How does lithium treatment affect the kidney over time? A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, provides new insights into the cellular changes underlying lithium induced nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI). 

Lithium is widely used drug for bipolar disorder. However, lithium treatment can also cause NDI, where the kidney loses its ability to concentrate urine, leading to excessive urination and thirst. The underlying cellular and molecular changes are not fully understood, and it remains unclear to what extent the cellular changes observed in animal models are also present in patients.

In this PhD thesis, Camilla G. Hoff investigated how lithium affects kidney cells involved in water reabsorption. The study focused on kidney tissue and urine as a non-invasive alternative to explore whether it can reflect changes in the kidney. A protocol for single-cell sequencing was also established to enable future studies of cell-type–specific changes and the potential role of renal progenitor cells.

In lithium treated rats, protein analyses identified potential urinary markers of kidney changes; Histone H4 involved in cell division and Keratin 8 involved in maintenance of cellular structure. 

In patients receiving lithium treatment, a smaller set of urinary proteins was altered. These proteins are associated with biological processes such as vesicle transport, cyst formation, and immune signaling. Further studies are needed to determine whether these changes reflect changes in the human kidney. 

Endothelial cells (ECs) form the innermost lining of blood vessels and play a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis. Due to their ubiquitous nature, ECs are often the first responders to any external cues that disrupt normal physiological balance. As a result, endothelial dysfunction is a significant driver of disease progression in various conditions, including diabetes and aging-associated cardiovascular disease. However, ECs are highly heterogeneous and exhibit strong organ-specific characteristics. This complexity explains why the one-size-fits-all approach to treating endothelial dysfunction during diseases has often failed to yield the desired results. Thus, there is an increasing demand for studies that focus on how ECs adapt to stress in a tissue- and time-dependent manner. 

A new PhD study from Aarhus University addresses this challenge by providing a systems-level understanding of endothelial dynamics during metabolic disease and physiological aging. By integrating single-cell and spatial multi-omic approaches, this study offers new insights into how vascular systems respond to complex biological stress. 

Moderate cervical cell changes (CIN2), caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), may either disappear on its own or develop into severe cell changes or cervical cancer if left untreated. To avoid unnecessary surgery that can affect future pregnancies, many women are today offered follow-up in a control programme with regular hospital visits instead of immediate treatment. This approach is called active surveillance. However, it is important to ensure that this approach is safe.

In this PhD project, data from Danish nationwide health registries were used to study women diagnosed with CIN2. 

The results show that the use of active surveillance has increased markedly in Denmark since the late 1990s. We found women who were followed in a controlprogramme did not have a higher risk of developing other HPV-related cancers, (ie. vulva, vaginal and anal cancer), compared with women who underwent immediate surgical treatment. The project also examined whether HPV vaccination after diagnosis could reduce the risk of development into severe cell changes or cancer. The results showed no protective effect among women undergoing active surveillance.

Overall, the findings add to existing knowledge about the benefits and harms of active surveillance for CIN2 and strengthen the basis for individualized counseling of women. 

Transitions between hospital and home occur frequently during the treatment course for children and young people with cancer and have significant implications for the family. This PhD dissertation examined how children undergoing active treatment and their families experience these transitions.

The study aimed to generate experience-based knowledge about the challenges and needs that arise during these transitions, with the purpose of informing the development of a targeted supportive intervention.

The project adopted a child- and family-centred approach and included perspectives from children, parents, and siblings to explore the psychosocial and everyday aspects of these transitions. In addition, the study mapped existing supportive interventions through a literature review.

The findings form the basis for the development of a family-based supportive intervention aimed at strengthening continuity and a sense of security in treatment pathways for children with cancer – a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health.

How does the heart continue to function in another person? A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, demonstrates impaired energy metabolism following heart transplantation.

Heart transplantation is the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. However, the transplanted heart does not always function optimally after surgery. In her PhD thesis, medical doctor Katrine Berg Okholm from Aarhus University Hospital investigated how cardiac energy metabolism and function are affected during and after transplantation.

By combining experimental animal models with clinical studies in patients, the research shows that cardiac energy metabolism is impaired during the transplantation procedure. This impairment does not appear to recover in the months following transplantation, despite improvements in cardiac pump function and overall patient condition.

These findings highlight the importance of protecting the heart during the transplantation process. In the long term, this may contribute to improved treatment strategies and increased survival for patients undergoing heart transplantation. 

