cell levels as well as pain. Read more

Daniel Merkle, University of Southern Denmark.

Project title:

“Mathematical Modelling for Microbial Community Induced Metabolic Diseases (MATOMIC)”.

Project description:

The obesity pandemic in westernised countries calls for novel therapeutic approaches in order to improve the life of affected individuals and to lower the societal burden. Changes in the composition of the microbiome, i.e., the mixture of microorganisms that live in the intestine and help humans to digest food, have been linked to the disease. Read more

Dennis Sandris Nielsen, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen

Project title:

PROFERMENT: Solid-state fermentations for protein transformations and palatability of plant-based foods

Project description:

A transition to a more plant-based diet is vital to feed the increasing world population while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and may also lead to better health. Read more

Marianne Nissen Lund, Department of Food Science, University of Copenhagen

Project title:

SEEDFOOD: Functional and palatable plant seed storage proteins for sustainable foods

Project description:

The project will transform plant seed protein – that today is being spent for feed – to high value food proteins, which can be used to substitute animal protein in foods, cover the future protein gap and lower the carbon food print. Read more.

Katja S. Johansen, Professor, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen

Project title:
Oxygen Constraints on Microbial Secretomes during Plant Cell Wall Turnover (OxyMiST).

Project description:
The project will investigate how oxygen contributes to the enzymatic breakdown of carbohydrate in the plant cell wall, thus enabling fungi to absorb nutrients. Specifically, the research will be based on two selected ecosystems: peat soil and wood. These ecosystems are especially interesting because much of the Earth’s carbon is stored in them and because the amount of available oxygen varies significantly in these conditions. Read more.

Per Gundersen, Professor, Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen

Project title:
Silva Nova – Restoring soil biology and soil functions to gain multiple benefits in new forests

Project description:
The research will focus on how to use afforestation as an instrument in combatting climate change by sequestering carbon in trees but also how to use the resulting forests as habitats for species that can help to strengthen biodiversity. The project will investigate whether inoculating former arable land with soil from old forests will make establishing new forests on agricultural land faster and more efficient. Read more.

Signe Normand, Professor, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Project title:
SustainScapes – Sustainable Solutions for Maintenance of Biodiversity and Production across Landscapes

Project description:
The research will help us to understand how changes in land use and climate conditions have historically affected biodiversity across Denmark. Based on the new knowledge, the project will develop tools to predict how and in which land areas restoring ecosystems in relation to agricultural production will most strongly affect biodiversity in the future. Read more.

Trine Bilde, Professor, Department of Biology, Aarhus University

Project title:
The Missing Link: Unravelling the Role of Genetic Variation of Beneficial Arthropods in Agro-ecosystems

Project description:
The grant will enable an ecological genetics research centre to be established that will investigate whether the dramatic decline observed in insect populations also contributes to loss of genetic diversity. The project will also examine how the interaction between the habitat needs of the insects and the use of natural land areas influences the genetic diversity of the insect populations. Read more.

Matthias Christandl, Professor, Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Copenhagen

Project title:
Quantum for Life

Project description:
The project aims to develop algorithmic strategies for the quantum simulation of biomolecules and thus enable the researchers to study, for example, long-range electron interactions. To achieve this, the research team will simultaneously develop an experimental quantum simulator platform comprising levitating atoms over a two-dimensional dielectric membrane. Read more.

Peter Lodahl, Professor, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen

Project title:
Solid-state quantum simulators for biochemistry (Solid-Q)

Project description:
The project is based on using and integrating two types of quantum simulation hardware to perform quantum mechanical calculations related to complex biomolecules. Read more.

Tine Rask Licht , Professor, Professor, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

Project description
In PRIMA, we want to explore the effect of diet from a different perspective, namely from your gut. We believe we can predict an individual’s response to a given diet based on fundamental factors such as pH and transit time in the gut, which govern the microbial responses. This way, we will develop better dietary advice tailored to a given person. Read more

Michael Broberg Palmgren , Professor, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
The NovoCrops project aims to lay the foundation for the next, sustainable green revolution that focuses on developing new sustainable crops adapted to challenging environments and capable of meeting future agricultural production demands. This will be achieved by domesticating wild, resilient plants and developing them into future crops. Read more

Hans Thordal-Christensen , Professor, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
We will work on barley and wheat attacked by the serious powdery mildew and yellow rust diseases. From the interaction of these pathogens and plants, we will exploit our recent insight on plant immunity processes for generating durable disease resistance, and we intend to uncover essential molecular details that will be useful for this. Read more

Lars Erik Larsen , Professor, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
This project will combine leading researchers with unique access to influenza isolates, laboratory techniques and data. Human and animal viruses will be characterized, with the aim of identifying both viral and host factors needed to cross the species barrier. Read more

Helle Krogh Johansen, Professor, Department of Clinical Microbiology, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
Bacterial infections, that persist despite the use of antibiotic therapy, constitute a serious and growing health care problem. In our project we will address the following questions: why do some infections persist, can markers for persistent infections be identified, and can treatment be improved? Read more

Romain Barrès, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
The grant will enable us to establish a scientific community with the potential to build bridges between several disciplines and expertise in epigenetics, physiology, chromatin structure, metabolism, comparative biology and bioinformatics. We hope to develop innovative strategies to improve the metabolic health of the coming generations by making recommendations related to lifestyle. Read more

Susanne Mandrup, Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense

Project description
We will use experimental and computer-based techniques to obtain a whole new understanding based on systems biology of how fat cells receive and respond to cellular signals. The goal is to understand how this signalling function varies with sex, genetic factors and the specific fat deposits and how changes in these signalling functions as obesity develops contribute to the pathophysiological effects of obesity. Read more

