Charlotte Mehlin Sørensen has a bachelor in Biology and a Master in Human Biology from University of Copenhagen. She started in the lab of Associate Professor Paul Peter Leyssac as a Master student working on renal autoregulation and the renin-angiotensin system. She proceeded to finish her PhD in the lab of Professor Niels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou investigating changes in renal autoregulation during hypertension. After obtaining the PhD degree she was employed at Department of Pharmacology as Assistant Professor and subsequently as Assistant Professor at Department of Biomedical Sciences. During one year leave of absence she worked as a drug discovery project leader at Zealand Pharma but came back to continue as Associate Professor at Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Her research is focused on renal hemodynamics and hypertension. Changes in renal autoregulation and regulation as a consequence of changes in the topology of the renal vascular tree, intercellular communication and ion channel expression and function is investigated in different disease models. She is a member of American Physiological Society, Danish Hypertension Society and the Scandinavian Physiological Society. She lectures in renal physiology and cardiovascular and renal pharmacology and is responsible for the renal course and examination in renal physiology at 5th semester medical school. She is the co-author of the renal physiology book “Basal Nyrefysiologi” used at University of Copenhagen. She supervises bachelor, master and PhD students.

Our aim is to understand how the renal vasculature functions during normal conditions and during disease-states such as hypertension and diabetes. We investigate the mechanisms regulating the excretory function of the kidney. This includes control of renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and the renin-angiotensin system. We focus on the structure of the vascular tree, intercellular communication via gap junctions, vascular regulation via ion channels, the sympathetic nervous system and changes in renal autoregulation.

Education

2004: PhD; Faculty of Health Sciences, UCPH

1999: M.Sc. Human Biology; Faculty of Health Sciences, UCPH

1996: B.Sc. Biology; Faculty of Science; UCPH

Present

2011-: Associate professor; Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, UCPH

Group leader of Sørensen Group

Co-administrator of the Telemetry Unit for Cardiovascular Phenotyping: https://www.telemetry.ku.dk/

Previous

2007-11: Assistant professor; Biomedical Sciences UCPH

2005-06: Assistant professor; Dept. of Pharmacology UCPH

2004: Postdoc; Dept. of Medical Physiology, UCPH

Other

2016: Three months leave of absence (family related)

2007 (January): Research assistant, Louisiana State University, USA (funded by American Physiological Society Career Enhancement award)

     Development of new model for visualizing renal arterioles in mouse kidneys

2006-07: Drug Discovery Project leader; Zealand Pharma, Denmark (1-year leave of absence from UCPH)

     Development of renal ischemia/reperfusion models and chronic kidney disease models for drug development

Teaching

Since 2016 I have been the running the renal physiology course. I am the main lecturer in renal physiology for most study programs at Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences. I am co-author of the text book “Basic Renal Physiology” used at medical educational institutions in Denmark.

2002-2016: Renal practical, medicine

2004-: Class teaching, renal physiology, medicine

2011-: Lecturer in renal and cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology; medical students, medical engineers, human biologists, odontologists and molecular biologists

2016-: Course director (renal physiology and anatomy)

Recent Funding

2021-23: NNF project grant, Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2.8 mio DKK

2021-23: Augustinus Foundation, call for renal research, 0.9 mio DKK

2020-23: Augustinus Foundation, call for renal research, 1.1 mio DKK

2019-25: ERC Synergy Grant, 8.7 mio DKK

2018-23: Co-applicant, NNF Infrastructure, 8 mio DKK. Main applicant Ass. Prof. Morten Thomsen

2018-21: Co-applicant, NNF 1.7 mio DKK. Main applicant Ass. Prof. Olga Sosnovtseva

2017-21: Innovation Fund Denmark 1.5 mio DKK with DTU and RH

2017-21: Innovation Fund Denmark 1.3 mio DKK with Gubra

Supervision

Main supervisor: 7 PhD students

Co-supervisor: 7 PhD students

Supervisor of several Master/Research Year Students. They all publish in peer reviewed journals as main author and me as senior author

Committees

Co-founder, steering committee, Special Interest Group “Vascular Physiology”; Scandinavian Physiological Society

Organizing committee, annual meetings of Scandinavian Physiological Society, Vascular Physiology

Organizing and scientific committee, Europhysiology satellite meeting: Vascular Physiology; 2018-.

Member of American Physiological Society; Danish Hypertension Society; Scandinavian Physiological Society; Danish Cardiovascular Research Academy; Danish Nephrology Society

Assessments/Reviews

Chairman/member of assessment committees (PhD; Post.Doc; Assistant professor; Associate Professor)

Reviewer for e.g. American Journal of Physiology, Journal of American Society of Nephrology, Kidney International; Acta Physiologica.

Research projects

Super-Resolution Imaging: a joint project involving Prof. Jørgen Arendt Jensen, Technical University of Denmark, Prof. Michael Bachmann Nielsen, University Hospital Copenhagen and PhD-students Sofie Bech Andersen and Stinne Byrholdt Søgaard, BMI.

We are aiming at providing the first 3D image of the renal microcirculation in a living rat using ultrasound.

Renal effects of GLP-1: a co-operation with Prof. Jens Juul Holst; Dept. of Endocrinology Research, Prof. Boye L. Jensen; University of Southern Denmark and Dr.Med. Ali Asmar, University Hospital Copenhagen.

The project assesses the renal effects of GLP-1 in healthy and hypertensive rodents and humans.

Renal microrcirculation as an adaptive network: a joint project with associate professor Olga Sosnovtseva, UCPH, Prof. Will Cupples Simon Fraser University, Canada and Professor Donald Marsh, Brown University, USA.

The project will elucidate the topology of the renal vascular tree and its role in renal function.

Gap junction and renal hemodynamics: a project involving Professor Niels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou, UCPH, Professor Cor de Wit, Lübeck University, Germany and Associate Professor Brant Isakson, University of Virginia, USA.

The project examines the role of connexins in the regulation and autoregulation of renal blood flow.

Selected Supplement courses:

2017: Leading Research – a leadership course, University of Copenhagen

2014: Responsible Conduct of Research, University of Copenhagen

2012: Career, Women and University of Copenhagen (Karriere, Kvinder & KU)

2010: Project Leadership for researchers, Implement A/S

2008: Mentoring program for women scientists, University of Copenhagen

2007: Project leadership, tools & methods, Corcon ApS, Denmark

2006: Microsurgery, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University

2006: Ph.D.-supervision, DaCRA

2004: Course in Theory of Education for Assistent Professors (Adjunkt pædagogikum), PUCS,

2000: In Vivo Pharmacology. Institute of Pharmacology and Pathobiology, KVL

1997: Course in Laboratory Animal Science. Faculty of Health Science, University of Copenhagen

1997: Biological and Biochemical Isotope Techniques. Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen

Renal physiology, cardiovascular pharmacology, vascular physiology

Supervision: PhD, Master, Bachelor and research year students