Harald S. Hansen

CV

Education and degrees: 1975:  cand.scient. (= M.Sc.) in Biochemistry, University of Copenhagen, 1979:  lic.scient. (=Ph.D.)  University of Copenhagen. 1989:  dr.scient. (=D.Sc.), University of Copenhagen (UC)

Awards: Has received the "Teaching-award 1990" from the Student Council, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DUPS).

Has for the second time received the "Teaching-award 2003" from the Student Council, DUPS

Affiliations:

1975-1979   Ph.D.-student, Biochem.Lab. The Royal Danish School of Pharmacy, Copenhagen;

1979-1985   Post-doc.-scholarships at the same lab.; 

1985-1989 associate professor, Dept.Pharmacol. Pharmacother. Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences (DUPS), Copenhagen;

1989-2006 "docent" (=reader) at the same department.

2006-         Professor at Dept. Pharmacology & Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen    

2005-2010 Adjunct professor at Department of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen.

Invited lecturer/chairman at more than 34 international scientific congresses/symposia in Denmark, England, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Germany and The Netherlands.

Supervisor of Ph.D.-students: BS Toft (1980); S Jacobsen (1986); JR Nielsen (1988); H Linnebjerg (1988); AM Vinggaard (1992) L Mikkelsen (1993); L Lauritzen (1995), Ch Vermehren (1995); J Matz (1997) AM Strand (1997) HH Hansen (2001) G Petersen (2002) HH Svejgaard (2002) T.Johansen (2003) A.N.Madsen (2007) A.Artmann (2008) S.M.Jensen (2009) T.A.Diep (2010) N.F.Nielsen (2011) E.B.Nygaard (2012) N.W.Andersen (2013), H.Adser (2013), K.K.Hansen (2014).

Co-supervisor of 5 PhD-students at Univ. Copenhagen and Århus University.

Post graduate Course Director: "Lipider og de store folkesygdomme - hjerte-karsygdomme og kræft" (1994, 1995 together with Jørn Gry)

Ph.D-Course Director: "Biological Membranes. Drug Targets and Absorption Barrier" (1995,1998 together with Lona Christrup; 2000 alone, and 2002, 2004 and 2006 together with Birger Brodin) at DUPS.

Teaching at Ph.D.-courses at Univ.Aarhus and at Danish Technical University

Censorship at examinations at the University of Copenhagen (1994), the Danish Technical University (1990- ), and the Department of Human Nutrition, KVL (1994 - ).

Assessment of 24 Ph.D.-theses at the UC, DUPS, The Danish Technical University, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, and University of Southern Denmark and The University of Lund (Sweden).

Evaluation of research projects for the Research Council of Norway (1997,1998), for INSERM, France (2000) and for Science Foundation of Ireland (2001).

Member of assessment committees for 12 assistant/associate professorships at DUPS, The Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University, UC, and University of Southern Denmark.

Chairman for assessment committees for 6 professorships at DUPS (2001, 2002, 2007,2009)

Referent for the 4^th edition of Nordic Nutrition Recommendations (2003)

Official opponent at D.Sc.(Pharm.) thesis (1997, 2008)

Professional advisory, or administrative committees

Member of "International Advisory Committee" at 6 international Conferences in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and Denmark

Member of the Supreme Governing Body of DUPS, 1989-1993,1993-1995,1999-2002

Elected Member of the Board of Directors for DUPS (2003-2007)

Member of the Board of Directors for University of Copenhagen (2007-2007)

Member of the Board of Directors at the Danish Nutrition Society (1992-2011, chairman 2008-2009)

Member of the Danish Committee on Scientific Dishonesty, (1996-1998; substitute member 1999-2002)

Member of the Board of Directors:  the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) (1997-2001)

Member of the Danish Nutrition Council (1998-2005, vice-chairman 2003-2005)

Member of The Danish Fitness and Nutrition Council (2005-2008)

Member of ad hoc committees on "Fat, children, and arteriosclerosis" (2001-2002), on "Dietary prevention of obesity"  (2002-2003), on "Dietary effects of Fish/fish oils on human health" (2003), on "Pregnancy and diet" (2003-2004), "Trans Fatty Acids" (2004-2006), and on "Antioxidant supplements" (2004-2006) under The Danish Nutrition Council.

