Research output per year
Research output per year
Associate Professor
Research activity per year
At Centre for Medical Parasitology, University of Copenhagen, I have been involved with the development of anti-malaria vaccines. During this work I have been involved with the development of a generic and easy-to-use technology for making efficient vaccines against both infectious- and noncommunicable chronic diseases. The technology employs “virus-like particles” (VLPs) which are enabled to bind efficiently to various vaccine antigens via a genetically engineered binding-tag on the VLP surface. By simply mixing the tagged VLPs with an antigen of choice (genetically fused to a complementary peptide tag) – VLPs are (within minutes) decorated by the antigen, which is displayed at high density on the VLP surface. This very versatile and cost-effective way of making a VLP based vaccine from any complex antigen could present a paradigm shift in future vaccine design. Three patent applications have currently been filed based on this technology.
Recently, the VLP technology has been further developed to also allow for delivery of different cargos. Specifically, cargo molecules (toxin, siRNA, CRISPR, fluorophores etc.) are efficiently delivered in the “stomach” of VLPs where they are protected against enzymes, and the multivalent display of a specific cell-targeting molecule on the VLP surface provides unprecedented specificity in the delivering of cargos to cells in vivo. Therefore, the ability to efficiently package cargos inside VLPs in combination with the unique ability to decorate VLPs with different targeting molecules, together, provide a state-of-the-art system for in vivo delivery of cargos and has great potential for e.g. treatment of cancer.
Curriculum vitae
Personal information
Name: Adam Frederik Sander Pedersen
Address: Ulspilsager 73, 2791, Dragør
Mobile: +45 30111529
Mail: [email protected]
Birth date: 25/12 - 1978
Education
2007 – 2011 PhD-student at Center for Medical Parasitology (CMP), Copenhagen
University, financed by the Niels Bohr Visiting Professorship.
Date of registration: 01-09-07. Date of acceptance: 27-05-11
Contact: Professor David Arnot. ([email protected])
2000 – 2007 M.Sc. in Biology at Copenhagen University.
Master project title: Characterization of the DBL2x domain of the VAR2CSA protein.
Carried out at Center for Medical Parasitology (CMP), Department of International
Health, Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of
Copenhagen, Denmark. Grade: 12
Main courses: - Immunology, Proteins Chemistry, Cellular Biology and Genetics.
1995– 1998 Mathematical student of Christianshavns Gymnasium.
Courses: Leading Research course.
Employment:
2017- Associate Professor.
2012 – 2016 Postdoctoral fellow (Leader of VLP-team containing: 3 PhD-stud., 1 Ms-stud., 1 Bachelor stud., 1 Sc.assistant, 2 Lab. Tech., 1 Bachelor stud.) at Centre for Medical Parasitology.
2011 – 2012 Postdoc at the National History Museum, under Prof. M. Thomas P Gilbert.
2011 Research assistant at Centre for Medical Parasitology (CMP), Copenhagen University.
Teaching:
2016 Lectures and execution of an experimental vaccine development workshop at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn, Bangkok, Thailand September 19-23, 2016.
2015 Seminar at Klinisk Forskningscenter, Hvidovre Hospital “Development of a novel Virus-like particle based vaccine platform”.
2014 Execution of seminar addressed to laboratory technicians and students concerning various PCR techniques (Quantitative real-time PCR, Taqman probes, Multiplex, touchdown PCR, PCR Assembly)
2013 – now Supervision of PhD-students Susan Thrane and Sungwa Matondo, Ms.-student Christoph Janitzek and Bachelor Stud. Philip Carlsen.
2013 Lectures and experimental supervision in the course: “Experimental
Immunology” for students studying Medicine at Copenhagen University. (Duration: 6 weeks).
2008 – 2012 Practical supervision of Two Technicians and one Master Student and a Bachelor student.
2007 Experimental supervision in “Immunology Course” for students studying Medicine and Human biology at Copenhagen University. (Duration: 8 weeks).
Reviewer for: Small, Virus Research, Malaria Journal, Parasitology Journal, Microbial Cell factories Journal.
Communication:
2017 Invited speaker at “Inspirationsdagen 2017/Gymnasielærernes Dag”
2016 Speaker at TRF Senior Research Scholar Seminar, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand Sept. 21-23, 2016
2016 Interviewed by “Weekend Avisen”, “Videnskab.dk”, “Politiken”, ”Information”, ”Pharma”, ”Berlingske Tidende”.
2014 Speaker at VIRUS-LIKE PARTICLE & NANO-PARTICLE VACCINES, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California, USA. 4-6 June 2014. “Development of a versatile virus-like particle based vaccine delivery platform”
2012 Interview by ‘Discovery Channel’ regarding the new biodiversity screening method
of using DNA from leeches.
