With new funding researchers will illuminate bacterial biofilms, advanced imaging, and quantum materials

iNANO researchers secure funding for cutting-edge projects, including a landmark Semper Ardens grant for Professor Rikke Louise Meyer, unraveling the mysteries of bacterial biofilms. The grants cover diverse areas, from imaging biological processes to advancing environmental understanding and materials science.

Researchers at Aarhus University are set to embark on a series of research endeavors, supported by substantial grants from the Carlsberg Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Innovation Fund Denmark.

The diverse projects promise to contribute significantly to our understanding of fundamental scientific principles and address pressing societal challenges within environmental science, materials research, biochemistry, and more.

Carlsberg Foundation

Semper Ardens Accomplish

Leading the way is Rikke Louise Meyer (iNANO), who has been awarded a Semper Ardens grant of 9.97 million DKK for "The Catalytic Network" project. This initiative explores the use of extracellular DNA (eDNA) in bacterial biofilms, unveiling how biofilms form resilient structures with catalytic properties. The project combines microbiology, DNA chemistry, and biophysics to understand the intricacies of bacterial biofilms, offering new insights into the role of DNA in living organisms.

Infrastructure

  • Jørgen Kjems (Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics & iNANO) - 1.18 million DKK: Investigating the imaging of biological processes in animals using infrared light, the Newton 7.0 scanner allows mapping molecular processes in living animals.
  • Marianne Glasius (Dept. of Chemistry & iNANO) - 3.14 million DKK: Establishing a high-resolution mass spectrometer facility for comprehensive molecular understanding of environmental processes.
  • Bo Brummerstedt Iversen (Dept. of Chemistry & iNANO) - 1.30 million DKK: Acquiring a SPECTRO ARCOS Multiview 160 Inductively Coupled Plasma spectrometer for advancing materials science.
  • Poul Nissen (Dept. of Molecular Biology and Genetics & iNANO) - 1.12 million DKK: Introducing an integrated imager for quantitative studies of biomolecules, contributing to the advancement of biochemistry research.

Internationalisation Fellowship

  • Minke Nijenhuis (iNANO) - 1.02 million DKK: Developing an ultra-sensitive method for protein detection using geometrically-coupled amplification and kinetic proofreading.
  • Bente Kring Hansen (iNANO) - 1.02 million DKK: Engineering UTRs of mRNA to optimize translational control for mRNA therapeutics, focusing on cancer-specific delivery.

Novo Nordisk Foundation

  • Jeppe Vang Lauritsen (iNANO) - 3 million DKK: Investigating active-single atom catalysts in carbon-nitrides for potential applications in electrochemical CO2 conversion.

Innovation Fund Denmark

Innoexplorer

  • Ken Howard (iNANO) - 1.5 million DKK: Developing the SupA-Booster for allergen immunotherapy, aiming to enhance treatment efficacy and reduce side effects.