Focus Areas for Research

The most important focus areas for research by the centres and departments are briefly described below:

• The Abdominal Centre
• The Centre of Diagnostic Investigations
• The Finsen Centre
• The Heart Centre
• The Centre of Head and Orthopaedics
• The Juliane Marie Centre
• The Neuroscience Centre
• The Nordic Cochrane Center and Copenhagen Trial Unit
• UCSF - University Hospitals Centre for Nursing and Care Research
• CEKU - Centre for Clinical Education

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The Abdominal Centre

Department of Anaesthesia and Operation
Human circulatory physiology
Monitoring of central blood volume
Peri-operative patho-physiology
Cerebral blood flow and metabolism
Post-operative pains after breast surgery
Targeted fluid therapy
Reduction of peri-operative loss of blood

Department of Hepatology
Treatment of acute liver failure
Patho-physiology in connection with liver failure and encephalopathy
Development of liver replacement therapy
Liver gene expression of acute-phase reaction regarding effects of liver damage
Endotoxin determined cholestasis
Treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C
Haemodynamic effects in connection with chronic liver disease
Treatment of alcoholic hepatitis and hepatorenal syndrome

Intensive Care Unit 

Patho-physiology in connection with critical illness
Human experimental models for critical illness
Brain patho-physiology
Blood supply and metabolism of the brain
Muscle stimulation of critically ill patients
Markers for haemostasis
Colonic barrier function
Genetic epidemiology
Inhalation treatment of critically ill patients

Department of Vascular Surgery

Secondary Prevention and pharmacological treatment of patients with peripheral arterial disesase (PAD)

Cerebral perfusion and carotid artery disease

Development of diagnostic ultrasound in patients with cerebrovascular disease and PAD

Endovascular treatment of abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysms

Department of Surgery
Gastrointestinal endocrinology
Gastroenterologic cancers
Inflammatory intestinal diseases
Organ transplantations
Gastroenterologic endoscopy
Surgical children’s diseases

Department of Medical Gastroenterology

The patophysiological consequences of short bowel syndrome. Human experimental studies aiming to improve intestinal function in patients with intestinal insufficiency and failure. Treatment with intestinotrophic agents.

Studies of body composition and bone mineral density in patients with intestinal disorders.

Epidemiological cohort studies of complications in relation to enteral and parenteral nutrition.

Biological agents in the treatment of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Department of Nephrology & Endocrinology

Calciummetabolic disturbances in uremia

Parathyroid regulation

Uremia and atherosclerosis

Prevention of chronic uremia

Clinical & experimental transplantation

Post transplant diabetes and bone disease

Acute and chronic dialysis

Microalbuminuria/endothelial cell dysfunction.         

Diabetic nephropathy

Diabetes and endstage uremia

Diabetes and pregnancy

Growth hormone and uremia

Growth hormone and pituitary insufficiency

Pituitary gland and thyroid

Pituitary insufficiency and brain damage

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy

Thyroid and quality of life

Evaluation of endocrine tests

Cytokines/milieu factors and endocrine function in vitro

Fabry disease

Department of Urology
Physiology and patho-physiology of the bladder and urethra
Male infertility
Urological oncology
Urological symptoms after spinal cord injury



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The Centre of Diagnostic Investigation

Infectious Hygiene Unit
Development of bacterial resistance to antibiotics
Quality control of flexible endoscopes
Quality control of haemodialysis apparatus
Nosocomial, gastrointestinal infections
Quality control of respirators
Typing of multi-resistant bacteria
Spread of MRSA

Clinical Physiology, Nuclear Medicine & PET

Molecular imaging
PET and PET/CT in oncology
Examination of children
Radioactive marking of stem cells
Nuclear cardiology and neuro-endocrinology
Neuro PET
Examination of the lungs, particularly mucociliary clearance and SPECT
Treatment with radio-nuclides (local radiotherapy)
Whole-body counting with regard to body composition and absorption of minerals

Department of Clinical Biochemistry
Expression regulation and biologically active peptides
Diagnostics of disease genes
Vascular biology
Transcription factors in cell growth and differentiation
Transgenic mice as disease models
Transgenic mouse models for signal transduction pathways
Disease mechanism in connection with leukaemia
Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay: a genomic monitoring system
RNA biology

Department of Clinical Pharmacology
Clinical pharmacology: DNA repair and oxidative damage and ageing. Pharmaco-epidemiology.

Drug compliance

Molecular biological markers for drug effects. Rational pharmaco-therapy.
Quality control: Drug prescription, audit of bed-consuming departments. Register studies (Statistics Denmark drug database).

