{"id":12551,"date":"2024-11-04T13:07:59","date_gmt":"2024-11-04T12:07:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leo-foundation.org\/en\/?p=12551"},"modified":"2025-01-07T10:33:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T09:33:43","slug":"meet-our-four-new-dr-abildgaard-fellows-for-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leo-foundation.org\/en\/2024\/11\/04\/meet-our-four-new-dr-abildgaard-fellows-for-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet our four new Dr Abildgaard Fellows for 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
From left: Postdoc Wenning Zheng, M.D. and Senior Researcher Nikolai Loft, M.D. and Research Manager Rune Kj\u00e6rsgaard Andersen, and M. D. and Assistant Professor Stinne Ravn Greisen <\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 4 November 2024<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Wenning Zheng from the University of Copenhagen, Stinne Ravn Greisen from Aarhus University and Nikolai Loft and Rune Kj\u00e6rsgaard Andersen, the two latter both from Copenhagen University Hospitals \u2013 Herlev and Gentofte are this year\u2019s skin researchers to receive a LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are very pleased to be able to support such excellent research talents in their ambition to establish or expand an independent research group at a Danish research institution, while also positioning themselves as research leaders. Each of the four fellows has impressed both international expert reviewers and our Grant Committee with their visions and plans for their skin research,\u201d says Anne-Marie Engel, Chief Scientific Officer at the LEO Foundation, and continues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowship recognizes the outstanding potential of these four new fellows as emerging research leaders in their field. We are confident that they will play a significant role in the future of skin research. We very much look forward to following their work at Danish institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Supporting emerging research leaders<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With the LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships, the LEO Foundation supports talented, emerging research leaders who are ready to establish or expand their own research groups at Danish research institutions. The LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships offer stable funding of DKK 12 million (EUR 1.6 million), distributed over a five-year period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2024, it was possible to apply for LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships within one of two themes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Advanced Therapeutics Research in Skin Diseases,<\/em> and Systems Medicine in Dermatology<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The LEO Foundation introduced the LEO Foundation Dr Abildgaard Fellowships program in 2023. The Fellowships program is named after Dr. Knud E. Abildgaard<\/strong><\/a>, the founder of the LEO Foundation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Meet the Dr Abildgaard Fellows 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Bioinformatician Wenning Zheng<\/strong>, Postdoc at the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center, University of Copenhagen, receives a fellowship for her research to understand the role of immune cells in inflammatory skin disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her project focuses on identifying rare, aggressive T cells in the blood of patients with eczema, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. These T cells, known to reside in the skin, may circulate through the blood and affect other organs, linking skin diseases with other conditions like asthma and arthritis. By using advanced assays, single-cell sequencing, and machine learning, Wenning Zheng aims to discover the specific antigens recognized by these T cells to develop better diagnostic and treatment tools for skin diseases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 1 January 2025 Wenning Zheng will be Assistant Professor.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe LEO Foundation has awarded four emerging skin research talents with the prestigious Dr Abildgaard Fellowships, each worth DKK 12 million for a five-year period.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n