Steffen Henning Raun appointed Group Leader at the Department of Biomedical Sciences

Steffen Henning Raun’s academic focus is to investigate the unwanted weight loss that can occur during cancer (cachexia) or aging (sarcopenia).

At BMI, Steffen Henning Raun is establishing an independent research group that will study the circulating factors in the blood, and how these factors can be the cause of unwanted weight loss - in part by decreasing hunger and in part by increasing metabolism to burn more energy.

Steffen Henning Raun has recently received an Emerging Investigator Grant of 11.4 million DKK from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. This grant will support research into a completely new circulating factor that appears to play a key role in the regulation of body weight. Using a new method to investigate circulating factors, the group aims to find new factors and how the biological sex affects these factors and the unwanted weight loss.

By using knowledge and data from both humans and rodents, the group hope to be able to provide treatment options for patients with unwanted weight loss.

Steffen Henning Raun on his new position at BMI: 

“It is a new and exciting role to step into, and I am very much looking forward to starting new projects and ideas together with the rest of the group. 

I am happy to begin here at BMI, where there is a strong emphasis on supporting one another. Additionally, I think it is fantastic to be in an environment where we work with cells and preclinical models as well as clinical trials in humans. 

I look forward to an enjoyable and inspiring time full of good questions.”

Steffen Henning Raun holds a PhD in Molecular Physiology from the University of Copenhagen and is affiliated with BMI’s Division for Translational Metabolism.

Read more about the grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation