Carpe Diem | Cardiometabolic Diseases, Periodontitis & Dental Caries
Deciphering the role of intrinsic and extrinsic regulatory mechanisms
The CARPE DIEM project investigates how oral infections - such as gum disease and cavities - interact with genetic, microbial and immune factors to influence the development of cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Infections in the mouth are connected to serious health issues such as systemic inflammation, heart disease and diabetes - known as cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs).
With support from a six-year, DKK 60 million Challenge Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Hansen Group will explore how genetic factors, changes in oral bacteria and their products, and the immune system's response influence and interact with CMDs.
"We are grateful for this generous grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, which enables us to explore how oral infections may influence the development of serious chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. At the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, we have long studied how genetic and molecular factors affect metabolic health. Through the CARPE DIEM project we can now, in collaboration with our partners, integrate insights from oral health to uncover new biological links and potentially transform how we understand, prevent, and treat cardiometabolic diseases." - Principal Investigator, Professor Torben Hansen.
The CARPE DIEM project investigates how oral infections - such as gum disease and cavities - interact with genetic, microbial and immune factors to influence the development of cardiometabolic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
To better understand the connections between oral and overall health, the project will draw on data and biological material from Danish health registries and biobank resources, including population data from Greenland, alongside advanced omics technologies. This will allow the project group to uncover genetic and molecular mechanisms linking oral infections to cardiometabolic diseases.
In addition to registry and biobank-based research, the group will conduct treatment studies to identify key indicators and mechanisms linking oral health to overall health. The aim is to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases and oral infections, based on the understanding that the health of the mouth is an important part of the health of the whole body.
The project is a collaboration between the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR) and the Department of Odontology at the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Zealand University Hospital, the University of Kiel (UKSH), Danish Cancer Institute (DCI), Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen (SDCC), Steno Diabetes Center Greenland (SDCG), Rigshospitalet, and the Danish Blood Donor Study (DBDS).
The Carpe Diem project is supported by Novo Nordisk Foundation grant NNF25OC0096192 which runs from August 1, 2025, until July 31, 2031.
This project is funded by a six-year, DKK 60 million Challenge Grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (2025 NNF Challenge Programme).
Read more about the 2025 Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme here.
