A new national centre to advance experimental disease research

A new research centre at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) will enable researchers to work more precisely and effectively with experimental disease models. The centre will be named the Danish Center for Mouse Transgenics and Advanced Phenotyping – or DCM-TAP. It is being established with a DKK 22 million infrastructure grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

The centre will support the development and use of genetically modified and experimental disease models, enabling precise measurement of how diseases affect the body – from blood pressure and metabolism to memory and behaviour.

Mice help us understand genes and disease

Mice play a key role in modern disease research because their genes and physiology resemble those of humans in many ways. By using various disease models – for example by modifying genes in mice – researchers can mimic a disease in the body and study how it develops and how it affects specific organs and functions.

Genetically modified mice are known as transgenic mice, and they can help us study how genes affect essential functions such as circulation, kidney function, brain activity and metabolism.

– We use transgenic mice to examine how individual genes influence bodily functions. This helps us understand diseases – and, in the long run, discover new treatment options. That’s why it’s so important to have both the infrastructure and expertise to develop these advanced models, says Professor Henrik Dimke from the Department of Molecular Medicine, who heads the project and the transgenic core facility.

Measuring signs of disease throughout the body

A key feature of DCM-TAP will be so-called phenotyping – detailed measurement of how body and behaviour are affected by disease. This might include blood pressure, heart rate, kidney function, metabolism, motor skills, memory and social behaviour.

– Our aim is to be able to measure advanced brain functions, energy expenditure, motor skills and disease-related signs – and to observe how these change when the body is diseased or genetically modified. This gives us a much more nuanced understanding of disease progression and treatment effects, says Professor Kate Lykke Lambertsen, who leads the phenotyping work and is co-responsible for the project.

These measurements are carried out using advanced equipment, including wireless monitoring (telemetry) and behavioural analysis.

Surgical disease models

The centre will also offer microsurgical models, in which diseases are mimicked through precise interventions in experimental models – for example in relation to brain, urinary tract or cardiovascular diseases. These models make it possible to study how the body reacts to disease and how new treatments work under controlled conditions.

The microsurgical part of the centre is led by Professor Peter Zvara.

A national resource

The centre will be the first of its kind to combine all these elements within experimental disease research. DCM-TAP will be located at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense, where the university and the hospital will soon be physically connected. The centre will serve as an open and shared platform for researchers from both academia and industry – nationally and internationally.

– Our goal is to make advanced techniques and models accessible to more people. It should be a resource that promotes collaboration, quality and innovation in Danish disease research, says Professor Henrik Dimke.