The dissertation examines perceived stress among young people. In recent years, stress levels among adolescents and young adults have increased and are considered an important public health concern. The PhD project investigates how stress develops during adolescence, how social factors influence stress, and how young people at risk of high stress can be identified at an early stage.

The project consists of three studies. First, a commonly used questionnaire for measuring perceived stress among adolescents is evaluated. Second, the development of stress from adolescence to early adulthood is analysed. Third, a statistical model is developed to identify adolescents who may be at increased risk of high stress levels later in youth.

The results show that stress develops differently across adolescence and that several psychosocial factors in the teenage years may help predict later high stress levels..

Immunocompromised patients have an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and often develop weaker immune responses after vaccination than the general population. Improving protection for these patients requires a better understanding of who responds poorly to vaccination and why.

This PhD project investigated immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in several groups of immunocompromised patients and explored potential immunological characteristics associated with reduced vaccine responses. 

The project included studies of patients with hematological diseases, solid organ transplants, HIV, common variable immunodeficiency, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Reduced vaccine responses were most frequently observed among transplant recipients, patients with CVID or chronic lymphocytic leukamia and in patients treated with anti-CD20 antibodies or fingolimod. In contrast, patients with HIV mounted vaccine responses comparable to those observed in healthy individuals.

Although clear differences were observed between patient groups, vaccine responses varied substantially between individuals within the same disease groups receiving similar treatments. In an exploratory analysis, we therefore examined whether patterns in immune-cell distributions could help explain this variation. The findings suggested that poor vaccine responses were not driven by a single immune-cell population but were associated with broader immune profiles reflecting chronic immune activation and reduced memory B-cell compartments.

These findings contribute to a better understanding of vaccine responses in immunocompromised patients and may help identify patients who require alternative vaccination strategies or additional protective measures.

Can specific ventilator settings or perioperative blood pressure improve outcomes for high-risk patients undergoing major surgery under general anesthesia?

After surgery under general anesthesia, patients may develop complications that cannot be attributed solely to the surgical procedure itself. Optimization of perioperative management may therefore potentially reduce the risk of these complications.

This PhD project examined the existing evidence regarding the association between ventilator settings, perioperative blood pressure targets, and postoperative complications.

In addition, the project evaluated the feasibility of a factorial clinical trial involving interventions related to blood pressure targets and ventilator settings, including positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP), tidal volume, and inspired oxygen fraction (FiO₂), in order to investigate how differences in these interventions influence the postoperative course.

Coronary artery disease occurs when the blood supply to the heart is reduced because the heart’s blood vessels become narrowed. It is one of the most common causes of serious illness. Every year, many patients are referred for medical evaluation because of chest pain, but most of them do not have significant narrowing of the coronary arteries. Therefore, it is important to identify early which patients actually need further testing.

Today, doctors use several tools to estimate the likelihood that a patient has coronary artery disease. However, these assessments can still be made more precise, especially for patients who are considered to have a low likelihood of disease.

This PhD project investigated whether the assessment can be improved by including information about a person’s genes as well as certain proteins measured in the blood. The results show that these additional markers can help doctors more accurately identify patients who do not have coronary artery disease. As a result, fewer patients may need to undergo unnecessary tests. 

In a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, Simon Bøggild Hansen investigated how glucocorti-coids affect human metabolism and the regulation of circadian rhythms using two newly establish whole room calorimeters at Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus to measure energy expenditure accurately. Glucocorticoids are frequently used to treat many different diseases and increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. Further, animal studies suggest that glucocorticoids are closely involved in regulating the internal circadian rhythm. Simon found that the commonly used glucocorticoid, prednisolone, markedly suppressed the rhythmic expression of central circadian clock genes in both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Additionally, it altered physiological circadian pat-terns including elevated nighttime glucose and nighttime systolic blood pressure and increased energy ex-penditure.

The findings contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between circadian rhythms and glucocorticoids and may form the basis for future studies investigating whether some of the side effects of glucocorticoid treatment are caused by disruption of the circadian rhythm.

This PhD thesis examines mental health among four young female elite athletes and provides insight into how mental health is experienced and managed in everyday life across sports, school, and private life. The study is based on fieldwork and interviews and contributes new knowledge at a time when young people's mental health in elite sports is receiving a lot of attention. 

