The faculty awards fully funded PhD scholarships to 11 researchers

A fully funded PhD scholarship covers three years’ salary and study expenses. Seven of the faculty’s new PhD students are affiliated with the Department of Clinical Medicine, while four are affiliated with the Department of Biomedicine.

Ten students receive full faculty scholarships, while one receives a fully integrated PhD scholarship, also known as a 4+4 scheme, where the student begins the PhD programme one year into their master’s degree and completes the final part of the degree as part of the PhD.

The new PhD students are:

Sissel Brandt Toft Sørensen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘From Obesity to Diabetes and Its Outcomes: The Impact of Glucocorticoid Use and Mental Health on the Clinical Course’
Supervisor: Professor Lars Pedersen
About the project: Sissel Brandt Toft Sørensen investigates how treatment with glucocorticoids affects the progression from obesity and prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. Using Danish registers and health data, she will, among other things, examine how mental health and lifestyle interact with increased metabolic risk. The results may contribute to better identification of vulnerable patient groups and more targeted monitoring.

Louise Nyrup Odgaard, Department of Biomedicine
Title: ‘Extracellular vesicles in kidney disease’
Supervisor: Professor Robert A. Fenton
About the project: Louise Nyrup Odgaard investigates whether small membrane particles in urine, known as extracellular vesicles, can be used to detect chronic kidney disease earlier and predict how the disease develops. Among other things, she will test whether the vesicles can reveal damage to the tubular cells of the kidneys and point to new biomarkers. The results are intended to contribute to more precise and less invasive diagnostics before kidney damage becomes irreversible.

Natasja Patricia Simonsen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘Klotrin peptides as a novel anti-fibrotic therapeutic against chronic kidney disease’
Supervisor: Professor Rikke Nørregaard
About the project: Natasja Patricia Simonsen investigates a potential new treatment for chronic kidney disease. She tests small protein-like molecules called peptides, which are intended to slow down the formation of scar tissue in the kidneys that can gradually impair kidney function. The aim is to develop a treatment that can help patients preserve kidney function for longer.

Lasse von Bornemann Fløe, Department of Biomedicine
Title: ‘Development of Personalized AND-Gate CAR-T Cell Therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia’
Supervisor: Associate Professor Rasmus Bak
About the project: Lasse von Bornemann Fløe is developing a new form of personalised immunotherapy to treat acute myeloid leukaemia. Using CRISPR technology, he will produce so-called CAR-T cells that are only activated when they recognise two specific markers on cancer cells. This may make the treatment more precise and reduce the risk of healthy stem cells in the bone marrow being attacked.

Sophie Kjerstein Kristensen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘Improving Diagnosis and Treatment in Patients with Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction’
Supervisor: Clinical Professor Evald Høj Christiansen
About the project: Sophie Kjerstein Kristensen investigates how diagnosis and treatment can be improved for patients with a specific type of heart attack called non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. In the project, she compares cardiac MRI with detailed images of the coronary arteries in order to identify the cause of the heart attack and assess the vulnerability of atherosclerotic plaques. The project may contribute to more precise treatment of patients with myocardial infarction.

Jonas Kabel Houmøller Kristensen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘Investigating molecular and cellular drivers of tumor growth rate in colorectal cancer’
Supervisor: Professor Claus Lindbjerg Andersen
About the project: Jonas Kabel Houmøller Kristensen investigates why recurrent colorectal cancer tumours grow at very different rates after treatment. He will analyse data from 435 patients with recurrent colorectal cancer and use advanced analyses of DNA, RNA and proteins to examine what distinguishes the most aggressive tumours from the slow-growing ones. The project is intended to provide new knowledge about the biological mechanisms behind aggressive tumour growth and improve risk assessment of patients.

Hans Christian Rasmussen, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘Fracture-related infection - Insights from a novel porcine FRI model’
Supervisor: Clinical Professor Jan Duedal Rölfing
About the project: Hans Christian Rasmussen is developing a new porcine model to investigate infections following bone fractures. Among other things, the project will test prophylactic antibiotic treatment and the effect of surgical debridement in cases of infection. The aim is to create a model that can be used in clinical work to improve treatment and prevent infections in patients with bone fractures.

Usama Sikandar, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘Subacute transoesophageal echocardiography-guided cardioversion of atrial fibrillation or flutter in midazolam vs. propofol sedation: a randomised clinical trial (CARDIOZOLAM)’
Supervisor: Professor Morten Schmidt
About the project: Usama Sikandar investigates whether a simpler form of sedation can make the treatment of patients with heart rhythm disorders faster and less resource-intensive. In a randomised trial, he compares the effect of the drug midazolam, administered by cardiologists, with current practice, where anaesthesiologists administer the drug propofol. The project may have implications for patient experience, resource use and future clinical practice.

Sofie Rask, Department of Biomedicine
Title: ‘OTOPIA (Organoid Treatment-Optimized Prediction in Inflammatory Arthritis): Can a synovial organoid model predict treatment responses in inflammatory arthritis?’
Supervisor: Associate Professor Tue Wenzel Kragstrup
About the project: Sofie Rask will develop a 3D tissue model that can predict which patients with inflammatory arthritis will benefit from specific treatments. In the project, she compares 3D models of the synovial membrane, created from patients’ own cells, with more traditional cell models and clinical treatment outcomes. The aim is to create a tool that can make treatment choices more individualised and precise.

Lea Tybirk, Department of Clinical Medicine
Title: ‘AI-based risk prediction of multiple myeloma’
Supervisor: Clinical Associate Professor Anders Mønsted Abildgaard
About the project: Lea Tybirk is developing artificial intelligence-based models that can predict the risk of multiple myeloma in people with a detected M-protein in the blood. Today, many low-risk patients are referred and monitored unnecessarily, while some high-risk patients are not identified early enough. The project is intended to contribute to earlier diagnosis and more targeted follow-up in blood cancer.

Recipient of a fully integrated PhD scholarship (4+4 scheme):

Jakob Østergaard Thuesen, Department of Biomedicine
Title: ‘Agranular Insular Cortex to Lateral Septum Connectivity in Immunoception and Affective Homeostasis’
Supervisor: Associate Professor Anna Mathia Klawonn
About the project: Jakob Østergaard Thuesen investigates how the brain may help protect against mental health consequences after the body has been affected by inflammation. He focuses on the interaction between two brain regions, the agranular insular cortex and the lateral septum, which may influence emotional balance. Using mouse models and analyses of genes, proteins and the brain’s immune cells, the project is intended to provide new knowledge about mechanisms that may be relevant to depression and mental vulnerability.