Konstantinos Kalogeropoulos is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), leading research at the Cell Diversity Lab. His work bridges proteomics, computational biology, and snake venom research. Current projects: "The Proteomic Landscape during Influenza Infection" (2022-2025) Supervisor for PhD projects on protease network rewiring in psoriasis and wound exudate degradomics Research interests include: Proteomic analysis of inflammatory diseases Snake venom toxin structure prediction Extracellular matrix biomechanics De novo peptide sequencing algorithms Computational modeling of protease networks Recent article trends demonstrate his work in • Database-free proteomics (InstaNovo/InstaNexus) • Snake venom pathophysiology (V-ToCs clustering) • Inflammatory disease biomarkers (psoriasis, impaired healing) • Extracellular matrix mechanics (fibronectin tension, gut inflammation) Advising: Supervises PhD students Polhaus, C. J. M. and Haack, A. M., focusing on protease networks and wound healing.
Ala Trusina is an Associate Professor at the Niels Bohr Institute , University of Copenhagen , specializing in Biocomplexity and Biophysics . Her research integrates coarse-grained modeling to study complex biological systems. Key Research Areas Stress Response Systems (diabetes, aging, cancer, inflammation) Stem Cell Differentiation (cell fate coordination, reversibility of states) Complex Systems (species coexistence, epidemics, CRISPR-phage interactions) Methodologies Theoretical: Agent-based modeling, in-silico simulations Experimental: Quantitative single-cell imaging, RNA/protein profiling Collaborations Joshua Brickman (ES cells), Anne Grapin-Botton (pancreas), Feroz Papa (diabetes), Else Kai Hoffman (p53 dynamics) Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen (inflammation), Savas Tay (spatio-temporal regulation) Teaching Physics of Molecular Diseases Numerical Methods in Physics
Professor Peter Højrup is affiliated with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Southern Denmark, focusing on protein structure and function through advanced biochemical techniques such as mass spectrometry and chemical cross-linking. His research spans biomedical mass spectrometry, systems biology, and proteomics, with a particular emphasis on endoplasmic reticulum proteins like calreticulin and calnexin. Education: PhD in Molecular Biology (1986, Odense University), MSc in Molecular Biology (major) and Chemistry (minor) (1982, University of Aarhus) His research interests include: Developing methods for determining protein 3D structures and interactions via chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry. Fast glycosylation analysis of immunoglobulins and cancer markers. De novo proteomics of fish mucus proteins. The articles highlight trends in mass spectrometry applications, structural biology, and glycosylation studies, with recent work on SARS-CoV-2 epitope mapping, therapeutic antibody characterization, and host cell protein quantitation. Supervision includes training postdocs, PhD, MSc, and BSc students, though specific student names are not provided.
Jan Baumbach is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), where he leads cutting-edge research at the intersection of computer science, bioinformatics, and biomedical data science. His work integrates machine learning, network biology, and systems medicine to address complex challenges in health and disease. His research interests include Bioinformatics , Machine Learning , Gene Regulatory Networks , Drug Repositioning , Biomedical AI , and Computational Biology . He applies advanced computational methods to analyze large-scale biological data, with applications in cancer, metabolic diseases, dermatology, and infectious diseases. The 15 most recent publications highlight a strong trend toward biomedical artificial intelligence , network-based analysis , and translational bioinformatics . His work spans from foundational machine learning in healthcare to clinical applications in osteoarthritis, bone regeneration, and skin biology. A consistent theme is the integration of multi-omics data and the development of privacy-preserving federated learning frameworks for distributed healthcare systems. Jan Baumbach has been principal investigator on several major research projects, including: EU Horizon2020: Privacy-preserving federated machine learning in distributed healthcare Danish National Research Foundation: ATLAS Center for Functional Genomics of Tissue Plasticity Villum Foundation: Big Data Bioinformatics (Young Investigator Programme) Carlsberg Foundation: Computational profiling of bacterial volatile metabolomes (ProVol) He has supervised 13 PhD students and has an extensive publication record of 262 works. His research has been featured in high-profile media outlets, emphasizing the societal impact of drug repositioning and AI in medicine. He leads a research group focused on computational systems biology , with strong collaborations across Europe in the fields of genomics, metabolomics, and clinical data science.
