New DNRF Chair grant for KU will focus on health
The University of Copenhagen has received another DNRF Chair, the Danish National Research Foundation’s latest funding instrument. The grant will support the research of Professor Ruth Loos. Professor Loos’ research tries to identify the key genetic and non-genetic determinants of body weight regulation to gain insight into the underlying biology of obesity and to improve prediction, prevention and treatment through personalized strategies. The DNRF Chair was launched at the beginning of 2020 with the overall purpose of strengthening Danish research communities by bringing both international and Danish researchers to Denmark.
At the beginning of 2020, the Danish National Research Foundation launched its latest funding instrument, the DNRF Chair, with the overall purpose of strengthening research communities in Denmark. The foundation will do this by bringing both international and Danish researchers to Denmark. This grant is the seventh to be given and will go to Professor Ruth Loos to support her research, which focuses on identifying the key genetic and non-genetic determinants of body weight regulation to gain insight into the underlying biology of obesity and to improve prediction, prevention and treatment through personalized strategies.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to be the recipient of the DNRF Chair grant. One of the reasons I moved to Denmark was to set up a precision health cohort, with the ultimate goal of personalizing lifestyle recommendations for people’s optimal health. For this study, I will characterize 1,000 individuals over time and use machine learning to derive algorithms that can predict metabolic response to diet and exercise. I will use the funding from the DNRF Chair Grant to generate the first data and develop plans for data analyses, before launching the larger cohort,” said Professor Loos.
The DNRF plans to continue the DNRF Chair instrument through December 2024; the foundation foresees awarding about three DNRF Chair grants annually. Starting in 2021, each Danish university can submit two applications for each of the three annual application rounds.
“We are delighted that Ruth will be a recipient of the DNRF Chair. She is an outstanding scientist in the field of precision health, so we were proud of her decision to join us at the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research in 2021. The DNRF Chair will enable her to pursue the goal of developing precise lifestyle recommendations for people living with obesity to help them optimize their health. This is central to the center’s mission, and we are excited to see what she discovers,” said Professor Juleen R. Zierath, executive director of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen.The grants will be awarded by the DNRF board following one public call annually. Each call consists of three rounds per year. Normally, only one or two grants per round will be awarded.