2010 Speaker at seminar at John A. Burns Medical School of Medicine, Honololu, Hawaii.
Title: Malaria in Pregnancy
2009 Speaker at the ‘Welcome Trust’ conference at Cambridge University.
Title: Duplicated var2csa genes in Plasmodium falciparum placental parasites.
Publications: 17 peer-reviewed papers. I10-index= 8.
Five selected publications:
2018 Palladini A, Thrane S, Janitzek CM, Pihl J, Clemmensen SB, de Jongh WA, Clausen TM, Nicoletti G, Landuzzi L, Penichet ML, Balboni T, Ianzano ML, Giusti V, Theander TG, Nielsen MA, Salanti A, Lollini PL, Nanni P, Sander AF.
Virus-like particle display of HER2 induces potent anti-cancer responses.
Oncoimmunology. 2018 Jan.
2016 Susan Thrane, Christoph M. Janitzek, Sungwa Matondo, Mafalda Resende, Tobias Gustavsson, Wian de Jongh, Stine Clemmensen, Will Roeffen, Marga van de Vegte‑Bolmer, Geert Jan van Gemert, Robert Sauerwein, John T. Schiller, Morten A. Nielsen, Thor G. Theander, Ali Salanti, Adam F. Sander#
Bacterial superglue enables easy development of efficient Virus-like particle based Vaccines
J Nanobiotechnology. 2016 Apr 27;14:30. doi: 10.1186/s12951-016-0181-1.
2015 Susan Thrane, Christoph Mikkel Janitzek, Mette Ø. Agerbæk, Morten A. Nielsen, Thor Theander, Ali Salanti, Adam F. Sander*
A novel versatile virus-like particle based vaccine platform
PLoS One. 2015 Nov 23;10(11):e0143071. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143071.
2015 Salanti A, Clausen TM, Agerbæk MØ, Al Nakouzi N, Dahlbäck M, Oo HZ, Lee S, Gustavsson T, Rich JR, Hedberg BJ, Mao Y, Barington L, Pereira MA, LoBello J, Endo M, Fazli L, Soden J, Wang CK, Sander AF, Dagil R, Thrane S, Holst PJ, Meng L, Favero F, Weiss GJ, Nielsen MA, Freeth J, Nielsen TO, Zaia J, Tran NL, Trent J, Babcook JS, Theander TG, Sorensen PH, Daugaard M.
Targeting Human Cancer by a Glycosaminoglycan Binding Malaria Protein.
Cancer Cell. 2015 Oct 12;28(4):500-14.
2013 Adam F. Sander, Thomas Lavstsen, Thomas S. Rask, Michael Lisby, , Ali Salanti,
Sarah L. Fordyce, Jakob S. Jespersen, Richard Carter, Thor G. Theander, Anders Gorm
Pedersen & David E. Arnot.
DNA secondary structures are associated with recombination in major
Plasmodium falciparum variable surface antigen gene families.
Nucleic Acids Res. 2014 Feb;42(4):2270-81. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkt1174. Epub 2013 Nov 18.
Patents:
2015 Adam F. Sander, Ali Salanti, Thor Theander, Susan Thrane, Christoph Mikkel Janitzek, Mette Ørskov Agerbæk, Morten Agertoug Nielsen, Tobias Gustavson.Virus-like particle based Vaccine delivery. ID: P3710DK01. Filing date: 28 April 2015
2015 Adam F. Sander, Ali Salanti, Thor Theander, Susan Thrane, Christoph Mikkel Janitzek, Mette Ørskov Agerbæk, Morten Agertoug Nielsen, Tobias Gustavson. Virus-like particle with efficient epitope display. ID: P3710DK01. Filing date: 15 January 2015
2014 Adam F. Sander, Ali Salanti, Thor Theander, Susan Thrane, Christoph Mikkel Janitzek, Mette Ørskov Agerbæk, Morten Agertoug Nielsen, Tobias Gustavson.Virus-like particle platform. ID: P3596DK00.
Filing date: November 2014.
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Characterization of the VAR2CSA DBL2x domain, Centre for Medical Parasitology
Award Date: 1 Aug 2007
1 Jan 2012 → 31 Dec 2031
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › peer-review