News from reNEW Copenhagen

Grant

2026.07.16

Two new grants will support clinical translation of cell therapies for dementia and kidney disease

Grants for Little and Kirkeby Group will support clinical translation of cell therapies for dementia and kidney disease.

Grant

2026.07.15

Researchers receive Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Grant to screen for appetite-regulating targets in stem cell models

Agnete Kirkeby and Matthew Gillum receive Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Grant to screen for appetite-regulating targets in stem cell models.

Clinical trial

2026.07.14

A milestone reached for Parkinson’s research with STEM-PD trial

A milestone reached for Parkinson’s research with STEM-PD trial for which Kirkeby led the preclinical development.

Publication

2026.07.02

How cell shape and behavior reveal future cell identity

Study from Sedzinski Group in Systems Biology reveals that cell shape and behaviour contain predictive information about future cell identity.

Publication

2026.06.16

Stretching skin without breaking it

How can skin expand while maintaining its structure and protective barrier function? New study from the Aragona Group uncovers some of the fundamental cellular mechanisms underlying this process.

Annual Scientific Meeting

2026.06.15

Pushing research towards translation

The fifth reNEW Annual Scientific Meeting took place 8-12 June in Copenhagen, Denmark, facilitating valuable knowledge sharing and promoting collaboration among our researchers across all three reNEW nodes.

Publication

2026.06.08

Studying appetite regulation in a dish

A new study from the Kirkeby Group adds to the understanding of how the brain controls hunger and satiety.

Clinical trial

2026.05.29

STEM-PD continues its journey toward phase 2

A cell therapy for Parkinson's disease will continue toward phase 2 clinical trials. Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby led its preclinical development.

Publication

2026.05.21

Unexpected metabolic complexity sustains early development

Work from the Żylicz Group published in Cell Stem Cell challenges the long-standing view that the embryo undergoes a simple metabolic switch, from oxygen-dependent metabolism toward increased reliance on glucose.

Grant

2026.05.11

60 million DKK award to identify hidden environmental risk factors in Parkinson’s disease

60 million DKK awarded to a multidisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Agnete Kirkeby to identify hidden environmental risk factors in Parkinson's disease.

Symposium

2026.04.24

Inspiring intersections at Latest Advances in Stem Cell-based Disease Modelling and Drug Screening

Latest Advances in Stem Cell-Based Disease Modelling and Drug Screening brought together a cross section of over 200 researchers at the forefront of stem cell-based disease modelling and drug screening.

Fellowship

2026.04.24

Mapping neuron complexity to tackle Parkinson’s at its earliest stage

Dr. Janko Kajtez from the Kirkeby Group named ASAP CRN Discovery Fellow to study the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease.

Fellowship

2026.04.23

Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship to uncover the art of silencing in the human brain

Dr. Anna Malkowska from the Żylicz Group has been awarded a Lundbeck Foundation Fellowship to study gene silencing during neural stem cell differentiation in the developing human brain.

Annual Report

2026.03.31

reNEW releases its Annual Report 2025

The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, reNEW, has released its annual report, highlighting the stellar work accomplished throughout 2025.

Public engagement

2026.03.24

Curious minds explore the world of stem cells during UniStem Day

Designed to offer students an opportunity to explore, learn and discuss stem cell science, reNEW’s UniStem Day 2026 events brought together high school students from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Victoria, Australia.

Publication

2026.03.17

Breakthrough in early-stage human development research

A long-standing bottleneck removed: Jan Żylicz co-led an international team that found a way to grow naive human stem cells without mouse feeder cells, published in EMBO Journal.

Grant

2026.03.16

ODIN grant supports collaborative project “SynPhONY” to accelerate development of phage-based therapies

ODIN grant supports 'SynPhONY', a collaborative project to accelerate phage-based therapies. Led by Hanne Ingmer, with reNEW contributing human infection models developed by Associate Professor Mariaceleste Aragona.

Grant

2026.02.24

Novo Nordisk Foundation extends funding of reNEW

The Novo Nordisk Foundation have announced that funding will extend to the end of 2031 to enable reNEW to continue to deliver on its mission.

Fellowship

2026.02.23

Marie-Curie Skłodowska fellowship to explore how early embryos fuel their first days of life

Dr. Johanna Gassler from the Żylicz Group has been awarded a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship to uncover what is happening inside the 'black box' of early embryo development.

Science

2026.02.20

Intestinal structure drives cell maturation

New collaborative study from the Jensen Group and Professor Matthias P. Lütolf’s Group published in Cell Stem Cell, reveals that tissue architecture can actively instruct how cells develop and function.

ARTxSCIENCE

2026.02.16

Explore stem cell research through our ARTxSCIENCE touring exhibition

Have you ever stopped because an image captured your attention? Vivid colors and unexpected shapes draw you in, before you realise that what you are looking at are stem cells.