Menu

Life Sciences

The selection of Life Sciences as a research theme within the framework at SDC is based on Danish-Chinese positions of strength and a common interest in investing and supporting research within the area. Life Sciences deals with two major subthemes, 1) Neuroscience and Cognition and 2) Omics.


Neuroscience and Cognition

The collaboration research collaboration between Denmark and China aims to combine Chinese and Danish scientific strongholds within neuroscience, cognition and technology.


Neuroscience is a traditional stronghold in Danish research. During the last decade, funnelled by rapid progress in scanning technologies, image processing and mathematical modelling, the use of neuroimaging techniques to study the human mind has grown dramatically. The physiological underpinnings of this development were originally discovered by Danish research groups in the 1970s. However, the introduction of functional brain imaging has expanded on the applicability and scope of such investigations. This has created a need for a new organisation of multidisciplinary research work and ‐culture and a strong sense of a common research identity in spite of differences in training.


Over the last 20 years, the Chinese Government has invested heavily in all areas of basic neuroscience as part of a major drive for excellence. New research institutions with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment have been established and elite Chinese and foreign scientists have been recruited back to China to participate in pushing future development.

Omics

Omics is a common term for a number of large scale analytical techniques for global assessment of the state of biological material. It can be subdivided in genomics, proteomics, glycomics, lipidomics and metabolomics.

Omics approaches are becoming increasingly important for biochemistry research and production such as the pharmaceutical and food industries. The approach first and foremost seeks to describe the full situation in a given biological system and therefore yields results that are not obtainable with traditional reductionist methods within the field of biochemistry or molecular biology.


Denmark has a strong research tradition within several omics disciplines. Research groups in glycomics, lipidomics  and membrane biophysics are present at the University of Southern Denmark, and a center for metabolomics  has been established at the Copenhagen University. Danish scientists within proteomics and have been pioneers in developing mass spectrometry based proteomics. Proteomics is now an important activity in most Danish Universities and all the activities are linked in a strong national network that also includes major Danish biotech and pharma companies, some of which have important activities in China.

Since the turn of the century the Chinese government has invested forcefully in establishing advanced research environments and now has state-of-the-art facilities, laboratories and equipment, as well as some of the most accomplished scientists in the world. The progression has been rapid, and in some fields, for instance genomics, the competences and equipment of the Chinese institutes are unmatched.


PhD students

SDC PhD students play an important role in the research collaboration. They all work with both a Danish and a Chinese supervisor, do research in both countries and contribute to teaching the Master’s programmes at SDC in Beijing. This close connection provides the PhD students with a unique opportunity to establish personal and professional relationships and bring Danish and Chinese research environments closer together.

Principal Coordinators

Kim Ryun Drasbek

Associate professor

Department of Clinical Medicine

Aarhus University

E-mail: ryun@cfin.au.dk




To discuss proposals for research activities, which can strengthen SDC's activities within the research area or the related Master’s programmes, please contact the Principal Coordinators.

Ding Wenjun

Professor and Executive Dean

College of Life Sciences

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: dingwj@ucas.ac.cn

Master's programmes

PhD students

View Alkistis Gavriilidou's profile at ku.dk

Alkistis Gavriilidou
Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen

Topic: Theta Dynamics as a signature of movement initiation; Bridging Mechanisms, Applications and Clinical Implications

Starting date: 15 October 2024

View Caroline Vangsøe's profile at au.dk

Caroline Vangsøe

Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University

Topic: The Cytoprotective Effective of Conditioned Extracellular Vesicles in Stroke

Starting date: 1 December 2023

View Bianka Rumi's profile at dtu.dk

Bianka Rumi

DTU Compute, Technical University of Denmark

Topic: Investigating brain networks affected by TMS approaches in psychiatric disorders

Starting date: 1 November 2023

View Magnus Tudsborg Frantzen's profile at aau.dk

Magnus Tudsborg Frantzen

Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University

Topic: Molecular mechanism of calcium dyshomeostasis in dopaminergic neurons

Starting date: 1 December 2022

View Camilla Termansen Erichsen's profile at au.dk

Camilla Termansen Erichsen

Department of Clinical Medicine at Aarhus University

Topic: Mechanisms behind cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia and depression