Svend Birkelund is a Professor and Head of Research Group in the Department of Health Science and Technology at Aalborg University, Faculty of Medicine. His academic work is centered on medical microbiology and immunology, with a strong emphasis on molecular bacterial pathogenesis. Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc), Aarhus University, 1992 PhD, University of Aarhus, 1989 MD, University of Copenhagen, 1983 His research focuses on how pathogenic bacteria such as Chlamydia trachomatis and Klebsiella pneumoniae interact with the human immune system, particularly the complement system and innate immune responses. His recent work explores serum resistance mechanisms, leukocyte migration via aquaporins, and biomarker discovery in inflammatory joint diseases. He contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and well-being. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong trend in immunology and microbiology, with increasing use of proteomics and systems biology approaches. His work spans fundamental host-pathogen interactions, clinical immunology, and translational applications in diagnostics and therapy. He has contributed to significant research projects, including: Elimination of microorganisms by the innate immune system (Obel Family Foundation) Biomarkers in Osteoarthritis Interleukin-1 in inflammatory diseases Analysis of citrullinated peptides in autoimmune triggers His datasets on proteomic analysis of synovial fluid and complement deposition on Chlamydia are publicly available. He has supervised multiple PhD students and is frequently engaged in public discourse on antibiotic-resistant bacteria through media appearances. He is actively involved in interdisciplinary collaborations and leads a research group focused on advancing understanding of infectious and inflammatory diseases through molecular and immunological approaches.
Aria Aminzadeh is a Part-Time Lecturer at Roskilde University's Department of Science and Environment. Her research focuses on Clostridioides difficile vaccines and toxin biochemistry. She collaborates internationally on projects involving toxin structure analysis and adjuvant development. Her work includes evaluating vaccine safety in animal models and optimizing toxin production protocols. Key contributions involve detoxification methods using copper ion-catalyzed oxidation and structural studies of toxin A via cryo-EM.
Jakob Møller-Jensen is an Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark. With a PhD in his field, he maintains an active research program with 67 publications to date and leads departmental operations. His research focuses on molecular microbiology with emphasis on host-pathogen interactions and pathogenic bacteria. His work primarily investigates Escherichia coli and uropathogenic strains, examining their behavior in urinary tract infections, plasmid dynamics, and bacterial morphology changes during infection processes. His research fingerprint shows strong expertise in Escherichia coli (100%), Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli (95%), Urinary Tract infections (43%), Plasmid biology (43%), RNA mechanisms (31%), Fimbria (31%), Gene Expression (29%), and Caenorhabditis Elegans models (27%). Analysis of his recent publications reveals a consistent focus on bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms, particularly how E. coli adapts to host environments, with special attention to urinary tract infections, bacterial morphology changes, and antibiotic resistance mechanisms. His work bridges fundamental molecular microbiology with clinical implications for infection treatment. Dr. Møller-Jensen has been involved in teaching Chemistry, Biology and Molecular Biology courses from 2009-2019, and has participated in numerous academic activities including conferences, workshops, and seminars. His collaborative network spans multiple countries and research institutions. His current research projects include significant funding from Lundbeckfonden on cellular senescence in cancer (2024-2029), NANOCHEM for ultrahigh resolution chemical characterization (2022-2028), metabolic regulation of mammalian DNA replication (2021-2026), and gut bacteria as biomarkers for colorectal cancer (2023-2025).
Rafael Pinilla-Redondo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Copenhagen's Faculty of Science, where he leads the Bacterial Immunity research group within the Section of Microbiology. His laboratory, located at Universitetsparken 15 in Copenhagen, focuses on the molecular mechanisms of bacterial defense systems against phages. His research interests center on bacterial immunity, particularly how CRISPR-Cas and other bacterial immune systems evolve and function. He investigates the molecular mechanisms driving these complex systems to answer fundamental biological questions and develop novel biotechnologies. His work spans phage biology, molecular evolution, molecular biology, and genetics, with a specific emphasis on bacterial defense mechanisms against viral threats. Dr. Pinilla-Redondo's recent publications demonstrate significant contributions to understanding bacterial immune systems, particularly CRISPR-Cas variants, retrons, and other defense mechanisms. His research shows strong trends in structural biology approaches to understanding immune system function, with increasing focus on the supramolecular organization of defense complexes and their evolutionary implications. Villum Young Investigator grant (2023) His laboratory maintains active collaborations across multiple institutions, as evidenced by the international authorship on his publications. The lab has developed specialized software tools including CRISPR-Cas Typer for automated identification of CRISPR-Cas loci, Plasmid Network for exploring the global plasmidome, and Hoodini (coming soon) for genome neighborhood visualization. His work has received significant attention, with multiple papers picked up by news outlets, blogged about, and widely shared on social media platforms. The Pinilla-Redondo Lab is part of the vibrant microbiology research community at the University of Copenhagen, focusing on the evolutionary arms race between bacteria and their viral predators.
