Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research – University of Copenhagen

Novo Nordisk Foundation
Center for Basic Metabolic Research

portrait of Ruth Loos sitting at her desk

Ruth Loos wins the Erhoff Prize 2026

portrait of Tune Pers

Tune Pers promoted to Professor from September 1, 2026

portrait of Kei Sakamotoimage of a brain

Research in Nature Metabolism

To understand a weight-loss drug, scientists mapped a brain circuit older than humanity

Photo of Zach Gerhart-Hines leaning against a concrete column

Zach Gerhart-Hines receives 61st EASD Minkowski Prize

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CBMR is always looking for new talent

Research highlight

A molecular switch syncs fat-burning to the body clock, our diet and the temperature around us

A protein in the brown fat of mice sits at the intersection of three metabolic controls: the body's 24-hour clock, the temperature outside, and our diet. The discovery helps explain how the body can keep a daily rhythm of energy metabolism, and still respond the moment its energy needs change. The discovery by scientists at the University of Copenhagen and their international collaborators was published in Science.

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Cardiometabolic Research in Society and Culture

News

A molecular switch syncs fat-burning to the body clock, our diet and the temperature around us

A protein in the brown fat of mice sits at the intersection of three metabolic controls: the body's 24-hour clock, the temperature outside, and our diet. The discovery helps explain how the body can keep a daily rhythm of energy metabolism, and still respond the moment its energy needs change. The discovery by scientists at the University of Copenhagen and their international collaborators was published in Science.

The hidden switch behind one of the biggest paradoxes in aging muscle

Scientists in the Gerhart-Hines Group pinpoint a molecular cause of muscle aging, and a possible fix. By investigating how muscles adapt to age and disease-related decline, the scientists discovered the involvement of a druggable nuclear receptor, ERRγ, that could be targeted to preserve muscle function. The findings were published in Nature Aging.

CBMR publications and media appearances in August 2026

CBMR publications and media appearances in August 2026.

Ruth Loos wins the Erhoff Prize 2026 for her research into the genetics of obesity

Professor Ruth Loos of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen receives the Erhoff Prize 2026 and DKK 300,000.

Awards for Internationally Recognised Research on Obesity and Hormonal Disorders

Two researchers from the University of Copenhagen have been honoured with the Erhoff Prize 2026 and the Erhoff Foundation Talent Award 2026.

Obesity may disrupt the brain’s ability to sense blood sugar

Cells in the brain can sense a rise in blood sugar, however, in mice fed a high-fat diet, that response was largely lost, or reversed.

Tune Pers promoted to Professor of Central Regulation of Metabolism

Tune joined CBMR as an Associate Professor in January 2016 and has since made a series of breakthrough discoveries into the biology downstream of obesity and type 2 diabetes risk variants, linking them to specific brain cell populations and molecular mechanisms.

"My toxic trait is throwing myself into risky situations"

Born and trained in Malawi, Bernadette Chimera qualified as a medical doctor at 21 and was heading towards a career in surgery when she kept meeting patients who were too malnourished to operate on.