The Danish Diabetes Academy awards DKK 4 million to three young researchers at the Institut for Idræt og Ernæring (Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports)

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Postdoc Rasmus Kjøbsted, scientific assistant Carlos Henriquez Olguín and PhD student Johan Onslev—all from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports at the University of Copenhagen—have received millions in grants from the Danish Diabetes Academy to complete their PhD or postdoc programmes. The researchers were selected, along with eight others, from amongst more than 100 applicants.

The Danish Diabetes Academy's goal is to strengthen diabetes research and treatment in Denmark by supporting the education of future diabetes researchers. A total of about DKK 15 million in annual grants were awarded to 11 researchers associated with a large number of hospitals and universities including the University of Copenhagen, Aarhus University, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University and several Steno Diabetes Centers. Amongst them were no less than three researchers from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports.

The international committee that assessed the applications placed great value on the researchers’ collaboration with the life sciences industry, with hospitals and universities, as well as their international collaboration.

Major recognition of diabetes research

According to Professor Jørgen Wojtaszewski, the grants are both clear recognition of the individual researcher's efforts and the overall research environment in the Section for Molecular Physiology, to which the three grant recipients belong:

''The three grant recipients are extremely knowledgeable in their specific field and they are each working on projects that will develop our knowledge of how to understand and treat diabetes in the future. At the same time, we also see the grants as recognition of the overall diabetes research environment that we have in the department and in the Section for Molecular Physiology. We can strengthen this with help from the Danish Diabetes Academy, and we are very grateful for that'', says Professor Jørgen Wojtaszewski.

Overview of the grant recipients' projects

Postdoc Rasmus Kjøbsted has received DKK 1.2 million for his postdoc based on the project called 'TBC1D4—a link between physical activity and insulin sensitivity'.

Scientific assistant Carlos Henriquez Olguín has received DKK 1.8 million for his postdoc based on the project called ”Resolving the contribution of subcellular ROS sources to muscle insulin resistance.”

PhD student Johan Onslev has received DKK 1.1 million for his PhD based on the project called ”Identification of molecular mechanisms underlying muscle glucose utilization during exercise and enhanced insulin sensitivity”.

See the full list of recipients here.

For more information about the grant recipients

Professor Jørgen Wojtaszewski 
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, 
University of Copenhagen 
jwojtaszewski@nexs.ku.dk 
+45 2875 1625

Associate Professor Thomas Elbenhardt Jensen
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, 
University of Copenhagen 
tejensen@nexs.ku.dk
+45 3532 1757

For more information about Danish Diabetes Academy

Tore S. Christiansen PhD
Managing Director
Danish Diabetes Academy
tore.christiansen@rsyd.dk
+45 2964 6764

About the Danish Diabetes Academy

The Danish Diabetes Academy was founded in 2012 and is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Danish universities and university hospitals. Its goal is to strengthen diabetes research and treatment in Denmark by helping to educate future diabetes researchers and therapists. The Danish Diabetes Academy is also expected to promote intensified collaboration amongst diabetes research environments in Denmark and ensure rapid distribution and shared access to new research results, ideas and technologies, thus benefiting other research groups within the organisation.