Rasmus O. Bak’s research focus is on the development and use of gene and cell therapies, with special focus on the CRISPR-Cas system. Like other medical products, gene therapy is not always effective and specific enough says the researcher:

"However, gene therapies have the advantage that their advanced structure allows us to incorporate new, improving technologies into them. We’ll therefore be exploring the use of so-called programmable RNA sensors in gene therapy. Our hypothesis is that we can implement RNA sensors in gene therapies and then use the sensors to program the therapies with new functions," says Rasmus O. Bak, associate professor at the Department of Biomedicine.

In other words, he will attempt to make gene therapies more sophisticated and adaptable to their surroundings in order to improve their treatment effect.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded the research project a grant of DKK 3 million. Results of the project could be relevant for patients with hereditary diseases, and the modified gene therapy could also be used in cell therapies for more common diseases such as cancer.

Contact

Assistant Professor & PhD Rasmus O. Bak
Aarhus University, Department of Biomedicine
Mobile phone: (+45) 93 92 91 00
Email: bak@biomed.au.dk