Department of Clinical Immunology, Blood Bank

Recombinant antibodies
Genomic blood grouping
Erythrocyte chimerism
Immune reconstitution after bone marrow transplantation
Cultivation and use of mesenchymal stem cells
Cellular therapy
Optimisation of massive blood transfusion treatment
Immunological aspects of HIV and malaria infections
Molecular biological and animal experimental research in cytokines
Diagnostics of viral infections transmittable in connection with transfusions

Department of Clinical Immunology, Tissue Typing Laboratory
Immunogenetics in connection with infection, autoallergy and allergies
Characterisation of immune defects
Molecular genetic and biological aspects regarding the adaptive immune system
Molecular genetic and biological aspects regarding the innate immune system
Molecular genetic and biological aspects regarding malignant haematological diseases

Department of Clinical Microbiology
Pathogenesis, prophylaxis and treatment of P. aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis patients
Immunology of parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis and malaria as well as the development of drugs
Pathogenesis and immunology of Helicobacter pylori infection
Diagnostics and molecular biology of parvovirus B-19, RSV and the measles virus
Diagnostics, epidemiology and organic aspects of Clostridium difficile

Department of Pathology
Clinical oncological pathology
Experimental pathology and molecular cancer therapy
Transplantation pathology/immunology, including diabetes
Neuro-degenerative diseases
Reproduction/foetal pathology

Department of Diagnostic Radiology

Mammography screening

MR spectroscopy

Endoluminal UL sonography

Contrast agents and UL sonography in tumour characterisation

Image fusion: UL, CT, MR, PET

CT coronary arteriography

Interventional neuroradiology

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The Finsen Centre

Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre
Central and peripheral regulation of muscle blood flow
Muscle metabolism
Muscle adaptation, including muscle-contraction-induced gene expression
Muscle B fat B brain interaction
Muscle and inflammation

Department of Infectious Diseases
Experimental model of human sepsis
HIV treatment, virology and immunology
Inflammation and metabolism
Malaria immunology
Meningitis patho-physiology
Infection immunology
Stress immunology
Aging, immunology
Tuberculosis

Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism (CIM)
Muscle - fat – brain interaction
Inflammation - metabolism interaction
Aging, inflammation and cognitive function

The Finsen Laboratory
Experimental cancer research for clinical use
Extra-cellular proteolysis in connection with cancer invasion and metastasising
Basic mechanisms and identification of molecules involved in these processes, development of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods

Department of Haematology

Alloreactivity, immune reconstitution, graft-versus-host disease, graft-versus-leukemia effect

Autologous stem cell transplantation, minimal residual disease

Molecular biology and cell biology of CD5+ B-cell malignancies

Innate immunity and myeloid cell maturation

Effects of bisphosphonates on cell cycle and apoptosis of myeloma cells

Genetic and epigenetic alterations in malignant lymphoma and MDS

FDG-PET for optimization of the treatment of malignant lymphoma

Pathogenesis of inherited MDS

Non-medical intervention as profylaxis against infections in neutropenic patients with AML

Institute for Inflammation Research (IIR)
Gene expression (genechips)

Cell growth/death

Signal peptides (cytokines)

Complement and complement receptors, B- and T-lymphocyte functions

Receptors of the innate immune system (Toll-like receptors etc.)

Antigen presentation, dendritic cells, vaccination

Pathogenic mechanisms in infectious and immunoinflammatory diseases (fx. rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, allergies, arteriosclerosis, cancers).

Development of new therapies for immunoinflammatory diseases

Immunogenicity of biopharmaceuticals and monitoring treatments with 

biologicals

Department of Oncology

Clinical research trials of antineoplastic treatment modalities in patients with solid tumours.

Investigations of new antineoplastic drugs, including new targeted products, in the treatment of different solid tumours.

Development and investigations of new advanced technologies in high precision radiotherapy, including respiratory adapted radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy, and particle therapy.

Investigations of advanced imaging modalities for radiotherapy planning, in particular PET/CT-scans with FDG and other markers.

Development and investigations of molecular markers for selection of patients to different kinds of antineoplastic treatment.

Investigations of diagnostic tools in patients with solid tumours, including PET/CT-scans and molecular biology.

Targeted gene therapy for patients with small cell lung cancer.

Molecular biology and clinical investigations in patients with brain tumours.

Department of Rheumatology
Cohort studies of several rheumatology patient groups, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, anti-phopholipid syndrome, sclerodermi, neuro-sarcoidosis and Wegener’s granulomatosis.
Research is primarily aimed at these cohorts in the form of clinical research supported by laboratory research with studies of various inflammatory and serologic biomarkers.