Sakari Kauppinen, Professor, Center for RNA Medicine, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Denmark

Project description
Our goal is to discover drugs for effective and safe inhibition of metabolic microRNAs and assess their therapeutic potential to treat NASH in highly relevant preclinical models of NASH. Furthermore, we will evaluate hepatic and circulating microRNAs in human samples as biomarkers for NASH. We believe that successful development of combined diagnostics and microRNA-targeted therapeutics has the potential to guide new treatment options for patients with NASH. Read more

Birthe Brandt Kragelund, Professor, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description
The project gathers internationally leading experts on intrinsically disordered proteins across a wide range of fields. They have the complementary expertise, scientific experience, flexibility and impact to create a conceptual basis for transforming protein chemistry and all related disciplines, including the health and medical sciences. Read more

Torben Heick Jensen, Professor, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark

Project description
Our genetic material, the genome, produces RNA that forms either proteins or independent RNA molecules. However, genomic DNA is hyperactive, and only a fraction of the RNA produced ends up being functional molecules. The rest degrade. Which molecular machines detect and remove inappropriate RNA so that the cells do not drown in their own molecular waste? This is the question that the Exo-Adapt research centre will focus on for the next 6 years. Read more

Kresten Lindorff-Larsen, Professor, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project description

The researchers will integrate computer-based biophysics, high-throughput protein chemistry and genome analysis to understand how changes in the genome affect protein biology and how this knowledge can be used to diagnose and ultimately treat people with diseases. Read more

Clive Sabel, Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University

Project description: Exposure to many environmental factors is damaging our health, but is illness a result of individual cases of high-risk exposure that can damage health or the result of slow accumulation throughout life? Read more

Morten Sommer, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark

Project description: Bacteria are naturally present in the human body and affect our health both positively and negatively. Despite their potential roles as targets for treating various diseases, manufacturing targeted medicine is still a major challenge. Read more

Søren Brunak, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen

Project description: The project uses big data thinking to study all diseases at once, and especially in which order hundreds of diseases occur in a lifelong perspective. This includes large quantities of data from healthy individuals, such as from blood donors in Denmark and abroad who have consented to their data being analysed. Read more

Kurt Gothelf, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Aarhus University

Project description: Most drugs used today have only one activation mechanism, and manufacturing drugs with several functions is both difficult and expensive. The aim of the project is to carry out research on new drugs with several activation mechanisms. Read more

Rudi Westendorp, Professor, Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen

Project description: The continuous increase in life expectancy and the numbers of years we spend with illness cause profound upheaval to all of us. Age is the most important risk factor for most chronic disorders, including diabetes, cancer and dementia, but it is not well understood why that is so. Read more

Dimitrios Stamou, Professor, Department of Chemistry, University of Copenhagen

Project description: Life on our planet emerged through the evolution of cells endowed with the ability to metabolize energy, grow, adapt and ultimately reproduce. Cells are composed of molecules positioned in complex arrangements that are critically important for life. Read more

Thomas Lars Andresen, Professor, Department of Micro- and Nanotechnology, Technical University of Denmark

Project: Insulin is a medicine that can only currently be administered by using syringes and needles. Injecting insulin causes great discomfort for many people, creates a risk of infection and often requires trained health personnel, which is expensive for society. Read more

Hanne Mørck Nielsen, Professor, Department of Pharmacy, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project: Many life-threatening diseases are controlled effectively by injecting peptide- and protein-based drugs known as biopharmaceuticals. Read more

Tilmann Weber, Senior Researcher, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability, Technical University of Denmark

Project: Antibiotic resistance is increasing, and new antibiotics are desperately needed to combat infections. The project group will use innovative screening technologies to identify new potential antibiotics and the genes that code for their biosynthesis. Read more

Peter Eigil Nielsen, Professor, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen

Project: This project will use new strategies to develop specific antibiotics to combat the serious and growing threat to health arising from infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Read more

Frank Møller Aarestrup, Professor, National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark

Project: Effectively reducing the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and using the best antibiotics requires knowledge based on continually monitoring the prevalence and spread of different types of antibiotic resistance globally. Read more

Torben Hansen, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Project: The portal vein transports metabolites produced by the human gut microbiota directly to the liver, and these may play a role in developing several liver diseases. Read more

Fredrik Bäckhed, Professor, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Wallenberg Laboratory for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Research, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden

Project: Evidence indicates that the bacterial flora in the human gastrointestinal tract substantially influences metabolism and development of cardiometabolic diseases. Nevertheless…. Read more

Juleen Zierath, Professor and Scientific Director, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen; and Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

Project description: Physical activity has a documented positive effect in preventing and treating type 2 diabetes. But does it make a difference when we exercise? This is one question international collaboration will address by examining the extent to which and how the body’s circadian rhythm influences the ability of muscles to take up and metabolize sugar from the blood and the effects of exercise in relation to type 2 diabetes. Read More

Peter Rossing, Senior Principal Investigator and Head of Complications Research, Steno Diabetes Center

Project description: Diabetes is often associated with impaired kidney function, a complication that can develop into kidney failure. No effective treatment has been discovered so far. The project proposes international collaboration on state-of-the-art screening of many biological markers in blood, urine and gut flora taken from patients with impaired kidney function. Read more

Thue W. Schwartz, Professor and Scientific Director, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen

Project description: The body’s metabolism is regulated somewhat by hormones produced by cells located in the gut wall that detect both the nutrients present in the gut and components that circulate in the blood. Read more

Troels Staehelin Jensen Clinical Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University

Project description: Diseases of the nervous system that result in pain symptoms, nerve damage, numbness and often amputation comprise some of the most significant personal and economic complications associated with diabetes. Read more