Lærke Gasbjerg and Anniek Lubberding Appointed Tenure-Track Assistant Professors

Lærke Gasbjerg: Investigating Gut Hormones and Metabolic Health

Lærke Smidt Gasbjerg, previously a BRIDGE Fellow, has been part of our department since 2023 as an assistant professor. Her research explores how gut hormones such as GIP, GLP-1, and GLP-2 influence metabolism and overall health.

Her team investigates how these hormones, released by the digestive system after eating, help regulate blood sugar, energy metabolism, and blood pressure. A key focus is understanding hormone receptors and how targeting GIP, GLP-1, and GLP-2 receptors can alter metabolic responses.

Using cutting-edge techniques such as advanced imaging, laboratory tests, and animal studies, Lærke and her team examine how the body responds in the postprandial state - the period immediately after eating. This research is particularly relevant for conditions like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular fluctuations following meals.

Lærke’s new tenure-track role is currently a joint position between the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine at Rigshospitalet-Glostrup. In addition to her research, she is excited to launch a new course in Pharmacology and Innovation in Fall 2026.

Lærke on Her Appointment:

"I have many close and highly skilled collaborators here at the department, and now we can continue our translational work with clinical perspectives within metabolism and postprandial cardiovascular regulation. I also value the opportunity to deepen my involvement in teaching and look forward to developing our new course in the coming years."

Her research is supported by grants such as the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Excellence Emerging Investigator Grant and the DFF Inge Lehmann grant. She also maintains strong clinical collaborations with Rigshospitalet and Gentofte Hospital.

Anniek Lubberding: Bridging Cardiac and Metabolic Health

Anniek Frederike Lubberding earned her PhD in Cardiovascular Research at our Department, which included a research stay at the University of Oxford, introducing her to pancreatic islet physiology. She has since worked in the interface between the heart and the pancreatic islet with a range of national and international collaborators, including labs at the University of Alberta and Stanford University, which she visited several months this past summer. As a tenure-track assistant professor, she will continue to focus on the intersection of cardiometabolic health and ion channel function.

Ion channels are critical regulators of both heart rhythm and blood sugar control, yet their dual role in cardiac and metabolic health is often overlooked. While their function in the heart is well understood, much less is known about their role in insulin secretion and glucose metabolism.

Anniek’s research group investigates how ion channels influence blood sugar control, how this relates to diabetes, and how it impacts heart function. Their goal is to uncover new mechanisms and therapeutic targets to improve treatment for people with cardiometabolic disease. To achieve this, they use a wide range of cell and animal models, human samples, and clinical databases.

In 2024, Anniek was awarded the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Excellence Emerging Investigator Grant in Endocrinology and Metabolism, enabling her to establish her own research group at the department in early 2025.

Anniek on Her Appointment:

"I am extremely excited to be appointed as a tenure-track assistant professor here at the Department of Biomedical Sciences, which offers an exceptionally diverse environment of translational research and collaborative opportunities.

This setting allows my colleagues and me to explore research questions from interdisciplinary, intermethodological, and intersectoral perspectives, closely linked to clinical applications. Additionally, I look forward to further engaging in the department’s teaching activities and welcoming brilliant early-career researchers into my lab."

A Bright Future for Lærke and Anniek

We warmly congratulate Lærke and Anniek on their well-earned tenure-track positions and look forward to seeing their research thrive in the years ahead!