Member of ad hoc committees: "Dietary supplements" and  "Interventions for improving folic acid status "Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (2003)

Member of  the Permanent Food Committee, Danish Ministry of Food (2003-2005 )

Member of the board of directors for "6 om dage kampagnen (Six a day fruit/vegetables)", a collaboration between Industry, Ministry and private organisations (2003-2005).

Chairman of the National Committee for Nutritional and Alimentary Research, under The Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (1998-2002)

Member of the editorial board of the News Letter from the Danish Nutrition Council (2003-2005)

Member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Campaign "Fish twice a week" established by the Fish Trade Organisation (2005)

Member of the Research Committee at The Dept. Pharmacol. Pharmather, Univ. Copenhagen (2005- ).

Member of the Proof-of-Concept Advisory Board, Univ. Copenhagen (2006-2007 )

Member of The Committee for Good Scientific Pracsis, University of Copenhagen (2007- ).

Chairman of the Study Board for Master of Industrial Drug Development, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen (2007-   ).

Member of the Editorial Board of Biochem.Biophys.Acta-Molecular & Cell Biology of Lipids (2008-2011)

Delegate at "EFSA First National Experts Meeting on Dietary Reference Values", Barcelona 2009

Member of the Board for the research project "Diet, Cancer and Health" , The Danish Cancer Society (2009 -  ).

Member of the Danish Academy of Natural Sciences (2002-  )

Member of scientific societies: Danish Nutrition Society; Danish Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Danish Pharmacological Society; Danish Society for Neuroscience, American Oil Chemist`s Society; Lipidforum (Scandinavian Forum for Lipid Research and Technology); EuroFed; International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS).

Referee-activity on subjects of lipid research for: Prostaglandins; Biochim.Biophys.Acta; Trends Biochem.Sci..; Br.J.Nutr.; Pharmacol.Toxicol.; Agents & Actions; J.Invest.Dermatol.; Am.J.Obstet.Gynecol.; Thrombosis Res.; J.Neurochem.; Neurochem.Int.; Synapse; Placenta; Food Additives & Contaminants; J.Nutr., J.Neurosci., Cell.Mol.Life Sci., Neuroscience. Radiation Res. Br.J.Pharmacol., Obesity Rev., Chem.Phys.Lipids, Recent Patents on Endocrine Metabolism & Immune Drug Discovery, Chem.Biol.

Publishing activity: More than 130 scientific papers and one patent within "Biochemical, nutritional and pharmacological roles of lipids"  

Member of Organising Committees for International Congresses

1^st Int. Symposium on Trans Fatty Acids, Rungsted, Denmark, Sept. 2005

9^th Nordic Nutrition Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, June 2-4, 2008

20^th Annual Symposium on the Cannabinoids , ICRS, Lund, Sweden, July 24-27, 2010

Grants: Has received major research grants from Margarine Research Foundation (MIFU), Danish Medical Research Council, NovoNordisk Foundation, Lundbeck Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation. Julie Damms Memorial Foundation. Augustinus Foundation. Ferrosan. Proof-of-Concept Committee at University of Copenhagen, IMK-Almene Fond, UNIK-program.

Primary fields of research

Bioactive lipids.

Acylethanolamides is a group of bioactive lipids. Different members of this group can activate different receptors, e.g. cannabinoid receptors, vanilloid receptor, GPR119, several ion-channels and PPARalpha. We are studying the formation and degradation of acylethanolamides and their phospholipid precursors, N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines, in vitro and in vivo, especially in the brain and the gastrointestinal system. Two members of this group, oleoylethanolamide and linoleoylethanolamide, are involved in sending anorectic signals from the gut to the brain via the vagus nerve, and their intestinal levels are regulated by the intake of dietary fat. N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines may also signal from the gut to the brain in a hormone-like fashion. These lipids may also serve a regulatory role during cellular injury in the brain. Other bioactive lipids are also investigated as ligands for orphan receptors and as regulators of energy metabolism. 2-oleoylglycerol is an agonist for GPR119 and can stimulate GLP-1 release from intestinal cells.

The research is centred on understanding the physiological and pharmacological role of bioactive lipids.