Hans Bräuner-Osborne

1993: M.Sc. (Pharm)
1997: Ph.D. (molecular pharmacology)
2002: D.Sc. (dr. pharm.)

1993-1996: PhD student, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

1997-1999: Research Assistant Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

2000-2001: Research Associate Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

2002-present: Professor of Molecular Pharmacology, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen (Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences until 1/1-2007).

1992-1993: 12 months in Dr. Mark Brann's laboratory, University of Vermont, USA.

1994: 1 month in Dr. Shigetada Nakanishi's laboratory, Kyoto University, Japan.

2001: 6 months in Dr. Bernhard Bettler's laboratory, Novartis Pharma, Basel, Switzerland.

2007-8: 3 months in Dr. Edward M. Brown's laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA.

1992: Fulbright Fellowship
1994: H.C. Ørsted Medal, Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences
1997: The Danish Academy of Natural Sciences PhD award
2002: The Benzon Foundation 50^th Anniversary Honorary Prize (100,000 DKK)
2006: Elected member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
2006: The Torkil Holm Foundation Research Prize (100,000 DKK)
2006: The Lundbeck Foundation Prize for Young Investigators (250,000 DKK)
2007: Alfred Benzon Senior Researcher Stipend
2011: Elected member of the Danish Society for Theoretical and Applied Therapy

In 1992-3 I co-developed the functional High-Throughput Screening (HTS) assay named Receptor Selection and Amplification Technology (R-SAT^TM) in the laboratory of the late Professor Mark Brann. This technology was further developed by researchers at ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. and is now their prioritary research platform.

More recently, the focus of my group has shifted towards development of fluorescent based HTS assays for neurotransmitter receptors (G-protein coupled receptors and ligand-gated ion channels) and transporters. These assays are being used to characterize ligands primarly synthesized at the Department of Medicinal Chemistry with special focus on subtype selectivity of the ligands. In this way several subtype specific/selective ligands have been identified. Another interest is ligand-receptor interactions, subtype selectivity and the activation mechanisms of receptors. These aspects have been investigated by integrated use of point-mutations, random saturation mutagenesis, chimeric receptors, engineered zinc-sites and molecular modelling.

Orphan receptors, for which the endogenous ligands remains to be identified, are also a focus area of my group. Using bioinformatics and molecular biological tools, we have thus cloned four human orphan receptors for which we are currently searching for ligands by HTS. Recently, we were the first to report the endogenous agonists for the human GPRC6A G-protein coupled receptor. Our next goal is to unravel the physiological function and therapeutic prospect of this new exciting receptor.

In 2007 my group became member of the Programme of Excellence on Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors pharmacology of NMDA receptor subtypes. We use virtual screening to identify novel NMDA receptor ligands with selectivity for the GluN3 receptor subtypes.

In 2008 my group also became member of the UNIK Food, Fitness & Pharma Center of Excellence. In this center we study the physiological role of the GPRC6A receptor using our knockout mice and the Rodent Metabolic Phenotyping Center.

Most recently, my group has engaged in the use of chemogenomics and virtual screening for identification of novel pharmacological tool compounds as for example our recent discovery of the most selective GPRC6A receptor antagonists reported to date.

Read more about the molecular pharmacology group here.

Recipient of research grants of approx. 36,5 million DKK from external foundations, councils and pharmaceutical companies and of approx. 10,9 million DKK from internal competitive funding.

Current funding:
Major external funding:
Danish Medical Research Council (3,100,000 DKK)
The Lundbeck Foundation (2,700,000 DKK)
Leo Pharma A/S and the Danish Research Council (600,000 DKK)
The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation UNIK programme (2,000,000 DKK)
The Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Industrial PhD programme (2,000,000 DKK)
H. Lundbeck A/S and the Danish Research Council (1,200,000 DKK)
The Novo Nordisk Foundation (500,000 DKK)

Additional external funding from:
The A. P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Sciences
Brødrene Hartmanns Foundation

Current internal competitive funding:
Programme of Excellence on Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors (3,250,000 DKK)
FARMA PhD scholarships (5,500,000 DKK)
DRA PhD scholarships (800,000 DKK)

1993- : Invited speaker at ~40 international and national scientific meetings and seminars

2000-5: Board member and treasurer, Danish Society for Pharmacology, Toxicology and Medicinal Chemistry

2000-5: Member of the Management Comittee of the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry

2000- : Member of evaluation committees of 2 professorships, 2 assistant professorships and 11 PhD defenses

2002-4: Member of the Review Comittee of the Carlsberg Bequest Scholarships

2002-5: Associate Editor of the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2004: Member of the Organization Comittee of the XVIII'th International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (1300 participants)

2004-10: Board member of the WorldPharma2010/IUPHAR congress

2004-10: Member of the Danish Medical Research Council

2006: Member of international committees evaluating pharmaceutical research programs at University of Bergen, Oslo and Tromsø (Norway) and University of Padua (Italy)

2006-10: Member of the Executive Committee of the Molecular Models of Disease (MoMeD) Research School

2007-10: Member of the Board, University of Copenhagen Alumni

2007-11: Member of the European Research Council (ERC) Expert Panels for Starting Grants (StG) - chairman for 2011 call

2008- : Member of the Executive Committee of the journal Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology

10 recent publications:
Clemmensen, C., A.N. Madsen, S. Smajilovic, B. Holst and H. Bräuner-Osborne. L-Arginine improves multiple physiological parameters in mice exposed to diet-induced metabolic disturbances. Amino Acids (in press).

Thomsen, A.B.R., M. Hvidtfeldt and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Biased agonist of the calcium-sensing receptor. Cell Calcium (in press).

Gloriam, D.E., P. Wellendorph, L.D. Johansen, A.R.B. Thomsen, K. Phonekeo, D.S. Pedersen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Chemogenomic discovery of novel allosteric antagonists at the GPRC6A receptor. Chem. Biol. 18: 1489-1498 (2011).

Wellendorph, P., S. Høg, P. Sabbatini, M.F.H. Pedersen, L. Martiny, G.M. Knudsen, B. Frølund, R.P. Clausen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Novel radioiodinated GHB analogues for radiolabeling and photolinking of high-affinity GHB binding sites. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 335: 458-464 (2010).

Wellendorph, P., L.D. Johansen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Molecular pharmacology of promiscuous 7TM receptors sensing organic nutrients. Mol. Pharmacol. 76:453-465 (2009).

Wellendorph, P. and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Molecular basis for amino acid sensing by family C G protein-coupled receptors. Br. J. Pharmacol. 156: 869-884 (2009).

Wellendorph, P., L.D. Johansen, A.A. Jensen, E. Casanova, M. Gassmann, P. Deprez, P. Clément-Lacroix, B. Bettler and H. Bräuner-Osborne. No evidence for a bone phenotype in GPRC6A knockout mice under normal physiological conditions. J. Mol. Endocrinol. 42: 215-223 (2009).

Jensen, A.A., P.A. Davies, H. Bräuner-Osborne and K. Krzywkowski. 3B but which 3B? And that's just one of the questions: the heterogeneity of human 5-HT₃ receptors. Trends Pharmacol. Sci. 29: 437-444 (2008).

Krzywkowski, K., P.A. Davies, P.L. Feinberg-Zadek, H. Bräuner-Osborne and A.A. Jensen. High frequency HTR3B variant associated with major depression dramatically augments the signalling of the human 5-HT_3AB receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 105: 722-727 (2008).

Christiansen, B., K.B. Hansen, P. Wellendorph and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Pharmacological characterization of mouse GPRC6A, an L-α-amino acid receptor with ability to sense divalent cations. Br. J. Pharmacol. 150: 798-807 (2007).

Click on articles to download them in PDF format:

Johansson, H.; T.B. Jørgensen; D.E. Gloriam; P. Wellendorph; L.D. Johansen, D.S. Pedersen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Kemogenomi: Receptoren set fra lægemiddelstoffets synspunkt. Dansk Kemi, 22-26, 11, 2011.

Bräuner-Osborne, H. Biologiens låsesmed. Universitetsavisen, December 2010.

Gloriam, D.E.; P. Wellendorph, L.D. Johansen, D.S. Pedersen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Kemogenomik: Receptoren set fra lægemiddelstoffets synspunkt. Lægemiddelforskning, 28-30, 2010.

Bräuner-Osborne, H. Receptorer i historisk og nutidig belysning. Carlsbergfondets Årskrift, 30-35, 2009.

Christiansen, B.; T. Kvist; A.A. Jensen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Ny human GABA-transportør - et muligt mål for behandling af epilepsi. Lægemiddelforskning, 25-27, 2008.

Krzywkowski, K.; P.A. Davies; P.L. Feinberg-Zadek; A.A. Jensen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. En genetisk variation i en serotonin-receptor – et muligt link til depression? Dansk Kemi, 20-21, Juni, 2008.

Krzywkowski, K.; P.A. Davies, P.L. Feinberg-Zadek; A.A. Jensen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. En genetisk variation i en serotonin-receptor – et muligt link til depression? Lægemiddelforskning, 30-31, 2007.

H. Bräuner-Osborne. Molekylær farmakologiske subtyper. Lundbeckfondens årsskrift 2006-7.

H. Bräuner-Osborne. Moderne lægemiddeludvikling - trends og teknologier. Lægemiddelkataloget 2005-7.

Jensen, A.A.; M. Strange and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Fluorescensbaseret farmakologi. Dansk Kemi, 29-31, Juni, 2004.

Wellendorph, P.; A. Balsgaard, K.B. Hansen and H. Bräuner-Osborne. En ny receptor i mennesket. Lægemiddelforskning, 32-33 (2004).

Strange, M. and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Fluorescens viser farmakologi! Lægemiddelforskning, 14-15 (2003).

Madsen, U.; T.B. Stensbøl, H. Bräuner-Osborne and C. Sánchez. Fra krampefremkaldende til krampestillende effekt. Lægemiddelforskning, 18-19 (2001).

Jensen, A.A. and H. Bräuner-Osborne. Øget forståelse af vigtig receptor i hjernen. Lægemiddelforskning, 28-29 (2000).

Pedersen, H; H. Bräuner-Osborne; K. Frydenvang and P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Acetylcholin - et terapeutisk koncept under forandring. Lægemiddelforskning, 38-39 (1999).

Bräuner-Osborne, H.; B.E. Madsen and P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Ny indgang til at påvirke hjernens aktivitet. Lægemiddelforskning, 40-41 (1999).

Jørgensen, F.S.; K. Frydenvang, H. Bräuner-Osborne and K. Kristiansen. 3D-modeller fremmer forståelsen af samspillet mellem receptor og lægemiddelstof. Lægemiddelforskning, 42-43 (1999).

Bräuner-Osborne, H. and P. Krogsgaard-Larsen. Genvej til nye lægemidler. Lægemiddelforskning, 8-9 (1997).

Click here to see/read lectures, interviews and doctoral thesis.