Department of Radiation Oncology
Significance of over-expression of the EGF receptor and a cancer-specific receptor (EGFRvIII) for the development and maintenance of the malignant phenotype
Transcriptional targeted gene therapy against small-cell lung cancer


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The Heart Centre

Department of Cardiology
Ischaemic heart disease – clinically controlled studies
Gene therapy and stem-cell therapy in myocardial ischaemia
Genetic molecular mechanisms behind heart hypertrophy and arrhythmia
Heart failure – clinically controlled studies
Atrial fibrillation and treatment
The role of cell cycle in heart hypertrophy
Clinical genetic studies within cardiomyopathy and arrhithmia
Resyncronisation therapy
Right ventricular function in heart failure
Genetic mechanisms in heart failure

Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Lung and heart transplantation
Valve-preserving heart surgery
Surgical revascularisation without the use of a heart-lung machine as well as total arterial revascularisation
Extra-corporal circulation (ECC).
Heart Mate as a bridge to heart transplantation
Surgery for pectus excavatus and mesothelioma

Randomised studies focusing on ECC, haemorrhage, thrombosis, PCI versus CABG

Department of Thoratic Anaesthesiology
Hypothermia treatment after circulation stop
Reperfusion oedema after a single lung transplantation
Mechanical assist devices for patients with terminal heart failure
Thrombo-elastogram and bleeding mechanisms


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The Centre of Head and Orthopaedics

Department of Anaesthesia

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction

Management of the difficult airway

Anaesthesia for obese patients

Resuscitation

Trauma

Neuromuscular blocking agents

Perioperative pulmonary dysfunction

Optimisation of perioperative use of blood products

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Department of Occupational- and Physiotherapy

Children and elitist sports
The immune system and physical activity
Ergotherapy and physiotherapy
Back disorders
Nutrition and training in connection with diseases
Rehabilitation of muscular-skeletal disorders
Hyper mobility syndromes
Rare congenital disabilities
Lymphodeamea

Department of Plastic Surgery and Burn Unit
Surgical and adjuvant vaccination treatment of malignant melanoma
Development of diagnostic procedures in stage grouping of malignant melanoma
Genetic reasons and new surgery procedures in children with cleft lip and palate
Primary breast reconstruction in connection with breast cancer treatment
Physiology of circulation in tissue flaps
Pressure sore treatment in paraplegic patients
Epidemiology, prevention and instrumental diagnosis of burns
Reduction of bleeding in burn surgery

Department of Breast Surgery

Epidemiologic, clinical and prognostic aspects in breast cancer

Diagnostics and treatment of symptoms from the breasts

Optimisation of acute and chronic pain management in breast cancer treatment

Optimasation of the sentinel lymph node technique

Screening of psycosocial distress in women with breast cancer

Intraoperative radiotherapy

Fast track surgery for breast cancer

 
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Bone density studies in relation to endo prothesis and after spinal surgery
X-ray stereophotometric analyses
Angiotensin genotype and spinal surgery. Significance for regional blood flow and post-operative course.
Effects of cytokines and other signal molecules on insulin signalling in primary human muscle cell cultures
Development and studies of a new minimal invasive anterior approach in primary total hip alloplasty

Department of Dental and Maxilliofacial Surgery, Odontology Knowledge Centre, 3D Laboratory
Maxillofacial and dental traumatology
Dental and bone transplantations
Implants
Corrective/orthognathic oral suregery
Osseo-distraction
Growth factors
Oral medicine
Precancerous diseases
Hyperbaric oxygen treatment
Nerve regeneration
3D technology
Visualisation, analysis, modelling and simulation of multi-dimensional medical data, with application within medicine and odontology

Eye Clinic
Age-related macular-degeneration epidemiology in Denmark and Greenland.
Glaucoma, oxygen tension in the blind spot
Oncology, imaging
Developmental defects, traumatology and reconstruction surgery
Orbital diseases
Treatment of retinovitreal diseases
Transplantation of retinal pigment epithelium

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

Image guided surgery

Diagnostic biomarkers in tumour tissue, blood and saliva in oral and pharyngeal planocellular cancers

Sentinel Node Biopsy studies in patients with oral planocellular cancers

The presence of micro-metastasis in sentinel and non-sentinel lymph nodes in oral planocellular cancers

The presence of human papillomavirus in connection with head and throat cancers

"The Visible Ear Project"

Screening of the hearing in new-borns

Otosclerosis.