The results point to the importance of understanding mental health challenges (such as experiences of pressure, insecurity, and stress) in young athletes' everyday lives less as a matter of individual characteristics or deficits. Instead, these challenges appear to be more of a temporal and relational phenomenon that arises in the interaction between athletes and their immediate contexts in sport, school, and family life.

 In contrast to much existing research that focuses on measurement and individual risk, the dissertation closely follows athletes in their everyday lives and shows that mental health is a dynamic, relational, and context-dependent phenomenon that can only be understood through close attention to the everyday lives of young athletes. 

These findings challenge prevailing understandings of mental health as a stable, individual trait or as something that can be measured in isolation. The results also suggest that mental health work in elite sports should be approached in a holistic manner and anchored in the athletes' overall everyday lives. This knowledge is relevant not only for athletes, but also for coaches, schools, and sports organizations seeking to create elite sport environments that support both well-being and performance.

Does highly individualised haemodynamic therapy improve postoperative outcome after oesophagectomy?

This question is addressed in a new ph.d.-project carried out by Henrik Lynge Hovgaard, who is defending his dissertation on March 06, 2026.

Vasoactive medications and fluid therapy are cornerstones in perioperative haemodynamic management. Yet, the optimal perioperative blood pressure and fluid volumes remain undefined and both under- and overhydration are associated with adverse postoperative outcome. 

This ph.d.-project investigates how haemodynamic management can be tailored to the indivial patient and how application of one such individualised haemodynamic protocol affects patient outcome after oesophagectomy. 

The body’s immune system is our natural defense against cancer. Every day, cells arise in the body that have the potential to develop into tumors, but in many cases they are detected and eliminated by the immune system before they can cause harm. A particular and rare type of immune cell, the so-called plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC), has long been recognized for its role in fighting viral infections, while its significance in the battle against cancer has remained unclear.

A new PhD project from Aarhus University now sheds light on this very role. The project demonstrates that plasmacytoid dendritic cells not only support other immune cells, but can also directly recognize tumor cells and, in certain cases, kill them.

This study has investigated how pDCs recognize cancer cells and which biological mechanisms must be activated for them to exert their cytotoxic effect. Among other approaches, the study employed genome-wide CRISPR screening, a method that systematically identifies which genes are involved in a given biological process. These analyses have not only provided new insights into how the killing function of pDCs is activated, but have also revealed how cancer cells can counteract and evade the immune system.

Overall, the PhD project contributes important new knowledge about the interaction between the immune system and cancer. In the long term, the findings may help lay the foundation for the development of new forms of immunotherapy aimed at enhancing or targeting the ability of pDCs to combat cancer cells..

Every person’s DNA carries small changes, known as mutations. These mutations are essential for evolution, but they may also contribute to genetic disease. The biological processes that generate mutations in the human germline are not fully understood, particularly those that cause short insertions and deletions of DNA (InDels). Although it is important, it has not been clear why some parts of our DNA mutate more often than others. While many studies have reported on single DNA changes, depending on the adjacent DNA, few have attempted to disentangle the landscape in a larger DNA context, including for InDels.

InDels have been difficult to study due to classification challenges. Using a data-informed approach, five distinct InDel mutation signatures are identified across the human genome. These signatures reveal influences of DNA replication and transcription, including pronounced strand asymmetries in which mutation patterns differ depending on the direction of these processes. 

Utilising human germline mutations, we developed statistical models to explain how DNA sequence context and broader genomic properties shape mutation rates. By using extended stretches of DNA surrounding each mutation, together with features such as DNA methylation, replication timing, and recombination, the work provides improved estimates of mutation rates at single-site resolution. These models outperform existing approaches and can be used to quantify the extent to which genes are constrained against harmful mutations, an important step towards understanding genetic disease risk.

Constipation and daytime urinary incontinence are common problems in childhood and can have a major impact on a child’s wellbeing and daily life. In her PhD project, Dr. Sofie Axelgaard investigated how constipation and daytime wetting are linked, how these children should be treated, and whether bacteria in the gut and urinary tract may play a role. The research shows that constipation itself was found to be a significant risk factor for urinary tract infections in children with otherwise normal urinary tracts.The PhD project also demonstrates that treating constipation alone can significantly reduce daytime wetting. Adding bladder training did not provide additional benefit when constipation was already well treated. These findings support constipation management as the first step in treatment.

