The healthy ageing process

The Department of and Pharmacology conducts The Department of research on topics such as energy metabolism, its biologi- Neuroscience and cal processes and the which ensure a steady Pharmacology at a glance blood and oxygen supply, with the overall aim of gaining greater The Molecular Neurobiology of Ag- insight into the process of ageing. ing Unit at Department of Neurosci- ence and Pharmacology is part of Despite centuries of interest and decades of intense research, the human brain remains Center for Healthy Aging at Univer- a mystery. At the University of , Professor Albert Gjedde heads the Depart- sity of Copenhagen and has 335 ment of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, which is constantly endeavouring to shed members of staff, of whom 30 are light on some of the mysterious aspects of the brain. tenured researchers, 10 profes- “We’re searching for the factors in the human brain which promote healthy ageing sors and 20 associate professors, in humans,” says Albert Gjedde. The opposite of this – namely unhealthy ageing – is while about half are doctors. Every characterized by a state of decay in the brain, resulting in, for example dementia and year, the department trains be- neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease. tween 10 and 15 PhD students and publishes some 200 scientific pa- From waste product to pers. The Molecular Neurobiology “One important part of our research has been to analyse the energy metabolism of of Aging Unit at Center for Healthy the brain. We’ve focused on small “engines” in each cell, called mitochondria, which Aging received a Global Excellence convert nutrients into energy. However, the mechanism is fragile, since these motors, award in 2010. which are ancient relatives of bacteria, need to work ceaselessly in top gear to stay alive. At the same time, they generally mutate more rapidly than the body’s cells, which is one of the reasons why it’s difficult to maintain a healthy ageing process,” explains Albert Gjedde. These brain cell engines require constant maintenance, for example through physical exercise and use of the brain. However, it is a difficult balance, explains the professor, since the engines die if they are challenged either too much or too little. The challenge seems to be to find each person’s individual limit. “We have also made another exciting observation. We’ve found that lactic acid, which we and others have always thought of as merely a waste substance, in fact is likely to be a vitally important neurotransmitter in the brain. Lactic acid has been found to be a criti- cal information component, which I believe helps to maintain an adequate blood supply to the brain when we “agitate the little grey cells” of Hercule Poirot,” adds Albert Gjedde.

Collaboration with other universities A significant portion of the research at the department is conducted in collaboration with partners in an international group of researchers working on the same issues. This collaboration, the international Healthy Aging Network (iHAN) is organized un- der the umbrella of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) and in- cludes some of the world’s most renowned universities – UC Berkeley and Yale in the US, Peking in Tokyo, and Oxford and Cambridge in England. “Our joint work – both at national and international levels – enables us to expand the reach of our research, as well as to use important new methods and technologies. We draw on each other’s expertise. Some of us are expert in molecular biological studies, others in tomography and imaging, and yet others in genetic and epidemiologic stud- ies. In other words, by working together we’re pooling our resources and have a better basis for finding out more about healthy ageing.” Professor Albert Gjedde, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology,

Facts about Global Excellence – in Health Facts about the Capital Region of Denmark The Global Excellence programme seeks to recognise and The Capital Region of Denmark is one of five regional ad- highlight the leading research and therapy environments ministrative units in Denmark. The Capital Region of Den- in the field of healthcare in the hospitals and universities mark, provides healthcare, mental healthcare, carries out of the Capital Region of Denmark. The programme was research and regional development for 1.7 mio. people or established in 2010 in close cooperation with the Univer- approx. 30% of the population in Denmark. In addition to sity of Copenhagen and The Technical University of Den- hosting the largest health care system in Denmark, the mark (DTU). The purpose of this initiative is to encourage region is also home to one of the world’s strongest life sci- internationalisation of the Region’s excellent research and ence clusters, and 70% of Denmark’s biotech companies therapy environments with a view to attracting international are located in the area. partners, researchers, talents and both private-sector and public funding for research. The programme comprises the The Capital Region is home to a number of specialist envi- awarding of one or two prizes each year, followed up with ronments at the nine university hospitals in the region that focused support in the form of consultancy, tools, website perform world-class health research and have the ability development, conferences, etc. to translate this new, innovative knowledge into pioneer- ing health care services and treatment of the highest inter- The Global Excellence award is given to the hospital and national standard. In order to highlight and acknowledge university environments in the region that perform first-rate these environments, in 2010 – 2013 the Global Excellence international level research leading to the development and – in Health award has been presented to a total of 22 hos- implementation of new, pioneering healthcare services, pital and university environments. treatment methods and products for the benefit of patients. The selected Global Excellence environments have been Denmark is in fourth place among the OECD countries chosen by the executive committee of the Capital Region of regarding scientific publications per inhabitant and similarly Denmark on the basis of evaluations by a specialist review in third place regarding citations. Accordingly health research committee of national as well as international experts. The in the Capital Region ranks among the best in Europe. In awardees are characterized by unique efforts within one or close collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, The more areas such as: The extent and quality of their research Technological University of Denmark, the Capital Region of and development, teaching, examination and treatment Denmark represents frontline health science and clinical of patients, and innovation and dissemination of the new research, together with research of high quality in other knowledge. In addition to the Global Excellence distinction, areas with relevans for development of future healthcare. which is valid for a period of five years, the awardees each Health research is carried out for approx. EUR 185,000,000 receive a grant of EUR 200,000 to help strengthen and fur- annually at the university hospitals in the region (including ther their international profile. internal as well as external funds).

Sources: OECD Territorial Reviews: Copenhagen, Denmark (OECD, 2009); Research Barometer 2012 (Danish Agency for Science, Technology

and Innovation, 2012) Global Excellence logo design: Refleksdesign • Layout: RegionH Design17516 / Photography: Jon Norddahl • Translation: In English / Nancy Aaen