TEETH Danish oral health has improved; so a large study of the Danes’ oral health the past 30 years concludes. However, the researchers stress that when it comes to oral and dental health, the country is still characterised by great inequalities.
DIABETES Through new knowledge of how the so-called GIP receptor works inside human cells, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have come a step closer to improving the existing treatment for obesity and diabetes.
RESEARCH It has been a mystery why some people live a perfectly normal life until experiencing a potentially deadly cardiac episode. Now, researchers from University of Copenhagen present a possible explanation in a microscopic modification of a protein, which causes a mutation to turn harmful. The knowledge could help future diagnosis and drug regimens.
EGGS The majority of laying hens in Denmark suffer from keel bone fractures, a new study conducted at the University of Copenhagen reveals. The fractures appear to be the result of disproportionately large eggs, which push the hen’s body to the breaking point. The researchers behind the new study call it a huge global problem for animal welfare.
FORSKNING Sand is the most used mineral in the world. But we do not have endless amounts of it, and a new review study conducted at the University of Copenhagen reveals that the sand industry is in direct conflict with more than half of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
RESEARCH Six weeks of physical exercise led to changes in the epigenetic information of skeletal muscle cells in young men. These changes took place in areas of the genome that have been linked to disease. Scientists at the University of Copenhagen say their research shows, for the first time, how exercise remodels DNA in skeletal muscle, so that new signals are established to keep the body healthy.
CRISPR The CRISPR-Cas9 technology might soon see itself surpassed by a new and smaller cousin, CRISPR-Cas12j. It was recently discovered that the defense system of bacteriophages called CRISPR-Cas12j, also known as Cas-phi can also be used for gene editing. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have mapped the structure of CRISPR-Cas12j to know exactly how it functions and how it can be used for genome editing in plants and humans.
SPERM COUNT New research from the University of Copenhagen and Rigshospitalet explains why some men produce no sperm cells at all, meaning that fertility treatment can never help them.
RESEARCH The major cause of Parkinson’s Disease is a dysregulation of immune genes central for fighting against viruses, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen show that this dysregulation leads to a malfunction in the cell’s powerhouse, which cannot produce sufficient energy for neurons to stay alive, causing them to gradually die.
PROTEIN MAPPING For the first time, researchers have succeeded in mapping the proteins in an old, frozen poop. The samples of dog poop are hundreds of years old and stem from sledge dogs at a settlement belonging to one of Alaska's indigenous peoples. The proteins give researchers new insight into the relationship between humans and sledge dogs.
RESEARCH The body is filled with mucus that keeps track of the bacteria. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen present the first method for producing artificial mucus. They hope that the artificial mucus, which consists of sugary molecules, may help to develop completely new, medical treatments.
RESEARCH Using neural networks, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a new method to search the human genome for beneficial mutations from Neanderthals and other archaic humans. These humans are known to have interbred with modern humans, but the overall fate of the genetic material inherited from them is still largely unknown. Among others, the researchers found previously unreported mutations involved in core pathways in metabolism, blood-related diseases and immunity.
CRISPR Researchers from Aarhus University and University of Copenhagen have developed a new method, which makes CRISPR gene editing more precise than conventional methods. The method selects the molecules best suited for helping the CRISPR-Cas9 protein with high-precision editing at the correct location in our DNA, the researchers explain.
NEURONS The network connection between nerve cells in the spinal cord seems to play a critical role in the development of the severe disease ALS, a new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests. The study, which is based on a mouse model, may change the way we think about the disease, says researchers.
RESEARCH Chemotherapy destroys stem cells, which then cannot develop into immune cells and become part of the body’s defences. There are drugs that can remedy this, but previously we did not know exactly how these drugs worked. Now, a study conducted in mice by researchers at the University of Copenhagen details their function providing new knowledge that may improve stem cell transplantation and lead to better drug design in the future.
CALORIE-BURNING An exceptional receptor on the surface of brown fat cells drives calorie-burning without the need for an external signaling molecule. Mice genetically engineered to overproduce this receptor, GPR3, in brown fat were completely protected from metabolic disease despite being continuously fed a high caloric diet. The scientists behind this discovery at the University of Copenhagen believe their findings upend the current dogma describing how cell surface receptors work, while opening the door to new approaches for treating obesity.
RESEARCH When the great reed warbler sometimes arrives in Denmark in May, it has travelled thousands of kilometres. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, among others, present new knowledge about the songbird’s long journey.
RESEARCH Almost one in five Danes live with obesity, which may have serious health consequences. In the world's most recognized medical journal, Danish researchers now document how to effectively achieve and maintain a healthy weight loss.
CANCER T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is an aggressive cancer type that mostly affects children. The standard treatment is chemotherapy, but about one in four patients do not respond or develop resistance to this. Now, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have found a combination treatment that could benefit these patients and increase the survival rate.
DIABETES An hour of hiking with hunting gear may be enough to help control blood glucose levels in Arctic Inuit with a faulty copy of the TBC1D4 gene, which increases their risk of type 2 diabetes. The findings, made by scientists in Denmark and Greenland, open the door to lifestyle precision medicine for the population, with the potential to help thousands across the Arctic region.