In addition, the project explored bacteria in the gut and urinary tract of children with bladder and bowel dysfunction. While the overall bacterial composition was similar to that of healthy children, smaller differences were observed that are possibly linked to infection risk and response to treatment. This opens new perspectives for future, more targeted and non-antibiotic treatment strategies.

The regular contact between general practitioner (GP) and patient offers good opportunities for detecting early signs of cancer recurrence. However, we know little about the processes preceding a diagnosis of recurrence across multiple cancer types in general practice. Early detection of recurrence is important, as it may improve the patient’s prognosis and quality of life. According to the most recent Cancer Plan by the Danish government, general practice is expected to assume a greater role in future cancer follow-up, yet the existing model remains centred on the hospital setting.

A new PhD project has investigated the extent to which GPs are involved in diagnosing cancer recurrence, how they assess and manage symptoms of recurrence, and how these actions affect patient prognosis.

The aim of a new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health, was to examine the analgesic effect and safety of intraoperative intravenous clonidine. 

A substantial proportion of surgical patients continue to experience moderate to severe postoperative pain. Clonidine, an α2 agonist with analgesic properties, may be useful as an adjunct to multimodal pain management, contributing to reduced postoperative pain and opioid consumption in patients undergoing surgery. The project has shown that intraoperative clonidine may provide analgesic benefits and reduce postoperative opioid consumption in selected surgical patients. However, these effects are associated with an increased risk of perioperative hypotension and sedation, which may limit its clinical applicability. 

Systematic ultrasound assessment and structured diagnostic ultrasound and MRI models for guiding management of ovarian cysts and tumors are investigated in routine clinical care in a new PhD thesis from Aarhus University.

Accurate preoperative assessment of ovarian cysts and tumors is essential for timely detection and correct treatment of ovarian cancer while avoiding unnecessary surgery in the many women with benign ovarian conditions. 

This thesis is based on three prospective clinical studies including more than 1,800 women examined in all hospitals in the Central Denmark Region.

The first study focuses on real-world implementation and evaluation of a structured ultrasound-based prediction model developed by the International Ovarian Tumor Analysis (IOTA) group. The study investigates the use of this model in routine ultrasound examinations performed by general gynecologists and compares its diagnostic performance with the previous standard-of-care. The subsequent studies examine patients referred for further imaging due to risk of cancer and compare expert ultrasound assessment with systematic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as the added diagnostic value of PET/CT scanning.

Overall, the thesis supports a shift in the standard of care towards using structured, systematic imaging.

Individuals receiving forensic psychiatric care have a high burden of somatic disease and complex patterns of contact with the healthcare system. A PhD project at Aarhus University examines how somatic care can be strengthened through clinical initiatives and register-based research.

The PhD thesis examines somatic health and healthcare use among individuals receiving forensic psychiatric treatment in Denmark. The project combines a clinical intervention, patient perspectives, and national register data.

The clinical part of the project shows that many patients have substantial somatic illness, while insight into their own physical health is often limited. Integrating a general practitioner into forensic psychiatric wards improved access to somatic assessment. However, preventive care remained constrained by organizational structures and by patients’ opportunities to engage with their own health.

The register-based part of the project develops and validates a new method for identifying forensic psychiatric patients in national health registers. This method is used to map somatic healthcare use and reveals a pattern characterized by acute and fragmented contacts rather than coordinated and preventive care pathways.

Overall, the thesis highlights the need for both local clinical solutions and a strengthened national infrastructure to support research and planning of somatic care in forensic psychiatry.

Aarhus University presents new research on chronic diseases among patients with colorectal cancer. The PhD dissertation “Hospital-diagnosed chronic diseases among colorectal cancer patients: prevalence and association with recurrence and mortality” examines how common chronic diseases are in colorectal cancer patients and how these diseases affect mortality and recurrence.

Using nationwide Danish health registries, the project shows that many patients live with multiple chronic diseases at the time of cancer diagnosis. Overall, the findings indicate that chronic diseases are associated with higher mortality after colorectal cancer, while no corresponding association is seen with recurrence.

Many people live with persistent physical symptoms that do not show up clearly on blood tests or scans. A new PhD project has explored how these symptoms are explained in healthcare and how ideas about them are shaped online, in a health area that is often misunderstood and under-served.

The project started out by investigating how functional somatic symptoms are explained to patients across European healthcare settings. In the s