Hjalte List Larsen

Hjalte List Larsen serves as Assistant Professor and Senior Researcher in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. He is affiliated with both the reNEW research center and the Jensen Lab, where he leads investigations into intestinal development, disease mechanisms, and regenerative processes using advanced 3D organoid models.

Dr. Larsen's research program focuses on understanding cell state transitions during intestinal development and disease progression. His laboratory characterizes the emergence of intestinal stem cells and investigates the transcriptional and epigenetic regulators that facilitate progressive maturation in the intestinal epithelium. A groundbreaking aspect of his work demonstrates that adult intestinal epithelium undergoes transient reprogramming to a fetal-like state during wound repair, establishing a critical link between developmental biology and regenerative medicine.

Employing an integrated approach that combines organoid cultures with next-generation sequencing, single-cell RNA-seq, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, proteomics, and functional assays both in vitro and in vivo, Dr. Larsen aims to develop innovative treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel disease. His research has revealed key molecular pathways, including YAP signaling and mesenchymal asporin regulation, that govern intestinal maturation and regeneration.

Dr. Larsen's laboratory within the Jensen Lab at the University of Copenhagen maintains extensive collaborations across multiple disciplines, as evidenced by publications in high-impact journals including Nature, Cell Stem Cell, Science Advances, and Cell Systems. His work has received significant attention, with several publications generating substantial social media engagement and news coverage, particularly his 2018 Cell Stem Cell paper on YAP/TAZ-dependent reprogramming which has garnered over 480 citations and 700 downloads.