Post on 03-Jun-2020
U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O P E N H A G E N
F A C U L T Y O F H E A L T H A N D M E D I C A L S C I E N C E S
B R I D G E - T R A N S L A T I O N A L E X C E L L E N C E P R O G R A M M E
P R O J E C T S Y N O P S I S T E M P L A T E1
Project title Maintaining sinus rhythm by SK channel inhibition
Mentor 1 Bo Hjorth Bentzen, Associate Professor, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of
Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen (bobe@sund.ku.dk)
Mentor 2 Morten Grunnet, Chief Scientific Officer, Acesion Pharma (mgr@acesionpharma.com)
Framework The fellow will work in a well-established high performance collaborative
environment, where great translational research is key for success. Acesion Pharma
(AP) is a Danish biotech company that aims to develop SK channel inhibitors as
treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). Investors in AP are Novo, Broadview Ventures,
SEED Capital and Wellcome Trust. AP have recently successfully conducted a phase I
clinical trial with a novel SK channel modulator.
Bo Bentzen’s group, which focuses on understanding AF and discovering new
treatments and AP are heavily involved in translational research, and have many
international collaborators and experiences with academic mentorship also from
being a partners in the EU horizon 2020 PhD training network (AFib TrainNet).
The collaboration between the mentors is well established and fruitful, and the fellow
will work with both academic and industrial scientists, which will allow for a unique
mentorship in solid translational research and preclinical drug discovery.
Project
synopsis
Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac arrhythmia affecting 2% of the total
population. Current treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF) often relies on controlling the
heart rate. An alternative is to convert the chaotic fibrillation of the atria to sinus
rhythm. However, current anti-arrhythmic drugs are hampered by poor safety and/or
efficacy. Based on preclinical work SK channel inhibition appears to constitute an
attractive alternative. With this project we would like to establish new porcine
1 The CV’s and project synopsis of each mentor team will be posted on the programme webpage in advance of the
admissions process to the programme.
PAGE 2 OF 2 models of arrhythmia and investigate possible cardiac benefits of maintaining sinus
rhythm using SK channel modulators.
Profile of
potential
fellow
Keen interest in drug discovery Desire to work in the cross-field between industry and academia Experience with cardiovascular physiology Experience and interest in working with animal models of cardiac disease
U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O P E N H A G E N
F A C U L T Y O F H E A L T H A N D M E D I C A L S C I E N C E S
B R I D G E - T R A N S L A T I O N A L E X C E L L E N C E P R O G R A M M E
M E N T O R C V T E M P L A T E1
Name Bo Hjorth Bentzen
Title PhD
Current
department(s)
Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University
of Copenhagen
Current position(s) Associate Professor (tenured), Research group leader
Education/training Education: 2015: Harvard Business School, Pasteur Program (leading and managing innovation) 2010: Ph.D. Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen 2006: M.Sc. Human Biology, University of Copenhagen
Training and work experience: 2014 –2018 Director of joint project between University of Copenhagen and Acesion Pharma, funded by Innovation Fund Denmark 2014- Associate Professor, Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, UCPH 2012-2015 Manager of in vitro pharmacology, Acesion Pharma, Denmark 2012-2013 Postdoc, Danish National Research Foundation Centre of Cardiac Arrhythmia, Univeristy of Copenhagen 2011–2012 Research Scientist, NSDiscovery, NeuroSearch A/S.
Scientific career
profile
Profile: I am a skilled electrophysiologist and pharmacologist with both academic and pharmaceutical training. I work on diagnosing, understanding and treating cardiac arrhythmia. To this end I take advantage of my knowledge on drug discovery, cell, tissue and animals experiments. I do basic research to understand the physiology of the heart and apply this to explore novel ways of diagnosing and treating cardiac disorders. I have a strong passion for innovation and collaborative projects between industry and academia, and have served as the director of a Grand solution project (Innovation Fund DK) 2014-2018, and I am currently appointed “Innovation Scout” at the department, and former board member of the Industrial PhD and Postdoc Association. My research group, which I started in 2015, currently employees 1 postdoc, 4 PhD-student and 3 shared master students. We are utilizing our expertise in experimental cardiac models and translational science in our collaborative projects. Together with
1 Do not exceed two pages.
The CV’s and project synopsis of each mentor team will be posted on the programme webpage in advance of the
admissions process to the programme
PAGE 2 OF 3 the Niels Bohr Institute we are developing radical new tools for fetal arrhythmia detection, with Acesion Pharma novel treatments of AF, and with the University of Miami and Linköping we are finding new treatments for inherited LQT syndrome. We also have a strong focus on understanding the mechanism of arrhythmia and have joint projects on the role of genetic and epigenetics in AF together with Morten Olesen BMI/RH and Prof Ellinor, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. My group spun out from the former Danish National Research Foundation Centre of Cardiac Arrhythmia, and we have a finely established national network of collaborators. Moreover as partners in the EU horizon 2020 PhD training network Afib Trainnet we have also established a broad international network.
