I only knew about Copenhagen before I came here, she recalls. Then I arrived at Aarhus University during the shutdown in the wake of COVID, so that was a bit challenging.

She had travelled from Chicago to establish the laboratory of DANDRITE Group Leader Jelena Radulovic, who was looking for someone to help build her new research group in Aarhus. 

Today, she is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, leads her own independent research group in affective neuroscience, and has recently been appointed a Team Leader at DANDRITE.

"It is a very exciting opportunity," she says. DANDRITE brings together researchers with complementary expertise and a strong focus on fundamental neuroscience. I think there will be many opportunities for collaboration.

Understanding how childhood shapes the brain

Children's earliest experiences can leave lasting marks on the brain.

Asami's research seeks to understand how interactions between babies and their caregivers shape the development of the brain circuits responsible for emotion and why adverse early-life experiences can increase the risk of mental illness later in life.

Our research explores how early-life experiences shape the development of brain areas that process emotion, she says.

 We are especially interested in how social factors, such as social touch and emotional bonding, influence this development. Understanding how emotion-related brain circuits develop after birth and how this development affects vulnerability to stress is key to creating better support and treatment for people who have experienced childhood trauma and struggle with mental health challenges.

To answer these questions, her laboratory combines genetic approaches, electrophysiology, advanced imaging and behavioural studies in mouse models. By linking molecular, cellular and circuit-level mechanisms to behaviour, the group aims to identify the biological pathways that underlie resilience and vulnerability to childhood adversity.

This research focus, combined with a strong commitment to methodological integration, aligns closely with DANDRITE's mission to advance fundamental biomedical understanding through cutting-edge approaches, says Asami.

Choosing science

For Asami, the decision to become a neuroscientist was shaped by experiences long before she entered a research laboratory.

During her bachelor's programme, she worked at a day center for children with neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism. After graduating, she worked in a hospital, where she met patients living with severe cognitive impairment.

Their cognition was quite damaged, and I wondered how this happens and how we can treat these deficits. she says. That was my motivation for changing my career path and joining a research laboratory.

She went on to complete a master's degree in neuroscience and later a PhD. 

After my PhD, I had to decide whether I wanted to pursue a career within science because of the difficulties of getting position and funding. Everyone said it was going to be tough.

But again, she says, her eyes lighting up, I simply love science.

Receiving a postdoc fellowship allowed her to continue along that path in Chicago - one that eventually led her to Aarhus, DANDRITE and, now, her own research group.

Read more about Asamis research

During his masters studies, Alexander has been using SH-SY5Y cells with -synuclein overexpression to investigate how modulation of ER Ca² channels affects -synuclein aggregate accumulation in synucleinopathies.

In his new position as a Research Assistant, Alexander will focus on investigating the cellular pathways involved in Ca² dyshomeostasis and how SERCA inhibition and RyR activation can normalise Ca² dynamics and reduce -synuclein accumulation.

I am especially excited to study lysosome-mediated clearance pathways and how they are affected by alterations in Ca² dynamics, says Alexander.

We congratulate Alexander on his new position and look forward to following his continued work in Poul Henning Jensens lab.

The publication forms part of Visuel Forskningsformidling (Visual Research Communication), a national initiative that brings together researchers, journalists, illustrators and animators to explore new approaches to communicating basic research in the natural and health sciences. Through visual storytelling, the project aims to make scientific knowledge more accessible while preserving the complexity and nuance that characterise research.

DANDRITE is a co-applicant on the project, which has received support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Longstanding interest in storytelling cartoons

For Anna Klawonn, the opportunity to take part in the project combined a longstanding interest in storytelling cartoons with a commitment to research communication:

Scientific outreach is important to me as a scientist because our research has potential implications for the general population. Our studies help explain the correlational findings from clinical studies, strengthening important knowledge - and they support the uncovering of new treatments - for combatting disorders of the mood. Also, I really like cartoons, and I am very impressed by the work from Karoline Stjernfelt. It was an honor to have her draw the story.

Klawonns research focuses on neuroimmune interactions the ways in which the immune system and brain influence one another. While these interactions are increasingly recognised as important for understanding both health and disease, they can be challenging to communicate to audiences without a scientific background.

The collaboration therefore offered an opportunity not only to present research findings, but also to experiment with how scientific ideas can be translated into narrative and visual form.

The comic was developed in close collaboration between Klawonn, journalist Peter Becher Damkjær and award-winning cartoonist Karoline Stjernfelt. Best known for her acclaimed graphic novel series I morgen bliver bedre, which tells the story of the Danish King Christian VII and his era, Stjernfelt has established herself as one of Denmarks leading comic artists, with a distinctive ability to combine historical, personal and societal narratives.

Nature as an integral part of the story

A central feature of the comic is its setting. Rather than taking place in a laboratory or research institution, the story unfolds along Øhavsstien. The choice was rooted in Klawonns own experience of walking the route during a period of her life when she was seeking both mental calm a and a lift in spirits.

This connection between scientific inquiry and lived experience reflects one of the broader themes explored in the comic: the relationship between the external environment and internal biological processes. Nature serves not merely as a backdrop, but as an integral part of the story being told.

Like many interdisciplinary projects, the collaboration required participants from different professional backgrounds to develop a shared language and understanding Reflecting on the collaboration, Klawonn highlights the challenges and rewards of communicating science across disciplines:

I have learned a lot on the challenges that comes from scientific communication across fields - working closely together with both cartoonist, Karoline, and journalist Peter was very interesting. Not always easy - but very constructive. It is challenging to communicate neuroscience - and you learn to embrace the process, it can bring a lot of new angles, tells Anna Klawonn.

The comic is available through Fyns Amts Avis (in Danish). Anna Klawonn recommends paying particular attention to the small details woven into the illustrations: Notice the little sick mouse while all the other mice are dancing in the left panel; these are really wonderful details that help tell the story.

If you are interested in learning more about the broader initiative you can explore the Visuel Forskningsformidling project following this link 

Photo: Christian Lüsher

• DANDRITE completed its planned Group Leader recruitment with the arrival of Fiona Müllner, strengthening our research profile in circuit neuroscience and sensory processing.
• 2025 became the strongest funding year in DANDRITEs 13-year history amongst our GLs who secured an exceptional number of external grants
• We launched the first DANDRITE Symposium, bringing together 114 participants from 12 countries.
• Throughout the year, we continued to invest in talent development, partnerships, and community initiatives that support an open, collaborative, and ambitious neuroscience environment.

Explore the full annual report and discover the research, collaborations, and stories that shaped DANDRITE in 2025