Lars Rønn Olsen serves as a Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. He maintains dual affiliation with the Skin Immunology Research Center, where his work bridges experimental immunology and computational approaches to address complex immune challenges. His research concentrates on Immunology , Microbiology , and Computational Immunology , with specialized focus on vaccine response prediction. Recent work examines computational models for Bordetella pertussis vaccination immunity, integrating multi-omics data to forecast immune outcomes. This positions him at the intersection of theoretical immunology and practical vaccinology applications. Current research trends reveal strong emphasis on collaborative computational validation frameworks, as demonstrated by his 2025 PLOS Computational Biology publication involving 40+ international researchers. The work establishes standardized testing protocols for immune modeling, signaling growing interdisciplinary convergence in immunoinformatics. As a core member of the Skin Immunology Research Center, he contributes to investigations of cutaneous immune mechanisms, though specific lab structures or team compositions remain undocumented in available sources.
Allan Stensballe is an Associate Professor at Aalborg University's Department of Health Science and Technology, affiliated with The Faculty of Medicine. His research focuses on translational pain neuroscience and precision health, particularly in biomarker discovery and proteomics. He leads projects such as the Danish C-HPP node under HUPO and the PLATO National Platform for Proteomics and Biomedical Imaging. His work integrates clinical and basic science to address autoimmune diseases, infectious disorders, and transgender health. Key research interests include proteomic profiling of inflammatory conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis), autoantibody-driven diagnostics, and translational applications of proteomics in precision medicine. He has contributed to studies on biomarkers for prosthetic joint infections, gender-affirming hormone therapy outcomes, and microbial pathogenesis (e.g., Klebsiella pneumoniae). Dr. Stensballe has secured funding for 24 active and completed projects, including collaborations with industry partners via EUROSTARS. His publications span 238 peer-reviewed articles, emphasizing biomarker discovery, proteomics, and clinical translational research. He actively contributes to conferences, serves on review committees, and supervises 7 PhD students. His work aligns with UN SDGs related to health and well-being (SDG 3) and partnerships for the goals (SDG 17). Labs/Teams: Translational Pain Neuroscience and Precision Health (TPNP) group, Neuroboost initiative.
Ruggero La Rosa is a Visiting Senior Researcher at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability within the DTU Microbes Initiative at Technical University of Denmark . His research focuses on the evolutionary adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients, antimicrobial resistance, and host-pathogen interactions. Research Themes : Bacterial evolution, metabolomics, pathogenicity reduction, ribosomal mutations, and clinical microbiology. Collaborations : Works with institutions like the University of Copenhagen and cystic fibrosis clinics. Recent Trends : Analyzes genomic and metabolic changes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic infections, emphasizing antimicrobial resistance mechanisms such as macrolide and aminoglycoside resistance. Advising : Supervised B. H. Pedersen in a PhD project on CF airway adaptation. Public Engagement : Regularly presents at conferences on topics like bacterial metabolic rewiring and antibiotic resistance.
Daniel Midjord-Belstrøm is a Professor at the Department of Odontology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, specializing in Clinical Oral Microbiology. His academic journey includes a DDS in 2009, PhD in 2014, and dr. odont in 2018, all from the University of Copenhagen. He has progressed through academic ranks from Assistant Professor (2015-2018) to Associate Professor (2018-2023) and currently serves as Professor since 2023. His educational background includes: Doctor Odontologiae (dr. odont), University of Copenhagen (2018) PhD, University of Copenhagen (2014) Dentist (DDS), Jus practicandi (2010) Cand. odont, University of Copenhagen (2009) Daniel Midjord-Belstrøm's primary research focuses on using contemporary molecular methods for characterization of the oral microbiome and the host response in oral and general health and disease. His work aims to evaluate the potential of using oral biomarkers for identification of oral and systemic diseases at preclinical stages. His specific research interests include oral biofilms in oral health and disease, oral microbiome composition with systemic health and disease, multi-omics characterization of biofilms, influence of host genetics on microbiome composition, and probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotics. His research portfolio shows a strong emphasis on the connections between oral health and systemic conditions, particularly diabetes. His recent publications demonstrate expertise in salivary biomarkers, oral microbiome analysis, and the impact of interventions like probiotics on oral microbial communities. The work often employs advanced techniques including proteomics, metaproteomics, and multi-omics approaches to characterize oral biofilms and their relationship to health and disease. Daniel Midjord-Belstrøm has received several awards and honors including: 2019: Zendium Research Award 2017: Bagger-Sørensen Foundation Research Talent Award 2016: Award for best original paper published in 2016 in Oral Diseases (IF: 2.0) 2009: Colgate Award for highest grade point average, University of Copenhagen He actively supervises students at various levels, serving as primary supervisor for 4 PhD students (2 current, 2 former), primary co-supervisor for 4 PhD students (2 current, 2 former), and overseeing numerous bachelor's and master's projects as well as pregraduate research scholars. His teaching responsibilities include theoretical courses in oral microbiology and periodontology, laboratory courses in clinical oral microbiology, and clinical instruction in periodontology. Daniel Midjord-Belstrøm is involved in multiple research collaborations with high-profile international institutions including the Singapore Centre on Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Forsyth Institute, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, University of Turku, as well as national centers like the Costerton Biofilm Center, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center Basic Metabolic Research, and the Globe Institute. He serves on editorial boards for journals including Nutrients, Journal of Oral Microbiology, and Acta Odontologica Scandinavia, and has secured significant research funding from sources including the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Innovation Fund Denmark.
