Aarhus researcher receives DKK 12 million to advance the future of skin research
Assistant Professor Xiang Zheng from the Department of Biomedicine has been awarded DKK 12 million through the LEO Foundation’s Dr Abildgaard Fellowships. The grant supports talented young researchers, enabling them to establish their own research groups and launch groundbreaking projects in the field of dermatological research.
Xiang Zheng has been selected as one of this year’s four Dr Abildgaard Fellows following a rigorous selection process. His research focuses on mapping the many different proteins found in the skin and on understanding how cells and the immune system interact in diseases such as skin cancer and chronic inflammatory conditions.
Together with his future research team, Xiang Zheng will further develop and apply ‘mipDVP’, an imaging-enhanced extension of the Deep Visual Proteomics (DVP) technology. This technology will enable much more detailed investigation of the cellular interactions in the skin. In the long term, this knowledge could lead to earlier diagnoses and more precise, less invasive treatments for skin diseases.
“The support from the LEO Foundation makes it possible for me to build a dedicated research team and realise the vision of bringing so-called spatial precision medicine into dermatology - that is, treatments based on precise knowledge of the exact location of individual cells and proteins within tissue. This is a game changer for both research and my career,” says Xiang Zheng.
The grant will fund the employment of a PhD student, two postdoctoral researchers, and a laboratory technician. The research will be carried out at Aarhus University in close collaboration with clinicians and researchers both in Denmark and internationally.
Based on press material from the LEO Foundation.
Contact
Assistant Professor Xiang Zheng
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Phone: +45 55 22 68 81
Email: xiangzheng@biomed.au.dk