Bariatric Surgery 

Resolution of type 2 diabetes after bariatric surgery:
Overall aim: Identifying the role of especially gut hormones, metabolites and inflammatory markers in the short and long term beneficial effects of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in man on type 2 diabetes using meal tests, glucose clamps as well as proteomic analysis. 

Sten Madsbad, Professor 
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 
Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor 

Effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery on energy metabolism:
Overall aim: Determine short-term and long-term effects of RYGB surgery on energy expenditure, appetite regulation and body composition in obese, non-diabetic individuals, and investigate how this relates to the fasting and meal-induced changes in gastrointestinal hormones that are seen following RYGB. 

Arne Astrup, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 

Pig models to study nutrition-mediated gut-brain peptide signalling:
Overall aim: Determine gut hormone release, nutrient balance and organ structure in novel pig models of gastric bypass and ileal resection and in in vitro models of isolated perfused pig stomach and ileum. 

Per Torp Sangild, Professor
Axel Kornerup Hansen, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Merete Fredholm, Professor 
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor 

Food and GI Tract 

Soluble plant fibres from foods and their metabolic/satiety signalling:
Overall aim: Perform a human cross-over dietary intervention study with selected well-characterized plant fibers and monitor gut hormone signalling over different time intervals. The study includes a comparison with social psychological interventions in project 26. 

Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Susanne Bügel, Associate Professor
Bo Jacobsen, Professor
Søren Balling Engelsen, Professor 

Effects of intravenous infusions of gut hormones on energy expenditure and appetite regulation in healthy obese subjects:
Overall aim: Investigating the effect of infusion of appetite regulating hormones singly and in combination on appetite regulation and energy expenditure measured by the ventilated hood method in man. 

Arne Astrup, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Thue W Schwartz, Professor 

Gut microbiota and low-grade inflammation in Type 2 diabetes:
Overall aim: Determine the effect of antibiotic treatment with or without probiotic supplementation on gut microbiota, inflammatory markers, insulin and incretin secretion, glucose disposal and fat, liver, muscle and islet macrophage infiltration, growth and exercise capacity in spontaneous animal models of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 

Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor
Axel Kornerup Hansen, Professor
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen, Professor
Charlotte Bjørnvad, Associate Professor 
Finn Kvist Vogensen, Associate Professor 
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Niels Tommerup, Professor 

Formation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) in food and in the GI-tract:
Overall aim: Identify reaction mechanisms responsible for formation and reactivity of advanced glycation end products (AGE), and develop analytical methods to follow the kinetics of formation of AGE products in food and GI tract. 

Leif Horsfelt Skibsted, Professor
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Susanne Bügel, Associate Professor 

Metabolic signalling  by Advanced Glycation End products (AGE) from foods:
Overall aim: Identify major biomarkers of a diet high in advanced glycation end products (AGE) by metabolomics in a short-term rat study and apply these markers in a human dietary study with monitored gut hormone signalling. 

Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Susanne Bügel, Associate Professor
Leif Horsfelt Skibsted, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Birgitte Holst, Forskningslektor 
John Nielsen, Professor 

Pharma 

Characterization of the complete hormonal and chemo-sensor repertoire of the enteroendocrine system:
Overall aim: Genetically tag and purify selected prototypes and the collective repertoire of enteroendocrine cells from transgenic mice to characterize their expression of regulatory chemosensors (potential drug targets) and peptide hormones (potential biopharma-ceuticals) through proteomic and expressomic analysis. 

Thue W Schwartz, Professor
Birgitte Holst, Forskningslektor
Niels Tommerup, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 

Functional in vitro and in vivo characterization of entero-endocrine sensors of nutrients and food components as potential drug targets:
Overall aim: Molecuar pharmacological characterization of enteroendocrine chemosensors in vitro and generation and phenotypic characterization of knock out mouse models for selected chemosensors: GPR119(N-acylethanolamine), GPR131(TGR5 - bileacids), GPR41/43(short chain fatty acids) and GPR92/93 (proteolytic products). 

Birgitte Holst, Forskningslektor
Thue W Schwartz, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Harald S Hansen, Professor
Erik Richter, Professor
Jørgen Wojtaszewski, Professor
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor 

GI-tract derived lipid ligands controlling metabolism through enteroendocrine, pancreatic and CNS receptors:
Overall aim: Synthesis and characterization of the function of GI tract derived lipid messengers - with special focus on N-acyl-phosphatidylethanol-amine (NAPE) and its hydrolysis products. Selected lipids will be tested in vitro on various receptors in particular GPR119 and in vivo on food intake and appetite hormone secretion. 