Ménière´s disease

Inflammation of the middle ear in Greenland

Wegener’s granulomatosis

Chronic sinusitis and link to pulmonary diseases

Significance of sinusitis in cystic fibrosis patients

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The Juliane Marie Centre

Department of Growth and Reproduction
Carcinoma in situ of the testis and testicular cancer
Testicle development and differentiation of germinal cells
Male infertility and hypogonadism
Endocrine disrupters
Intersex conditions
Puberty
Growth and development
Intra-uterine growth and placental growth hormone
Insulin-like growth factors
Effect of hormone receptors on cell growth and differentiation
Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome

Department of Anaesthesia and Operation
Post-operative pain management
Pain management for children

Department of Surgical Pathophysiology
Surgical pathophysiology focusing on perioperative fluid treatment, perioperative pain physiology and treatment as well as further development of the concept ”accelerated operation course”.
Mechanisms and prevention of chronic pain after surgery
Optimisation of the surgical nursing

Department of Psychology, Play Therapy and Social Counselling

Psychosocial aspects of disease and treatment
Psychosocial reactions in mothers and fathers on pregnancy, birth and maternity leave
Fathers’ relations to their babies and infants
Treatment of obese children
Psychological, social and sexological aspects of rape
Sexually abused children
Psychosocial and neuro-psychological late symptoms in radiotherapy and chemotherapy in childhood
Men’s health

The Fertility Department 

Clinical trials in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).

Immunological and genetic causes of recurrent miscarriage

Gonadotrophins

Single emsbryo transfer strategies

Multipel pregnancies

Cancer and reproduction

Laboratory of Reproductive Biology

Endocrine regulation of growth, maturation and ovulation of the ovarian follicle

Effect of smoking and other environmental chemicals on the differentiation of the reproductive system of the human foetus 

Cryopreservation of human ovaries and testes as means of fertility preservation

Derivation of human embryonic stem cells and their differentiation

Regulation of meiosis in human and murine oocytes

Improving ovarian stimulation in women undergoing assisted reproduction.

Molecular genetics and pathophysiology

Inborn errors of metabolism

Mitochondrial disease

Prenatal diagnosis

Oncogenetics

Molecular cytogenetics

Cytogenetics of acute leukemia

Ion transport in epithelia and glands of the respiratory tract

Craniofacial malformations

Department of Neonatology
Perinatal brain damage

Late outcome in individuals born preterm

Intrauterine growth restriction and the programming hypthesis

Department of Obstetrics
Diabetes and pregnancy
Research in medical education
Pregnancy in women with blood-type immunization
Heart diseases in pregnant women
Reasons for secondary inertia
Helping pregnant women stop smoking
Premature births
Intrauterine monitoring of foetuses at risk
Thrombophilia in pregnant women
Perinatal health service research and audit.
Obstetric skills training
Overweight women and pregnancy
Exercise and pregnancy
Psychological factors and acute caesarean section

Centre of Fetal Medicine and Ultrasound

Screening for Down's syndrome and congenital malformations.

Screening in women pregnant after assisted reproductive technology.

The informed choice and first trimester risk estimate.

The effect of Progesterone on the risk of preterm delivery in twin pregnancies.

Advanced invasive procedures.

Screening for and assessment of intrauterine growth retardation.

3D/4D-UL in the assessment of the development of the fetal face and fetal heart

Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Individualised therapy and late effect studies of children with cancer or rheumatological diseases

Paediatrics in developing country
Epilepsy and neuromuscular diseases
Cerebral paresis
Inflammatory markers in rheumatologic diseases and bone-marrow transplantation
Prevention and treatment of complications in cystic fibrosis, ciliary dyskinesia, asthma, respiratory syncytial virus and broncho-pulmonal dysplasia
Mapping the natural history of childhood leukaemia

Department of Kennedy Centre

The research in the Kennedy Center is organized in five main research activities:

1. Visual impairment and developmental eye disorders
2. Mental retardation, development defects and other intellectual disabilities
3. Copper metabolism: Functional studies and gene therapy
4. Epigenetics
5. Phenylketonuria and related disorders

Specific diseases and areas under these categories include Tourette syndrome, dopa responsive dystonia, the fragile X syndrome, Menkes syndrome, PKU and related disorders, Down syndrome, Rett syndrome and other mental retardation syndromes. Some of the rare genetic eye diseases we work with are aniridia, congenital cataract, congenital glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, optic atrophy, microphthalmia, and albinism.