Nafsika Panagiotopoulou serves as an External PhD Student and Guest Researcher within the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen, actively contributing to the Skin Immunology Research Center and NIVI Research initiatives. Her institutional contact details include phone number +4535326904 and email nafsika@sund.ku.dk, with offices located at Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N. Her research program centers on host-pathogen interactions in cutaneous immunity, specifically investigating bacterial subversion of T-cell responses. Key interests include Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis, immune checkpoint manipulation (particularly PD-1 pathways), and bacterial immunomodulation mechanisms within skin tissue microenvironments. This work bridges clinical microbiology and adaptive immunology to address infectious disease challenges. Analysis of her publication record reveals a focused trajectory in bacterial immunoevasion strategies, with her 2023 mBio article establishing Staphylococcus aureus-mediated T-cell suppression through PD-1 engagement. This research contributes to broader fields of infectious disease therapeutics and immunotherapy development, emphasizing translational applications for skin infections. As an integral member of the Skin Immunology Research Center, Panagiotopoulou participates in multidisciplinary investigations of cutaneous immune responses, supporting the center's mission to advance understanding of skin barrier immunity and develop novel interventions for immune-mediated skin disorders.
Kerstin Skovgaard is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine , Technical University of Denmark . Her work focuses on antiviral immunology with emphasis on zoonotic influenza viruses and metabolic syndrome's impact on infection severity . She develops translational animal models for innate immune research in respiratory infections and post-traumatic conditions . Research Interests Antiviral Immunology of influenza A viruses and PEDV Metabolic Syndrome and obesity-related immunity Translational models for respiratory diseases and gut-brain axis miRNA profiling in equine osteoarthritis and porcine infections Immunomodulatory diets with algae and probiotics Biomarker discovery through proteomics and RT-qPCR Scientific Contributions include 202+ publications across influenza , gut immunity , and joint inflammation . Her recent 15 articles demonstrate expertise in porcine models for human diseases , with emphasis on innate immune responses , miRNA dynamics , and metabolic-immune interactions . Supervision includes PhD students : J. Pina Agullet B. L. Henriksen C. J. M. Polhaus H. A. Laybourn C. López-Figueroa Methodologies encompass microfluidic qPCR , RNA-Seq , and advanced in vitro systems . Her research supports UN Sustainable Development Goals through cost-efficient diagnostics and therapeutic development .
Associate Professor Rune Busk Damgaard (PhD, University of Copenhagen) is affiliated with the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) , leading the Ubiquitin Signalling and Inflammation research group. His work bridges ubiquitin biology , cell signaling , and inflammatory disease , with a focus on innate immunity , cancer , and metabolic regulation . PhD, Center for Protein Research, University of Copenhagen (2011–2013) MSc and BSc in Molecular Biomedicine, University of Copenhagen Research Interests Ubiquitin signaling in inflammation and innate immunity Post-translational modification of proteins AMPK regulation under metabolic stress Aggrephagy and protein homeostasis in neurodegeneration Role of ubiquitin in inflammatory diseases and cancer Publication Trends (15 most recent): His articles explore ubiquitin linkage specificity , linear ubiquitin in immune signaling , AMPK metabolic pathways , and protein aggregate degradation . Collaborations span Cambridge , Oxford , and DTU , with applications in neurodegenerative diseases , cancer , and inflammatory disorders . Advising & Collaborative Networks Main supervisor for 5 PhD projects on ubiquitin signaling and metabolic regulation Peer reviewer for Cell Death and Differentiation , Biochemical Journal , and EMBO Journal Collaborations with institutions in UK , Germany , and Denmark