Harald S Hansen, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Thue W Schwartz, Professor
Mette Rosenkilde, Professor 

The physiological role of the GPRC6A receptor:
Overall aim: Characterization of the physiological role of the amino acid receptor GPRC6A with special focus on its role in regulation of food intake and metabolism including studies in knock out animals. 

Hans Bräuner-Osborne, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Birgitte Holst, Forskningslektor 

Muscle and Gastro-intestinal tract interaction 

Gastrointestinal bypass, insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial function:
Overall aim: Molecular, mechanistic elucidation of changes induced by gastric bypass operation in mitochondrial function and insulin action in skeletal muscle and fat as studied by euglycemic clamps in man at different time points after surgery and compared to changes in gut hormone profiles.  

Erik Richter, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 
Bente Kiens, Professor 
Jørgen Wojtaszewski, Professor 
Flemming Dela, Professor 
Bente Stallknecht, Associate Professor 
Thorkild Ploug, Associate Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 

Linking muscle and gut signalling in metabolic syndrome:
Overall aim: Establishing specific and common epigenetic marks and signaling pathways linked to metabolic syndrome by comparing global gene expression, DNA methylation, and histone modifications in the resting vs. exercising and trained muscle in man and in patients undergoing gastric bypass. 

Bente Klarlund Pedersen, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Niels Tommerup, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 

Lipid-induced insulin resistance: reversibility by physical activity and susceptibility by aging?
Overall aim: Characterization of the combined effect of short and long term exposure to high fat diet, age and exercise on expression, function and subcellular localization of molecular targets involved in insulin action in skeletal muscle and fat in man. 

Bente Kiens, Professor
Jørgen Wojtaszewski, Professor 
Erik Richter, Professor
Flemming Dela, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor 
Niels Tommerup, Professor 

Fitness and Muscle

Regulation of muscle substrate metabolism and insulin sensitivity: molecular mechanisms activated by exercise.
Overall aim: Characterization of molecular targets including AMPK and its downstream targets involved in exercise-induced changes in substrate oxidation, gene expression and insulin sensitivity in rodents and man. 

Jørgen Wojtaszewski, Professor 
Erik Richter, Professor 
Bente Kiens, Professor 
Bente Stallknecht, Associate Professor 

Molecular mechanisms defining the range of insulin sensitivity within the population at large:
Overall aim: Identification of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the large variation in insulin sensitivity in the human population with focus on the function of the T-tubule system, ER stress and lipid toxicity in skeletal muscle. 

Thorkild Ploug, Associate Professor
Bente Stallknecht, Associate Professor
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Søren Balling Engelsen, Professor

Metabolic and Cardiovascular health risks and benefits with profound changes in daily physical activity:
Overall aim: Characterization of metabolic and cardiovascular health risks and benefits after physical inactivity and subsequent rehabilitation in subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and in patients with type 2 diabetes. 

Flemming Dela, Professor
Niels Tommerup, Professor
Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor 

Dose-response effect of exercise training on metabolic health and appetite in overweight men:
Overall aim: Identify the metabolic health benefits both at the integrative and molecular level of moderate versus high volume exercise training in man - including effects on energy intake, appetite and appetite regulating gut hormones. 

Bente Stallknecht, Associate Professor
Thorkild Ploug, Associate Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor
Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor
Anders Sjödin, Associate Professor
Erik Richter, Professor
Jørgen Wojtaszewski, Professor 
Harald S Hansen, Professor 

Endurance training, psychosocial intervention, gut hormones and glucose tolerance:
Overall aim: Assessing the effect of endurance training and moderate intensity training versus physical inactivity on GLP-1 mediated insulin responses. 

Bente Klarlund Pedersen, Professor
Jens Juul Holst, Professor 

Dog models of fitness:
Overall aim: Comparing global gene expression, DNA methylation, and chromatine status in muscles from dogs before and during a 4 month exercise program (long term effects) as well as before and after acute training and to compare identified genes with those identified in human. 

Charlotte Bjørnvad, Associate Professor
Annemarie Thuri Kristensen, Professor
Merete Fredholm, Professor
Niels Tommerup, Professor 

Social Sciences and Humanities 

Eating practices: Social and cultural aspects of hunger and satiety:
Overall aim: Conceptions, understandings and everyday practices with respect to bodily signals and sensations related to appetite, hunger, satiety, and eating are analysed in different population groups, defined according to social background and physiological parameters. 

Lotte Holm, Professor
Gertrud Pfister, Professor
Laila Ottesen, Associate Professor
Thorkild IA Sørensen, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 

Changing discourses and strategies in the fight against life-style related diseases:
Overall aim: The project will analyse and discuss how the notion of life-style related diseases has developed historically and how it links to strategies to prevent and cure such diseases in order to identify ethical, social and health political dilemmas underlying contemporary attempts to fight life-style diseases. The project will provide a research based input to the public debate and on how to develop preventive health strategies that are efficient, medically responsible, increase equity and respect towards the autonomy of citizens, and thus qualify the basis for future decisions about policies and technologies. 

