Introduction to the topic:
The Danish Headache Center is a world-leading clinical and research center for headache diseases, particularly migraine. The center has a strong emphasis on translation between animal and human studies. A branch of the Center, led by Professor Jes Olesen, works with rodent models of migraine spanning live mouse models to studies of isolated blood vessels and cells. We seek new targets for drug development in migraine and have already identified several, and we are currently examining the mechanisms by which they work.
Project details:
You will work under professor Jes Olesen and a team of 5 researchers who will supervise you over the course of the semester. This is a multi-disciplinary lab using several different techniques to investigate these questions, so you will have plenty of chance to learn and work with different methodologies in migraine research, which is underserved in the US but it is an exploding field of research worldwide.
Selected relevant publications:
- Christensen, S. L., Rasmussen, R. H., Cour, S. L., Ernstsen, C., Hansen, T. F., Kogelman, L. J. A., Lauritzen, S. P., Guzaite, G., Styrishave, B., Janfelt, C., Christensen, S. T., Aziz, Q., Tinker, A., Jansen-Olesen, I., Olesen, J., & Kristensen, D. M. (2021). Smooth muscle ATP-sensitive potassium channels mediate migraine-relevant hypersensitivity in mouse models. Cephalalgia, 42(2), 93–107.
- Christensen, S. L., Rasmussen, R. H., Ernstsen, C., La Cour, S., David, A., Chaker, J., Haanes, K. A., Christensen, S. T., Olesen, J., & Kristensen, D. M. (2021). CGRP-dependent signalling pathways involved in mouse models of GTN- cilostazol- and levcromakalim-induced migraine. Cephalalgia, 41(14), 1413–1426.
Prerequisites
One year of biology and one year of chemistry at a university level.
Additional application required
You must submit an additional application through the Online Registration portal.
All application materials must be submitted on the following dates by midnight in your time zone:
- November 1 for spring semester applicants
- May 1 for fall semester applicants
Faculty
Jes Olesen
FacultyJes Olesen is Professor of Neurology at the University of Copenhagen and a chief physician at the Danish Headache Center, Rigshospitalet Glostrup, Copenhagen. He initiated the International Classification of Headache Disorders and has identified several signaling mechanisms in migraine, leading to new drug targets and registered drugs. He recently received The Brain Prize (2021), awarded by the Lundbeck Foundation, for his migraine research. With DIS since 2023.
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