On Friday 17 April 2026 at 13:00, Søren Hejgaard Elsborg defends his PhD dissertation entitled “Uremic toxins: drivers of cardiovascular disease”. 

In a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, Søren Hejgaard Elsborg investigates how waste substances that accumulate in the blood of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may contribute to cardiovascular disease. Around one in ten people worldwide lives with CKD, a condition for which there is still no cure. As kidney function declines, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease rises, while waste products that are normally removed by healthy kidneys begin to build up in the bloodstream. These substances, known as uremic toxins, are suspected of directly damaging tissues such as blood vessels. However, decisive evidence for this link is still lacking, and more research is needed to understand how these toxins cause harm and how their effects might be prevented.

During my PhD, I investigated whether a specific animal model can accurately reflect how these toxins naturally build up in the blood of patients with CKD. In this work, I identified several metabolites in the blood that show promise as improved markers for measuring kidney function in people with CKD. I also uncovered a previously unknown role for albumin, the most abundant protein in the blood, in regulating the uptake and function of the uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate in blood vessels.

Together, this work moves us closer to understanding—and eventually targeting—the toxic link between kidney disease and cardiovascular injury. 

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Auditorium 201, building 1632, AIAS), Aarhus University. Please see the press release for more information. 

Contact

PhD student Søren Hejgaard Elsborg
Mail: sohe@clin.au.dk
Phone: +45 20159854

Read full press release