PhD fellowship in diabetes, targeted treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes

A PhD fellowship is available at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, University of Copenhagen and the Clinical Metabolic Physiology research group at Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC), University of Copenhagen, Denmark.     
 

The position is open for medical doctors with interest in clinical research within the cross field of diabetology and genetics and beginning September 1st 2018 or as soon as possible thereafter.                

 

SDCC is the largest diabetes center in Denmark and is organized in four units: Clinic, Clinical Research, Education and Health Promotion. The Clinical Research Unit consists of five research groups with different research areas. The clinical studies in this PhD will be carried out at Clinical Metabolic Physiology research group at Gentofte Hospital. 

 

In the last 20 years, there has been a great increase in the therapeutic options for patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) with now at least eight pharmacological treatments available for the disease and little evidence to guide who should get which treatment. It remains a critical societal and economic need to identify which patients are most at risk of complications or rapid progression and which therapeutic intervention is optimal. A more precise therapeutic stratification strategy for diabetes is urgently required. In contrast, precision medicine has been successful in monogenic diabetes forms such as maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) where several causal genes have been identified and mutations in glucokinase (GCK) and hepatocyte nuclear factor 1A (HNF1A) are the most common causes. The aim of the present PhD project is to investigate targeted intervention responses in T2D carriers of rare and likely functional variants in GCK, HNF1A or ATP-binding cassette transporter sub-family C member 8 (ABCC8). The expected results will improve our understanding of how to turn genetic findings into optimal treatment strategies for patients with T2D. The candidate will obtain clinical research skills and clinical skills within endocrinology and genetics. 

 

The project is a close collaboration between several research environments within the Capital Region of Denmark, namely Clincal Metabolic Physiology, SDCC;the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen; Bispebjerg Hospital, University of Copenhagen and Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen as well as the Danish Center for Strategic Research in Type 2 Diabetes (DD2). 

                       

The genetic studies will be carried out at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, University of Copenhagen. The clinical studies will be carried out at Clinical Metabolic Physiology at Gentofte Hospital under the supervision of Professor Torben Hansen, Professor Jørgen Rungby and Professor Tina Vilsbøll and co-supervision of senior consultant Heidi Storgaard. All the necessary equipment and expertise is available in the laboratories, where several clinical research projects have been conducted. The PhD candidate will act as investigator on all studies included in the PhD project.     
 

The PhD candidate will be offered a full-time position for a period of three years. Employement will be according to collective agreement with the Region.       

 

Contact and deadline  

For further information please contact: Professor and Scientific Director, the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Section of Metabolic Genetics, University of Copenhagen, Torben Hansen (Mobile +45 2056 5301) or  Professor and Head of Clinic at SDCC Tina Vilsbøll (Mobile: +45 4094 0825). Deadline for application is July 2nd 2018. 

                       

Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC) is a visionary diabetes center for the entire Capital Region specialized in the treatment, research and prevention of diabetes and in the education of healthcare professionals in diabetes. SDCC is the largest diabetes clinic in Scandinavia and treats more than 9,000 people with diabetes from the Capital Region each year. Read more on www.sdcc.dk and follow SDCC on Twitter and LinkedIn.                       
 

The Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) was established on October 1, 2010, funded by a generous, unrestricted grant from the Foundation. The Center is fully integrated within the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen with direct reference to the Dean. The vision of the center is to be an international hub of excellence in interdisciplinary basic metabolic research. The mission is to discover fundamental processes that underpin the development of transformative diagnostics and prevention/treatment strategies for metabolic diseases.