Niels Ødum

Niels Ødum is a Professor of Immunology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, where he holds a position in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology. He is also affiliated with the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center. With over 30 years of academic experience, Professor Ødum has established himself as a leading researcher in immunology, particularly in the areas of T-cell biology, lymphoma research, and immune signaling pathways.

Professor Ødum earned his MD from the University of Copenhagen in 1982 and his D.M.Sc. in 1989. His academic journey includes positions as Associate Professor at the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Copenhagen (1993), Senior Researcher at the Department for Clinical Immunology, Rigshospitalet (1992), and Visiting Research Fellow positions at Kyushu University in Japan (1991) and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle (1989).

Professor Ødum's research focuses on immunology with particular expertise in immune regulation, T cell lymphomas, cytokines, signal transduction, immune pathology, autoimmunity, allergy, transplantation, tumor immunology, and cancer. His work has made significant contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), including the role of bacterial toxins, particularly Staphylococcus aureus, in disease progression. He has pioneered research on microRNA profiling for diagnostic purposes in inflammatory skin disorders and identified novel therapeutic targets for CTCL treatment.

His extensive publication record exceeding 300 peer-reviewed papers demonstrates consistent high-impact research, with numerous publications in top-tier journals including Nature Immunology, Blood, PNAS, and Genes & Development. His work shows a clear trajectory from fundamental immunological mechanisms to translational applications, with recent emphasis on single-cell analysis, microbiome interactions in skin cancer, and diagnostic biomarker development.

Professor Ødum has received significant recognition for his work, with over 10,000 citations and an H-index of 58. His research has been supported by substantial funding, including a 10-year, 400 million DKK grant from the LEO Foundation for the Skin Immunology Research Center, a 15 million DKK grant for a Single Cell Sequencing Facility, and multiple recent grants from the Danish Cancer Society and Novo Nordisk Foundation.

As an educator and mentor, Professor Ødum has supervised more than 120 master's and PhD students, including numerous industrial PhD students from pharmaceutical and biotech companies. He initiated and developed the novel Master's Education in Immunology & Inflammation at the University of Copenhagen, which features unique collaboration between academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies in the Copenhagen area. He currently leads the "Inflammation & Cancer" research group, which comprises approximately 10 researchers including associate/assistant professors, postdocs, PhD students, and visiting scientists.

Professor Ødum maintains active collaborations with both academic and industry partners, serving as a scientific advisor to Micreos Human Health and previously to Mindera Corp. He has established international research networks focused on "Identification of novel therapeutic targets in T cell lymphoma" and "Bacterial toxins and anti-toxins in colon inflammation and Cancer." His laboratory work centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms of T-cell lymphomas, with particular focus on signal transduction pathways and the role of the skin microbiome in disease progression.