Most recdntly enrolled at the top
Elucidating the elusive molecular mechanism of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
Alexander Wind
The objective of this PhD project is to help better understand the molecular mechanism of Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). We are utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived sensory neurons that are being treated with paclitaxel and vincristine to induce CIPN. With this cell model, we are using a high throughput screen of a library of drugs to identify substances that may modulate paclitaxel- or vincristine-induced neurotoxicity. In a next step, we will conduct mechanistic follow-up studies to better understand the underlying mechanisms of CIPN and the exacerbation or alleviation by the screening hits.
Main supervisor: Tore B. Stage
Use of psychotropic medication in pregnancy and gastrointestinal disorders in children
Karoline Mathilde Lundgaard
This project aims to study the consequences of psychotropic drug use during pregnancy on the risk and severity of gastrointestinal disorders in children. Using nationwide health registers, the project will consist of three studies: study 1 will describe the incidence of gastrointestinal disorders over time and characterizing diagnosed children, study 2 and 3 will investigate how exposure to psychotropic medication in utero is associated with gastrointestinal disorders and if exposure affect severity of the gastrointestinal disorders. The findings will provide evidence to support the optimal use of psychotropic medication during pregnancy and potentially reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal disorders in children.
Main supervisor: Mette Bliddal
The psychiatric burden of children and adolescents in Scandinavia – a sex and time trend perspective
Maria Højgaard Stoltz-Andersen
This project aims to outline detailed psychotropic drug utilization patterns among children and adolescents in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden during the past decade, leveraging data from the Scandinavian healthcare registers. Historically, there is a variation in psychotropic treatment between boys and girls that is beyond what can be justified by sex-specific variation in disorder symptom presentation. Furthermore, there are unexplained national variations in psychotropic drug use among Scandinavian children and adolescents. This project will help to fill this important gap in knowledge by seeking to explain counterintuitive variation in treatment of psychiatric disorders between both sexes and Scandinavians populations. Specifically, we will 1) determine sex-specific incidence and prevalence rates of psychotropic drug use, 2) compare treatment patterns, including treatment duration, treatment latency, and treatment changes for boys and girls, and 3) characterize boys and girls using psychotropic drugs regarding socioeconomic factors, and somatic and psychiatric morbidity. The three studies will detect potential differences that imply non-rational use of psychotropic drugs and inequality in mental health care between sexes and populations. Hence, our results will guide the development of optimized clinical treatment guidelines based on actual utilization patterns in Scandinavia.
Main supervisor: Rikke Thaarup Wesselhøft
Sustainable Healthcare: Task shifting, Resource Allocation, and Home Healthcare
Anders Christer Larsen
This project aims to generate knowledge to enhance the use of resources in healthcare and ensure safe and high-quality care. The research comprises three studies which aim to: 1) Investigate success factors for task shifting in the implementation of clinical pharmacy services in hospitals, using mixed methods, 2) Investigate task shifting and the transfer of medical responsibility during the transition of patients from hospitals to temporary care, using mixed methods, 3) Investigate and describe the characteristics of people receiving home healthcare services, using Danish registry data.
The project seeks to enhance the use of competencies and resources among different healthcare professionals and provide a critical overview of a large and growing population of people on which there is currently limited information. These insights will inform and help efficient resources allocation and decision-making within the healthcare system.
Main supervisor: Anton Pottegård
PFAS exposure levels in 1500 young Danes and association between prenatal PFAS exposure and serum lipides and cardiovascular risk markers in children
Christina Raun-Petersen
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are highly persistent chemicals widely used in consumer products. PFAS are detectable in the environment and humans worldwide. The current levels of PFAS concentrations in the general Danish population are unknown, both hindering clinical guidance for highly exposed groups as well as the authorities’ ability to evaluate the impact of regulations. PFAS exposure has been associated with increased serum cholesterol which is causally linked to cardiovascular disease and potentially poses a major impact on human health. This study aims to establish PFAS exposure in 1500 18-28-year-old Danes from the general population. Additionally, the study seeks to investigate the association between prenatal exposure to PFAS and serum lipides as well as cardiovascular risk markers in children in the Odense Child Cohort. Reducing risk factors before the onset of clinical cardiovascular disease could offer major public health benefits and guide PFAS regulation.
