Chronic headache, ADHD, Alzheimer’s and psychosis: Young researchers at SUND receive large grants
10 young researchers conducting brain research at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences have received funding from the Lundbeck Foundation LF Postdocs and Early-Career Clinician Scientists programmes. The Lundbeck Foundation has granted a total of DKK 68 million to 27 researchers, 10 of which are based at SUND.

With these programmes, the Foundation seeks to strengthen Danish neuroscience and to give young MDs the opportunity to conduct clinical research.
About the LF Postdoc and Early-Career Clinician Scientist grants
The grants are intended both to strengthen Danish neuroscience and to create better opportunities for young doctors who wish to pursue research in clinical settings.
A total of 27 researchers have received an average grant of DKK 2.48 million, including 17 LF Postdocs and 10 Early-Career Clinician Scientists (ECCS).
Source: Lundbeck Foundation Young talents receive DKK 68 million to launch an independent research career | The Lundbeck Foundation
Postdoc Bianca Jansky
Bianca will join Henriette Langstrup's digital health research group at Department of Public Health, Section Health Service Research.
Social and ethical aspects of Virtual Reality Therapy innovation for neuropsychiatry
Health innovation is no longer driven solely by clinical research or the pharmaceutical industry. Tech startups, and patients increasingly contribute to innovation in medicine. One case for this is Virtual Reality Therapy (VRT). PROMISE, empirically explores the social and ethical aspects of VRT innovation for neuropsychiatry.
Using an ethnographic and community-engaging approach, I will study VRT in Denmark and develop design recommendations to ensure patient-centred neuropsychiatic innovation.
Grant: 2.974.043 DKK
Postdoc Stephan Dodt
Department of Neuroscience, Gether Lab.
Institut for Neurovidenskab, Neuropharm and Genetics.
Decoding Dopamine Dynamics in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex: Implications for Attentional Behavior
ADHD is a disorder that causes cognitive and behavioral deficits. It is caused by impaired communication in the brain. Previous research suggests that the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the prefrontal cortex is disrupted but the precise features of dopamine signaling and its interaction with other neurotransmitters are still unclear.
Therefore, we will study the interplay of prefrontal dopamine and noradrenaline signals and investigate its implications for the development of ADHD.
Grant: 2.994.828 DKK.
Postdoc Jeppe Cederholm Nielsen
Department of Neuroscience, Neuropharm and Genetics
Enhancing Dopamine Reuptake: A Potential New Approach to Psychosis Treatment
This project will investigate a potential new mechanism that regulates dopamine in our brains. Understanding this mechanism could lead to an entirely new way of treating psychosis in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Grant: 2.499.963 DKK
Postdoc Niklas Ravn
BRIC, Issazadeh-Navikas Group.
CD1d-dependent neuronal activation of NKT cells: A novel neuroimmune influence on neural homeostasis
The immune-regulatory functions of neurons are largely unknown despite the growing evidence showing the presence of immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS).
This project aims to characterize a novel neuroimmune interaction, whereby neurons activate natural killer T (NKT) cells in a CD1d-dependent manner. Interestingly, neurons expressing CD1d appear to localize near neuroimmune niches in the CNS and counteract neuropathology, emphasizing the project’s potential translational impact.
Grant: 2.995.212 DKK
Postdoc Omar Refy
Department of Neuroscience, Neuronal Signalling, Berg Lab.
Cortico-Spinal Population Dynamics Underlying Rodent Gait
Is the motor system a dictatorship or a democracy? Is the chain of command in the motor system only top-down, or is it a two-way street? This project attempts to answer just that.
Harnessing recent cutting-edge techniques in neuroscience such as large-scale neuronal recordings and optogenetics, this project aims to study how brain and spinal circuits interact as they coordinate locomotion, and how their interaction dynamics is disrupted when their physical connections are disrupted.
Grant: 3.000.000 DKK
Postdoc Daniel Schlingloff
Department of Neuroscience, Petersen lab.
How the brain represents and uses ‘sensory space’–uncovering the fundamental multimodal memory units
Our project explores how the brain combines sensory information to predict and adapt to a changing world. Focusing on the hippocampus, we study how neurons create mental maps from spatial and non-spatial sensory inputs—essential for navigation, memory, and learning.
By using advanced recording methods and models of diseases like Alzheimer’s, we aim to understand how sensory processing disruptions lead to cognitive decline, guiding the development of new treatments.
Grant: 3.200.000 DKK
Postdoc Thomas Erik Wünsche
Department of Drug Design and Pharmachology, Medicinal Chemistry.
Institut for Lægemiddeldesign og Farmakologi, Medicinalkemi.
Advancing Pretargeted Immuno-PET for Amyloid-Beta Theranostics: Bridging Research and Clinical Needs
Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, affects 50 million people worldwide and is expected to triple by 2050. Current treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies, show promise but face challenges like high costs and side effects.
Our research aims to develop an innovative brain imaging method, using a novel PET platform with improved precision and safety, to enhance drug development and diagnostic tools for AD, addressing urgent medical and societal needs.
Grant: 2.999.999 DKK
Postdoc Jonas Verhellen
Department of Drug Design and Pharmachology, Pharmaceutical Informatics.
Institut for Lægemiddeldesign og Farmakologi, Farmaceutisk Informatik
Breaking Barriers: Blood-Brain Barrier Penetrant Macrocycles for Neuropsychiatric Disorders
This project aims to find new treatment options for severe mental disorders, like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, by studying key protein interactions involved in these conditions. Using advanced computer modelling, we’re designing specialised drug molecules that can reach the brain and precisely target these interactions.
Our approach could lead to more effective therapies with fewer side effects, offering hope for better outcomes for people affected by these challenging disorders.
Grant: 2.969.912 DKK
Postdoc Leah Banellis
Leah Benellis will be postdoc at Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Movement and Neuroscience.
Whole-Body-Brain Dynamics: Multi-Organ Interactions via Multilayer Network and Hidden Markov Models
This pioneering project will uncover how the brain and vital organs—such as the heart, lungs, and gut—interact to shape our thoughts, emotions, and mental health. Using cutting-edge computational models and brain and vagal nerve stimulation techniques, we aim to reveal key brain-body connections that could transform treatments for psychiatric and brain disorders.
By focusing on the whole-body-brain network, this research promises new insights into brain function, cognition, and health.
Grant: 2.768.264 DKK
EARLY CAREER CLINICIAN SCIENTIST:
Martin Kaag Rasmussen, martin.kaag.rasmussen@gmail.com
Postdoc, Center for Translational Neuromedicine.
Screening of pain provoking proteins in an idiopathic intracranial hypertension translational model
In this project we will attempt to identify new drug targets that could prevent headache in idiopathic intracranial hypertension. The disorder mostly affects young women and their chronic headache respond poorly to current treatment options.
In an animal model we will identify increases of pain evoking proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid and then block the signalling of these proteins to prevent pain. The project could identify new drug targets to prevent headache in this debilitating disorder.
Grant: 2.499.920 DKK
Contact
Lisbeth Lassen, Communications Consultant
Phone: +45 35 33 41 77
Email: lisbeth.lassen@adm.ku.dk