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"Platform for studying and targeting fibrosis in cardiac disease"

Bo Hjorth Bentzen

Associate Professor

University of Copenhagen

Head of the FibroCard project

 

M: bobe@sund.ku.dk

T: +45 4090 1280

 

Aim

The FibroCard project (2025-2028) aims to establish and validate a drug screening platform to study the dynamics of fibrosis, fibroblast function, and biomarkers.

Approach

The team will use insights from cardiac fibrosis progression in pigs, human cardiac samples, advanced transcriptomics, and cellular models to establish a robust and validated human platform for in vitro drug screening of anti-fibrotic treatments. The FibroCard platform will also include validated extracellular matrix (ECM) biomarkers to monitor disease progression and the efficacy of drug interventions. By integrating these diverse models and methodologies, the FibroCard team will create a comprehensive platform to advance the future discovery and development of new anti-fibrotic therapies for cardiac disease.

THE FIBROCARD TEAM

Academic team members

  • Bo Hjorth Bentzen, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen
  • Thomas Jepsersen, Professor, University of Copenhagen
  • Helena Dominguez, MD, Cardiologist, Copenhagen University Hospitals
  • Arnela Saljic, Senior Postdoc, University of Copenhagen

Industrial team member

  • Federica Genovese, Nordic Bioscience
  • Kate Herum, Novo Nordisk

"Fibrosis plays a prominent role in cardiac disease, but a key challenge in developing anti-fibrotic drugs is the lack of translational disease models and tools to track fibrosis dynamics.

Teaming up with experts from Nordic Bioscience and Novo Nordisk is what we need to develop such models, and gain more insights into the mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis"

 

Bo Hjorth Bentzen, Head of the FibroCard project

INDUSTRY PARTNERS IN FibroCard

Nordic Bioscience provides laboratory services for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, specializing in precision medicine using unique biomarker technologies.

Novo Nordisk is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company most commonly known for products for treating diabetes. However, the company has focus areas within cardiometabolic diseases.

You can find out more about the industrial partners in FibroCard using the links below.

ARTICLE

Read more about the FibroCard project and its members here

“Cardiac fibrosis is not trivial, but working together with experts from both academia and industry I am sure will we make great discoveries that will benefit us all, and others.” 

 

Thomas Jespersen, Academic team member in FibroCard

“Understanding the association between soluble fibrosis biomarkers, in vivo fibrosis imaging, and histological assessments is of great importance. Understanding these dynamic processes and their evolution during fibrosis development will significantly aid future drug development.” 

 

Kate Herum, Novo Nordisk, Company partner in FibroCard

"The project represents a great opportunity for us to gain further biological validation of our biomarkers and learn more about the dynamics of cardiac fibrosis”

 

Federica Genovese, Nordic Bioscience, Company partner in FibroCard

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ABOUT ODIN

ODIN brings researchers from academia and industry together to co-create need-driven research projects that can lead to new treatments, diagnostics, tools, and technologies. We fund the strongest project ideas through competitive funding calls. Companies cannot receive ODIN funding, but participation is free of charge and gives access to academic expertise, new collaborations, and opportunities to explore early-stage research challenges.

ODIN is supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Lundbeck Foundation.

CONTACT ODIN

You are welcome to contact us if you have questions or comments. Reach out to odin@au.dk.

Although the platform spans five Danish universities, we're based in Aarhus. Our office is located at Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Bldg 1535-117.

Revised 19.08.2026
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The ODIN Secretariat