BETINA ELFVING, Associate professor, Group leader of Experimental and Molecular Psychiatry, TNU, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University.

Betina Elfving´s research is focused on psychiatric disorders in particularly depression. Her studies include distinct animal models of depression and human samples, with the overall aim to identify central and peripheral biomarkers and to provide insights into the underlying mechanisms of rapid-acting antidepressants. Betina initiated the studies with noncoding RNAs and the Human Brain Collection more than 5 years ago. In the BioPsych project, the initial unbiased profiling study of microRNA and circular RNA using the Nanostring technology will be conducted in her lab. Furthermore, she has years of experience with development and preclinical testing of emission tomography tracers in rats, monkeys, and pigs, which will be used in the BioPsych project.

JØRGEN KJEMS, Professor and Center leader. Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics & iNANO, Aarhus University

Jørgen Kjem´s has a unique and specific expertise in the understanding of the biogenesis and function of small noncoding RNAs and circular RNAs. His team was the first to discover the functional importance of circular RNA in mammalian cells with microRNA regulatory function. He has published numerous studies on microRNA and circular RNA identification, regulation, and their role in CNS development and disease. In the BioPsych project, he will provide the RNA sequencing and bioinformatics platform, and he will use his years of experience to troubleshoot and select specific microRNAs and circular RNAs for further characterization.

LASSE SOMMER KRISTENSEN, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University 

Lasse Sommer Kristensen has a background within molecular biology and cancer research. He started his research career at the PeterMacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia focusing on cancer epigenetics. Then did a PhD at the Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, followed by a postdoc at Copenhagen University focusing on translational epigenetics research in hematological malignancies. A few years later, he came back to Aarhus University and started focusing on gene expression, non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs in cancer as well as in normal stem cell differentiations. In the BioPsych project, he will contribute with profound knowledge about the Nanostring technology and Next Generation Sequencing.

DIRK BENDER, Head of radiochemistry Department of Clinical Medicine – Nuclear Medicine and PET, Aarhus University Hospital

Dirk Bender´s research is focused on development of radiotracers for positron emission tomography (PET) with special focus on neurodegenerative diseases and neurological diseases, as well as development of new radiolabeling techniques. In the BioPsych project, Dirk will contribute with in-depth knowledge about development of radiotracers for PET studies. Furthermore, he will be responsible for radiolabeling of the selected microRNA and circular RNA targets and the in vivo imaging studies with pigs.

Erik Kaadt has as a master student in Molecular Medicine and as a research assistant worked with manipulation of the molecular machinery involved in microRNA maturation and investigated the endogenous microRNA-regulation in relation to depression. In the BioPsych project, he will conduct the unbiased profiling studies of microRNA and circular RNA with the Nanostring technology. He will also participate in the project planning and the down-stream analyses.

Rolf Søkilde completed his PhD as an industrial PhD degree on the topic of microRNA biomarkers in a joint collaboration between Exiqon and Herlev University Hospital. After completion, he did 10 years of research at the Department of Oncology at Lund University within the field of breast cancer and small noncoding RNAs. He has experience with small noncoding RNA research at all levels, from detection platform development and evaluation to expression profiling and data analysis and functional characterization of small noncoding RNAs. In the BioPsych project, this knowledge will be leveraged to understand and translate profiling data into functional biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

MORTEN VENØ, CTO, Omiics Aps

Morten Venø is the CTO and co-founder of Omiics, a biotech company that specializes in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) with a focus on customer needs. Morten is a Ph.D. in molecular biology and has over 10 years of experience working with RNA biology and NGS technology. As an RNA NGS expert, he has been involved in multiple international collaborations and study types, with collaborators and customers including researchers at Imperial Collage, Rockefeller University and Takara Bio inc. In the BioPsych project, he will participate in project planning and troubleshooting, as well as, be involved in developing the bioinformatic pipeline for the big data produced.

BOYE SCHNACK NIELSEN, Business and Research Manager Bioneer A/S, Hørsholm

Boye Schnack Nielsen has a background in chemical engineering from Danish Technical University, and obtained his PhD in Tumor Biology at the Copenhagen University Hospital, Rigshospitalet. In 2007, Boye joined Exiqon (later acquired by Qiagen), where he established automated Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA)-based techniques for in situ staining of microRNA. Boye is currently managing the molecular histology unit at the contract research organization (CRO) Bioneer in Hørsholm. Automated mRNA, microRNA, circular RNA in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry, combined fluorescence staining, slide scanning and image analysis are key techniques in the portfolio. In the BioPsych project, he will use his experience to generate microRNA and circular RNA expression data related to histomorphological characteristics.