Bibliometric
summary
41 peer-reviewed publications, 9 first authorships, 10 second authorships, 6 last
authorships. 3 patent applications and 1 granted patent. H-index: 15; 621 citations.
1) Jensen K, Skarsfeldt MA, Stærkind H, Arnbak J, Balabas MV, Olesen SP, Bentzen BH,
Polzik ES. Sci Rep. 2018 Nov 1;8(1):16218.
2) Skarsfeldt MA, Bomholtz SH, Lundegaard PR, Lopez-Izquierdo A, Tristani-Firouzi M,
Bentzen BH. Acta Physiol (Oxf). 2018 Jul;223(3):e13049
3) Diness JG, Skibsbye L, Simo-Vicens R, dos Santos JL, Lundegaard P, Citerni C, Sauter
DRP, Bomholtz SH, Svendsen JH, Olesen SP, Sørensen US, Jespersen T, Grunnet M,
Bentzen BH. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol. 2017 Oct;10(10). pii: e005125
4) Simó-Vicens R, Kirchhoff JE, Dolce B, Jensen LA, Speerschneider T, Sørensen US,
Grunnet M, Diness JG, Bentzen BH. Br J Pharmacol. 2017 Dec;174(23):4396-4408
5) Liin S.I., Larsson J.E., Barro-Soria B., Bentzen BH., Larsson P. Elife 2016 Sep 30;5. pii:
e20272.
6) Skarsfeldt, M.A., Jepps, T.A., Bomholtz, S.H., Abildgaard, L., Sørensen, U.S., Gregers, E.,
Svendsen, J.H., Diness, J.G., Grunnet, M., Schmitt, N., Olesen SP., Bentzen BH. Pflugers
Arch 2016. 468, 643–654
7) Liin, S.I., Silverå Ejneby, M., Barro-Soria, R., Skarsfeldt, M.A., Larsson, J.E., Starck Härlin,
F., Parkkari, T., Bentzen, B.H., Schmitt, N., Larsson, H.P., et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A
2015. 112, 5714–5719.
8) Soltysinska, E., Bentzen, B.H., Barthmes, M., Hattel, H., Thrush, A.B., Harper, M.-E.,
Qvortrup, K., Larsen, F.J., Schiffer, T.A., Losa-Reyna, J., et al. PLoS ONE 2014, 9, e103402
9) Bentzen, B.H., Grunnet, M., Hyveled-Nielsen, L., Sundgreen, C., Lassen, J.B., and
Hansen, H.H. Obesity. 2013; 21, 985–992.
10) Bentzen, B.H., Nardi, A., Calloe, K., Madsen, L.S., Olesen, S.-P., and Grunnet, M. The
small molecule NS11021 is a potent and specific activator of Ca2+-activated big-
conductance K+ channels. Mol. Pharmacol. 2007. 72, 1033–1044.
Contributions to
mentoring,
training,
supervision
I want my mentees to grow and become independent researchers, and help them
find the best path forward no matter if it is in academia or industry. 1 PhD student
from my research group has graduated, and he has pursued an academic career as a
postdoc in the US. Three postdocs have finished in my lab, and currently hold jobs as
scientists in private companies. In addition to pre-graduate teaching i am course
organizer of the BRIDGE course “translational tools I”, and have co-organized 3 PhD
courses: “Ion Channel Symposium”, UCPH. Moreover I lecture in the “Master of
Industrial Drug Development” course at UCPH”
U N I V E R S I T Y O F C O P E N H A G E N
F A C U L T Y O F H E A L T H A N D M E D I C A L S C I E N C E S
B R I D G E - T R A N S L A T I O N A L E X C E L L E N C E P R O G R A M M E
M E N T O R C V T E M P L A T E1
Name Morten Grunnet
Title PhD, Professor
Current
department(s)
Acesion Pharma, Lundbeck A/S and Institute for Drug design and Pharmacology,
University of Copenhagen
Current position(s) Chief Scientific Officer, Acesion Pharma; Director Research and Development and
PA to EVP for R&D, Lundbeck A/S; Professor (honorary) at Institute for Drug
design and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen
Education/training 2017-: Director Research and Development and PA to EVP for R&D
2014-2017: Head of Department, Synaptic Transmission In Vitro, at Lundbeck
2012-2014: Principal Scientist at Lundbeck A/S
2012-: Professor (honorary) University of Copenhagen
2011: Doctor Degree from Natural Sciences, University of Copenhagen
2011-: CSO, Board member and co-founder Acesion Pharma
2011-2012: Scientific Director and Head of NS Academy, NeuroSearch A/S
2007-2011: Professor at Department of Biomedical Sciences, UCPH
2009-2011: Head of Drug Discovery Portfolio Management, Neurosearch A/S
2005-2009: Head of Department, Cardiac Physiology, NeuroSearch A/S
2004-2005: Research Scientist at NeuroSearch A/S
2002-2007: Assistant professor at Department of Medical Physiology, UCPH
2002-2004: Co-founder and scientist at Poseidon Pharmacuticals
2002: Medical PhD
1998: Master of Science (Biology)
Scientific career
profile
My entire research career has been focused on ion channels in excitable tissue. I