Main supervisor: Tina Kold Jensen
Detection of unknown beneficial cumulative drug effects
Julie Rudbech Krumborg
This project aims to identify potential targets for drug repurposing. We will conduct a large screening study on real-world data on all prescriptions and diagnoses in the Danish registers employing a modified case-crossover and a nested case-control design. This project will focus on cumulative beneficial effects of drugs that have not yet been described in the literature. A cumulative effect refers to an effect that requires repeated exposure to the drug to manifest and it does not necesarily debut concurrent with use of the drug. Consequently, cumulative effects are challenging to discover using traditional methods, and beneficial cumulative effects are even more obscure.
We expect the study to result in a numerous associations. The strongest associations with highest potential public health impact will be prioritised in further validation studies.
Main supervisor: Jesper Hallas
Maternal urinary paracetamol concentrations and self-reported paracetamol use: Potential impact on reproductive and cognitive development in children from Odense Child Cohort
Sarah Bakkær Munk Andreasen
This project investigates maternal paracetamol use during pregnancy and its potential effects on reproductive and cognitive development in children from Odense Child Cohort.
The project comprises three studies: The first study, already published, evaluates the trajectory of anogenital distance from 3 months to 9 years of age. The second study will investigate the association between maternal use of paracetamol during pregnancy and anogenital distance in children. Finally, the third study will examine the association between maternal use of paracetamol during pregnancy and intelligence quotient (IQ) in children at the age of 7 years. Maternal paracetamol use is measured though urinary measurements at gestational week 28 and self-reported data from questionnaires. This project aims to provide insights into the potential risks associated with paracetamol use during pregnancy on the reproductive and cognitive development of children.
Main supervisor Tina Kold Jensen
Prenatal and childhood insecticide exposure; impact on cognitive and motor function development among 7-years-old children from the Odense Child Cohort (OCC)
Stine Søgaard Normann
This PhD-project aims to investigate the possible associations between prenatal and childhood insecticide exposure and its impact on cognitive and motor function development among 7-years-old children from the OCC. The OCC provide a unique opportunity to investigate both the impact of prenatal and childhood (at age 5 years) pyrethroid exposure on neurodevelopment (cognitive and motor skill functions) at school age, when complex cognitive functions can be examined. It also allows us to compare the potential impact of pyrethroids and chlorpyrifos on neurodevelopment. The research contains three studies: 1. Prenatal exposure to pyrethroid and chlorpyrifos and IQ-score in 7-year-old children and whether such associations are mediated by disturbance of maternal thyroid hormones, 2. Childhood (age 5 years) exposure to pyrethroid and chlorpyrifos and IQ-score in 7-year-old children and 3. Prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroid and chlorpyrifos and motor skills in 7-year-old-children.
Main supervisor: Tina Kold Jensen
Early life exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and bisphenols; impact on health effects in children from Odense Child Cohort
Annika Sigvaldsen
The aim of the PhD project is to investigate associations between endocrine-disrupting chemicals and body composition in children from Odense Child Cohort. In Odense Child cohort, pregnant women were enrolled between 2010 and 2012 (n=2,874), and 2,448 children are still being followed.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a well-known endocrine disrupter used in food and beverage storage plastics, surface coatings in food cans, thermal paper, dental sealants, children's toys, among other applications. The restricted use of BPA has led to an increased use of bisphenol F (BPF) and bisphenol S (BPS). Recent cohort studies have found that prenatal BPS exposure is negatively associated with lower bone mineral density in offspring. The first study will examine associations between BPA, BPF and BPS and bone mineral density in children from Odense Child Cohort at age 7 years. This study has already been conducted and published.
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals used in consumer products as cookware, clothing, and furniture. These chemicals are known endocrine disruptors and humans are primarily exposed through their diet. In the Odense Child Cohort, early PFAS exposure was associated with lower bone mineral density at age 7 years. Therefore, the second study will examine PFAS exposure and bone mineral density at age 9 years, as it is important to assess whether these associations persist at older ages.
Finally, the third study will examine associations between BPA, BPF and BPS and fat percentage in 7- and 9-year-old children from the Odense Child Cohort.
Main supervisor: Tina Kold Jensen
Prenatal and childhood exposure to pyrethroids and potential impact on reproductive and cardiovascular health in children from the Odense Child Cohort
Anna-Patricia Müerkoster
This project aims to study reproductive and cardiovascular health amongst children from the Odense Child Cohort, that were prenatally exposed to pyrethroids. The research comprises three studies: 1) investigating if there is an association between prenatal exposure to pyrethroids and mini-puberty, which occurs at approximately 3 months of age, 2) analyzing the changes in blood pressure over time in the children according to their prenatal exposure to pyrethroids, 3) examining the puberty status in 12 year old children from the cohort in association with the prenatal exposure to pyrethroids.
