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Two DANDRITE researchers awarded the Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator Grant

Assistant Professor Gilles Vanwallaghem and Postdoc Rasmus Kock Flygaard are among the four recipients who received DKK 10 million from Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Rasmus Kock Flygaard Photo: Lisbeth Heilesen, AU
Gilles Vanwalleghem Photo: Lisbeth Heilesen, AU

Novo Nordisk Foundation just announced the recipients of this year's Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator Grant. Among the only four recipients are two DANDRITE researchers, Assistant Professor and Team Leader Gilles Vanwalleghem, and Postdoc Rasmus Kock Flygaard from Nissen Group. Both from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Aarhus University. 

Will expand research of inflammation of the gut-brain axis

With the Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator grant, Gilles Vanwallaghem and his research group will use zebrafish as a model organism to investigate the impact of inflammation on the development of the gut and associated gastrointestinal disorders. The hope is that this work will improve our mechanistic understanding and provide new targets for the development of therapies to treat these conditions.

Studying a molecule crucial for survival of the body's cells

With the Hallas-Møller Emerging Investigator grant, Rasmus Kock Flygaard will establish a research group that will study how cardiolipin is synthesized and map the structures of the various enzymes in bacteria and mitochondria, which are used for this process.