Starting date: 1 November 2022

View Lara Marziani's profile at au.dk

Lara Marziani

Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University

Topic: Effect of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) miRNAs in stroke models

Starting date: 1 November 2022

View Irene Delgado Alonso's profile at aau.dk

Irene Delgado Alonso

Department of Chemistry and Bioscience at Aalborg University

Topic: Development of antibodies as tools for combating viral infections and beyond

Starting date: 1 October 2022

View Magnus Haraldson Høie's profile at dtu.dk

Magnus Haraldson Høie

Department of Health Technology, Bioinformatics section, DTU

Topic: Immunological binding and vaccine design using protein language models

Starting date: 1 September 2021

View Ole Borup Svendsen's profile at au.dk

Ole Borup Svendsen

Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University

Topic: The microstructural organization of OFC top-down connectivity and its functional association to OCD

Starting date: 1 September 2021

View Kamilla Ankær Brejndal's profile at sdu.dk

Kamilla Ankær Brejndal

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SDU

Topic: Molecular mechanisms of the Klebsiella CrrA/CrrB two-component system leading to aquasition of colistin resistance

Starting date: 1 September 2021

View Jannik Nicklas Eliasen's profile at ku.dk

Jannik Nicklas Eliasen

Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen

Topic: Explore neuronal activity of psychedelics which underlie the therapeutic effects in mental disorders.

Starting date: 31 December 2020

View Jacob Skallerup Andersen's profile at aau.dk

Jacob Skallerup Andersen

Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University

Topic: Personalized Medicine in Rheumatic Autoimmune Diseases

Starting date: 1 December 2020

View Rasmus West Knopper's profile at au.dk

Rasmus West Knopper

Department for Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University

Topic: Locus coeruleus: The master switch for brain health?

Starting date: 1 December 2020

View Luciano de Oliveira Souza's profile at ku.dk

Luciano de Oliveira Souza

Department Of Drug Design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen

Topic: Identification of a predictive omics signature for taxane resistance in prostate cancer

Starting date: 31 December 2019

View Jefferson Novaes Gomes's profile at ku.dk

Jefferson Novaes Gomes

Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, the University of Copenhagen

Topic: Opioids and the Mesopontine Cholinergic Nuclei: Explorations of a new target for combating opioid addiction.

Starting date: 1 December 2019

View Deniss Petrovs' profile at dtu.dk

Deniss Petrovs

Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, DTU Bioengineering

Topic: Discovery and Characteri- zation of Carbohydrate-Active Enzymes from Gastrointestinal Tract Resident Bacteria

Starting date: 1 December 2017

Life Sciences

1Rethinking water use and management technologies is an industrial opportunity as well as a societal necessity, but requires integration of knowledge and management strategies. China has initiated a national water research programme and will contribute with several billion RMB to projects across the country in the next few years.

Danish universities and research institutes have an internationally recognised leading position in the research on water related issues including water resources and land management, freshwater ecosystems, urban water management systems and pollution prevention and control. Due to strong environmental legislation and enforcement Danish public and private sector organisations have comprehensive expertise in implementing well-functioning water management policies in practice.

A Sino-Danish collaboration within the sphere of water, land and environment is feasible and highly relevant for several reasons:

  • Chinese scientists and managers are already collaborating with leading Danish experts within basic and applied water research.
  • Collaboration has already been established with several CAS institutes involved in UCAS and other affiliated universities, and these have expressed their interest in expanding the collaboration in connection with the proposed University Centre.
  • The SDC workshop in October 2009 confirmed that the water and environment theme is ready for action as both committed and competent scientist were identified from both Danish and Chinese side.
  • A collaboration will provide immense opportunities for Danish scientists to be part of the fast developing science on water related issues in China and to undertake research on a larger scale than is possible in Denmark.
  • China covers many ecoregions, allowing valuable comparative studies of climatic effects on water and landscape interactions.
  • The Centre - together with the mother institutions in the two countries - has the potential for developing one of the world's leading expert units within the field of sustainable use and management of water in the landscape.

By Danish Principal Coordinator Peter Engelund Holm (University of Copenhagen)