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The Neuroscience Centre

Multidisciplinary Pain Centre
Epidemiology, non-cancer and cancer
Chronic non-cancer pain conditions
Opioids
Palliation

Department of Clinical Neurophysiology

Physiology and pathophysiology in the peripheral neuromuscular system

Regeneration of nervous and muscular tissue

Physiology and pathophysiology of the central nervous system in normal subjects and in connection with multiple sclerosis

Motor control in connection with spasticity

Diagnosis and treatment of severe epilepsies

Biotechnology, particularly concerning signal analysis of muscle and nerve electrical signals

Department of Neuroanaesthesiology

Cerebrovascular function and cerebral metabolism
Neuroprotection in critically ill patients
High altitude physiology

Department of Neurosurgery
The dynamics of cerebro-spinal fluid and resorption resistance
Molecular biology in connection with aneurysms in Inuits
Brain aquaporins in connection with brain oedema and glioblastoma
Brain tumours and subarachnoid haemorrhage
Radiosurgery in connection with tumours and vascular abnormalities
Functional surgery, e.g. Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy
Operation methods in connection with herniated disk

Department of Neurology
The department of neurology contains the following research units:

Epilepsy Clinic, Memory Disorders Research Unit, Neurobiology Research Unit & Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi), Neuromuscular Research Unit, The Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre, Vascular and General Neurology

Epilepsy Clinic
Clinical experiments with new anticonvulsants
Pharmacokinetics of newer anticonvulsants
Epilepsy surgery
Fertility aspects of anticonvulsant treatment
Reflex epilepsy
Local functional - anatomic changes in Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME)
Phenotyping of JME – sub-groups for genetic research
Automatic signal and image editing of epileptic seizure

The Memory Disorders Research Group & the Danish Dementia Info Center

Clinical and neurogenetic research in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, including familial disorders and normal pressure hydrocephalus:

Epidemiology

Biomarkers

Neuro-imaging

Neurogenetics

Early diagnosis, drug development and innovation in social intervention

Social and legal aspects

 
Neurobiology Research Unit & Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi)
Studies of the brain’s receptor and pathophysiology with SPECT (single photon emission computer tomography) and PET (positron emission tomography)
The brain’s functional structure, studies with PET and fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
Methods for data analysis of PET, MR and SPECT.
Brain blood flow regulation and receptor conditions
Celullar and anatomical analysis on receptor regulation and binding

Genetic studies on receptor regulation

Neuromuscular Research Unit
Treatment and diagnostics of muscle diseases and neuropathies

Basic physiological studies of myopathies

Mitochondrial biology: Role for aging and disease

Muscle regeneration in muscular dystrophies and treatment models

Phenotype-genotype relations in hereditary muscle diseases

Exercise physiology and treatments for metabolic myopathies

 
Danish Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre

(Including the Neuroimmunology Laboratory)

Investigator driven studies of new treatments of MS

Neuroimaging of MS: PET and MRI

Cognitive dysfunction in MS patients

Genetic risk factors of MS

Immune activation and treatment effect on leukocyte subgroups

Biomarkers of treatment response

Pathology of MS: demyelination and remyelination in progressive MS

 

Vascular and general neurology

Cerebrovascular diseases

Secondary stroke prevention

Endovascular treatments

 
Department of Spinal Cord Injury

Epidemiological investigations

Evaluation of spasticitiy in individuals with spinal cord lesions

Pain and osteoporosis in individuals with spinal cord lesions

Development of neurorehabilitation techniques guided by investigations of the neuroplasticity (neuroimaging and electrophysiology)

Outcome measures

Urological/microbiological projects related to individuals with spinal cord lesions

Respiratory Centre East

Home Mechanical Ventilation research

Tracheostomi adaptation programs and research

Long-term noninvasive ventilation research

Congenit Central Hypoventilation Syndrome research

State-of-the-art research on the development of novel antimicrobial materials and surface coatings to be used in respiratory medical devices

Part of CRAM international association (Centre for Research on Respiration and Antimicrobial Materials)

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The Nordic Cochrane Center

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Methodologic research, particularly related to randomised trials, observational studies and meta-analyses.

Placebo, including the effect of nonspecific interventions.

Screening.

Copenhagen Trial Unit (CTU) and Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group (CHBG)
Randomised clinical trials in prevention, treatment and care. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Methods and technology related to randomised clinical trials and meta-analyses.
Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group:
Systematic reviews of interventions and registration of specialist literature within hepato-biliary diseases.


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UCSF - University Hospitals Centre for Nursing and Care Research
Development of concepts and theoretical background within improved health, caring and nursing
Near-patient clinical intervention research (cancer and intensive care area)
Cancer rehabilitation
Research in networking among patient groups
Evidence-based nursing in theory and practice


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CEKU - Centre for Clinical Education
Competence evaluation of specialists
ALS project
Simulation-based training in airway endoscopy
Simulation-based training in cardio-vascular study/treatment
Inter-professional teaching
Competence assessment in education of junior doctors and interns
Effect of systematic training in the medical conversation
Mandatory course in pedagogical practise for introductory doctors