The development of a Danish vaccine candidate against COVID-19 is led by a team of researchers at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the companies AdaptVac, ExpreS2ion Biotechnologies and Bavarian Nordic.
Vaccines, cancer therapeutics and diagnostic
in the VAR2CSA Team
The research in the VAR2CSA Team is very diverse and covers vaccines, cancer therapeutics and diagnostic.
We focus on vaccines against infectious diseases such as malaria, covid19 and influenza, but also against chronic disease such as cancer. The team is also pioneering cancer therapeutics, both drug conjugates and immune therapy,
as well as cancer diagnostics.
We have a strong focus on developing treatments or methods that may benefit the individual as well as the society.
Diverse research covering
- Diagnosing Cancer using detection of Oncofetal Condroitin Sulfate on Circulating Cancer Cells and in Body fluids.
Contact: Mette Ørskov Agerbæk & Ali Salanti
- Delivery of Drug Conjugates in Cancer using Oncofetal Condroitin Sulfate specific targeting moieties
Contact: Ali Salanti & Tobias Gustavsson
- Development of Bi-specific Molecules that target Oncofetal Condroitin Sulfate and Engage Immune Cells in Oncology
Contact: Morten Agertoug Nielsen & Ali Salanti
- Development of Capsid based Virus-Like Particle Vaccines against Chronic as well as Infectious Diseases.
Contact: Morten Agertoug Nielsen & Adam Frederik Sander Bertelsen
- Clinical development of a placental malaria vaccine
Contact: Morten Agertoug Nielsen & Ali Salanti
The VAR2CSA team is involved in a number of international collaborations:
- The Prevent nCov Project
- Defining what part of VAR2CSA interacts with the receptor in the placenta (PreMalStruct collaboration)
- Elucidating the quaternary structure of VAR2CSA (Program of Excellence collaboration)
- Defining an immunogen eliciting parasite adhesion blocking antibodies (PMI2 collaboration)
- Quantifying the effects of malaria during pregnancy and study the naturally acquired immunity towards malaria during pregnancy (STOPPAM collaboration)
- Expressing VAR2CSA antigens in Tetrahymena host cells (CILMALVAC collaboration)
- Testing the effect of our vaccine produced antibodies at our field site in Tanzania (PMI2 collaboration)
Staff list
| Name | Title | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Salanti | Professor | +4535327676 | |
| Andreas Frederiksen | Laboratory Technician | ||
| Anne Corfitz | Laboratory Technician | +4535327678 | |
| Benjamin Jacobsen | Laboratory Technician | +4526566957 | |
| Caroline Bang Løppke | PhD Student | ||
| Charlotte Malassé | Communications Officer | +4535325051 | |
| Dorte Holler Johansen | Senior Consultant | +4535327677 | |
| Kara-Lee Aves | PhD Student | ||
| Mette Ørskov Agerbæk | Assistant Professor | +4535327613 | |
| Morten Agertoug Nielsen | Associate Professor | +4535326803 | |
| Muhammad Tauseef Mukhtar | Laboratory Technician | +4551882399 | |
| Nahla Chehabi | Laboratory Technician | +4535326806 | |
| Nanna Dalgaard | PhD Student | ||
| Nicolai Tue Sand | Research Assistant | ||
| Sabrina Damiri | Laboratory Technician | +4535327325 | |
| Sara Regina Bang-Christensen | Postdoc | ||
| Sayit Mahmut Erdogan | Assistant Professor | +4535331653 | |
| Swati Choudhary | Assistant Professor | +4535331884 | |
| Tobias Gustavsson | Associate Professor | +4535332223 |