The project seeks to provide insight into the potential harm pyrethroids can constitute to the reproductive and cardiovascular health of children enrolled in the Odense Child Cohort.
Main supervisor: Tina Kold Jensen
Morbidity, mortality, and medication use among frail older people in care homes and temporary stays in Denmark
Hanin Harbi
This PhD project aims to promote a better and safer use of drugs among frail older people in care homes and temporary stays, with a particular focus on glucose-lowering drugs. The project consists of four studies, which will examine the 1) characteristics, care trajectories, and medication use of patients in temporary stays in Denmark, 2) morbidity and mortality among care home residents in Denmark, 3) use of glucose-lowering drugs in Danish care homes, and 4) use and safety of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) among older people with type 2 diabetes in British Columbia, Canada. The project is based on a manually collected cohort of 11,424 patients in temporary stays in Denmark and a national cohort of all Danes admitted to care homes in Denmark from 2015 onwards and uses data from several Danish health registries. By contributing to a better understanding of the morbidity, mortality, and medication use among frail older people in care homes and temporary stays, the project seeks to optimize the treatment and care of these patients, thereby improving their safety and quality of life.
Main supervisor: Anton Pottegård
Medication use among nursing home residents
Emma Bjørk Olsen
This project aims to study medication use among Danish nursing home residents, leveraging newly available data from the Danish Health Data Authority. The research comprises four studies: 1) assessing the value of using information recorded in the Danish National Prescription Register to evaluate drug use among nursing home residents, 2) analyzing the utilization of pain medication at nursing homes, 3) examining the distribution of types of prescribers at nursing homes, and 4) evaluating the effect of designated nursing home physicians on residents' overall medication burden and prevalence of polypharmacy.
The project seeks to promote rational medication use, care, and safety for older persons living in Danish nursing homes by providing insights into the medication burden and developing interventions and strategies for systematic monitoring and evaluation.
Main supervisor: Anton Pottegård
Hypothesis-free screening of prescription medications for cardiovascular adverse effects
Saad Hanif Abbasi
This project aims to conduct hypothesis-free screening across all prescription medicines for a range of cardiovascular outcomes, which can be hypothesized to manifest both shortly after drug initiation and following prolo nged use. The overall project consists of two screening and two methodological studies. In the screening studies, we plan to screen for both cumulative effects, using case-control methodology, as well as effects of ‘new/current use’, using the case-time control. Signals generated by these studies will be prioritized for replication in future studies using external data sources. In the methodological studies, we will use the self-controlled design to investigate when the association between rofecoxib use and cardiovascular outcomes would have been identified using this setup and we will adapt the high-dimensional propensity score algorithm to the case-control screening design.
Main supervisor: Anton Pottegård
Epidemiological screening of big data for unsuspected collateral drug benefits – a potential pipeline for drug repurposing
Martin Torp Rahbek
The project aims to locate unknown collateral drug benefits. A collateral drug benefit is when a drug has beneficial effects which are unrelated to the reason for prescribing it. The studies will be carried out by conduction of a hypothesis-free screening of real-world data of all prescriptions against all diagnoses. The overall project consists of three studies. Two screenings for respectively immediate and cumulated drug effects. The screening study of immediate effects utilizes the self-controlled design of the sequence symmetry analysis. In the screening for cumulated drug effects, we will use a nested case-control design. The last study is a scoping review describing the epidemiological aspects of analyzing cumulative drug effects, harmful or beneficial. Since all obtained associations are hypothesis generating they will be prioritized based on public health for validation and replication in future studies.
Main supervisor: Jesper Hallas
Use of Real-World Data in screening for unknown drug effects and drug utilisation patterns within dermatology
Thomas Delvin
Monitoring of marketed drugs is an important part of the ongoing evaluation of the benefits and risks of drugs, and epidemiological analyzes of healthcare data have been proposed as an alternative to traditional side-effect monitoring.
Monitoring of marketed drugs is a critical aspect of assessing the benefits and risks associated with their use. To this end, epidemiological analyses of healthcare data have been proposed as a valuable alternative to traditional side-effect monitoring.
In this project, we aim to apply epidemiologic screening to large healthcare databases to evaluate its utility in the field of dermatology. Our approach will involve conducting three key studies. 1) A study screening all dermatology drugs for adverse and beneficial effects by using self-controlled designs and a nested case-control analysis. 2) A study screening all marketed drugs for dermatological adverse outcomes using the same designs. 3) A comprehensive dermatology drug utilisation study screening for unexpected utilisation patterns.
Main supervisor: Jesper Hallas