have concomitant with my basic research career and academic career (4 years
served as a full professor, currently Honorary Professor), always had a strong
focus on drug development and worked in both biotech and pharma industry. I
1 Do not exceed two pages.
The CV’s and project synopsis of each mentor team will be posted on the programme webpage in advance of the
admissions process to the programme
PAGE 2 OF 3 have co-founded two biotech companies, and have extensive experience with
drug discovery, translational research, project management and leadership. I
have headed different departments and been member of the discovery
management group as scientific director. My project manager experience cover
everything from early stage discovery to mature full scale projects encompassing
up to 30 project members. In 2011 I co-founded a new biotech company, Acesion
Pharma, where I’m currently CSO and has additionally in 2012 started to work at
Lundbeck A/S. Initially in a specialist role as Principal Scientist, later as Head of
Department for 20 people at Synaptic Transmission In vitro and currently as
Director in Research and Development and personal assistant to the EVP for R&D.
Bibliometric
summary
125 peer review papers, 2 peer review book chapter, 17 patents, > 5000 citations,
H-factor: 38
1) Richards, KL.; Milligan, CJ.; Richardson, RJ.; et al.;Selective; PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Volume: 115 Issue: 34 Pages:
E8077-E8085 Published: AUG 21 2018
2) Diness, Jonas Goldin; Skibsbye, Lasse; Simo-Vicens, Rafel; et al.; CIRCULATION-ARRHYTHMIA AND
ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY Volume: 10 Issue: 10 Article Number: e005125 Published: OCT 2017
3) Qi, XY; Diness, JG.; Brundel, BJJ; et al. CIRCULATION Volume: 129 Issue: 4 Pages: 430-440
Published: JAN 28 2014
4) Liang, B; Nissen, JD.; Laursen, M; et al.; CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH Volume: 101 Issue: 1
Pages: 175-184 Published: JAN 1 2014
5) Schmitt N; Grunnet M; Olesen, SP; PHYSIOLOGICAL REVIEWS Volume: 94 Issue: 2 Pages: 609-
653 Published: APR 2014
6) Skibsbye, L; Poulet, C; Diness, JG; et al.; CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH Volume: 103 Issue: 1
Pages: 156-167 Published: JUL 1 2014
7) Diness, JG.; Skibsbye, L; Jespersen, T; et al. HYPERTENSION Volume: 57 Issue: 6 Pages: 1129-
U195 Published: JUN 2011
8) Diness, Jonas Goldin; Sorensen, Ulrik S.; Nissen, Jakob Dahl; et al.; CIRCULATION-ARRHYTHMIA
AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Pages: 380-U121 Published: AUG 2010
9) Yang, Yanzong; Yang, Yiqing; Liang, Bo; et al.; AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
Volume: 86 Issue: 6 Pages: 872-880: JUN 11 2010
10) Frokjaer-Jensen, C; Davis, M. W; Hopkins, Christopher E.; et al. NATURE GENETICS Volume: 40
Issue: 11 Pages: 1375-1383 Published: NOV 2008
Contributions to
mentoring,
training,
supervision
Include a statement on your mentoring philosophy
I have supervised 13 Master students, 12 PhD students, and mentored several
postdocs. These people now hold jobs in academia as postdocs, assistant and
associate professors or the industry as scientists.
Teaching experience from various undergraduate courses in molecular biology
and cell biology and graduate courses in specific courses about ion channels,
transporters and receptors. Co-organizer of the PhD course “Ion Channel
Symposium”