About the center
Peptide Antibiotics against Resistant Bacterial Infections
In response to the critical and increasing worldwide threat to human health posed by emergence of bacterial resistance to currently used antibiotics, the overall aim of the center is to establish a discovery platform that focuses on peptide-based antibiotics by exploiting unleashed advantages of peptides that interact with the bacterial envelope. Discovery of leads, therapeutic strategies and antibiotic targets useful for treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections, and elucidation of mechanism of action are core activities.
In particular, the antisense antibacterial concept and novel peptide carriers for efficient delivery of potential antibacterial compounds with inherently poor bacterial uptake will be explored. Peptide-based adjuvant antibiotics will be discovered and investigated as a means for circumventing resistance to current antibiotics and to sensibilize bacteria to antibiotics that they are inherently resistant to. Also, synergistic combinations representing a multimodal treatment regimen will be examined as an approach for reducing risk of resistance development.
Center for Peptide-Based Antibiotics (Cepan) was started in 2017 at the University of Copenhagen headed by Peter E. Nielsen via funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme. The center includes research groups from both the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and Faculty of Science as well as from Statens Serum Institut:
Professor, Ph.D., dr. scient. Peter E. Nielsen, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Professor Anders Løbner-Olesen, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science
Associate professor Henrik Franzyk, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Dr. Anette M. Hammerum, Statens Serum Institut
Professor, Ph.D., dr. scient. Peter E. Nielsen, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Professor Anders Løbner-Olesen, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science
Associate professor Henrik Franzyk, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Carina Vingsbo Lundberg, Statens Serum Institut
Professor Fredrik Bjørkling, Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
To be updated
Professor, Ph.D., dr. scient. Peter E. Nielsen 
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Blegdamsvej 3C, DK-2200 Copenhagen N Denmark
Phone: (+45) 35327762
Mobile: (+45) 24248309