Danish Cancer Society supports young research talent with multi-million grant

Martin Qvist Rasmussen is part of a new research project in Søren Moestrup's laboratory, which focuses on the protein megalin, found in large quantities on the surface of mesothelioma cancer cells. By targeting this protein in cancer cells, the aim is to significantly improve the treatment of mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly disease linked to past asbestos exposure. The disease affects a growing number of people (currently about 150 Danes annually), and existing treatments offer only limited efficacy.

“The grant gives us the opportunity to work systematically on developing a drug that specifically targets mesothelioma cells. We hope that our research can lead to a more effective and gentle treatment for a group of patients who currently have very few treatment options,” says Martin Qvist Rasmussen.

The research project will develop and test an antibody-based drug in the laboratory and later evaluate it in experimental models of mesothelioma. The treatment is expected to be administered locally through drains already used to relieve fluid buildup in the lungs of patients with the disease.

The project is further supported by a Futures Grant of 50,000 DKK from the BioInnovation Institute and a donation of 200,000 DKK from the NEYE Foundation for the project in Professor Søren Moestrup's laboratory.

“We are very grateful for the broad support we have received for this project. It is an important recognition of our work and underscores how vital it is to improve the treatment of mesothelioma,” says Professor Søren Moestrup.

Contact

Postdoc Martin Qvist Rasmussen
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Phone: +45 7190 9123
Email: mqr@biomed.au.dk