Jesper Lassen, Associate Professor
Peter Sandøe, Professor
Lene Koch, Associate Professor
Signild Vallgårda, Professor 

(Un)healthy bodies – health discourses and physical (in)activity among Danish adults: 
Overall aim: Activity patterns in different population groups are identified and analysed in relation to different understandings of health discourses, different sport experiences and attitudes towards physical activity as well as eating practices. 

Gertrud Pfister, Professor
Laila Ottesen, Associate Professor
Lotte Holm, Professor
Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, Professor 

Public and market regulation in the fight against life-style diseases – Opportunities and barriers:
Overall aim: The effect of various regulatory measures on the implementation of public health policies related to life-style diseases are analysed and it is assessed how regulatory measures can best be used to support such public health policies. 

Karsten Ronit, Associate Professor
Mette Hartlev, Professor
Jørgen Dejgård Jensen, Senior Researcher 

Social-Psychological Interventions and Experiments for Effective Life Style Changes:
Overall aim: The effectiveness of social-psychological intervention methods for life style changes is evaluated through randomised clinical trials testing rival and/or combined hypotheses concerning the merit of biological and social interventions. 

Niels Viggo Hansen, Assistant Professor
Bo Jacobsen, Professor
Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor
Bente Klarlund Pedersen, Professor 
Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 
Lotte Holm, Professor
Jesper Lassen, Associate Professor

Genetic Epidemiology 

Studies of metabolic and cardiovascular health genetics and the interaction with health behaviour and socioeconomics in the DCH cohort based upon LuCAMP derived exome discoveries:
Overall aim: Genotyping initially in a case-cohort context subsequently in the whole DCHC of novel gene variations derived from the exome sequencing in patients suffering from visceral obesity, hypertension and type-2 diabetes aiming at demonstrating association to common metabolic and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as well as gene-environment interactions in relation to these diseases. 

Oluf Borbye Pedersen, Professor
Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, Professor
Anne Tjønneland (Kræftens Bekæmpelse)
Kim Overvad (Århus Universitet) 

Genes interacting with dietary factors in determining body weight changes and eventual development of obesity:
Overall aim: To investigate whether the gene variations derived from genome-wide association studies and genome-wide exon sequencing are interacting with a variety of dietary factors in determining the changes in body weight and waist over time, with particular focus on development of various forms of obesity (general, peripheral,
abdominal) using a cohort case-control/sub-cohort approach in the DCHC. 

Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, Professor
Oluf Borbye Pedersen, Professor
Anne Tjønneland (Kræftens Bekæmpelse)
Kim Overvad (Århus Universitet) 

Studies of metabolic and cardiovascular health genetics: Establishment of a pig resource population:
Overall aim: Identify the genomic regions that comprise components underlying the distinct phenotypes that deviate between well defined pig breeds varying in their proneness to obesity and glycemic control and to study the influence of identified genes on metabolic and cardiovascular health in the DCH cohort. 

Merete Fredholm, Professor
Axel Kornerup Hansen, Professor
Niels Tommerup, Professor 
Thomas Mandrup-Poulsen, Professor
Per Torp Sangild, Professor 

Special UNIK Core Initiatives 

UNIK Interventional Biobanks (CUBE):
Overall aim: Establishment of functional experimental biobanks that can accommodate all samples of interest for later “omics” analyses from the UNIK projects. Separate biobanks have been organised for all the experimental studies in humans or animals (CUBE biobank) and for samples collected at the hospitals from gastric bypass operations. 

Lars O. Dragsted, Professor
Sten Madsbad, Professor 

Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Center:
Overall aim: Establishing a state-of-the-art core facility to acutely and sub-chronically measure food intake, feeding behaviour / locomotor activity and energy expenditure in real time and determining body composition in mice and rats. 

Establishment of UNIK DNA Biobank from the DCH cohort:
Overall aim: Establishing a biobank comprising DNA samples from all 57.000 subjects followed over 12+ years in the DCH cohort as a readily available resource for genetic and epidemiological studies by UNIK partners and other researchers. 

Oluf Borbye Pedersen, Professor
Thorkild I.A. Sørensen, Professor 

UNIK Solexa library generation and analysis platform:
Overall aim: Establishing the infrastructure for optimal usage of the Solexa high throughput sequencing platform at the Wilhelm Johannsen Centre for analysis of global gene expression, microRNA expression, DNA methylation and histone modification/chromatin structure and transcription factor binding by UNIK partners.