The lab has a long-standing interest in NADPH oxidase (NOX2) trafficking and function in macrophages and microglia (glia and macrophage cell of the CNS), and we continue to pursue the intricacies of NOX2 trafficking in the cell.

We are also interested in autophagy and the workings of the endosomal pathway in neurons under conditions of neurodegenerative cell stress, and recently our focus is on the ESCRT complex in endosomal and nuclear phenotypes of disease.

Brain-associated macrophages, including microglia, are important immune cells in neuroinflammation and we have recently engaged in a long-term collaboration with the Neurosurgical Department at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen to investigate tumor-associated macrophages and their role in meninigioma progression and post-operative morbidity.

Current project areas:

• NADPH Oxidase trafficking and function in macrophages
• The ESCRT complex in frontotemporal dementia and spastic paraplegia
• Tumor-associated macrophages in meningioma

Current funding.

We are currently funded by:

• Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond
• Læge Sofus Carl Emil Friis og hustru Olga Doris Fond
• NEYE fonden https://www.neye.dk/blog/neye-fonden

Current publications

1. Blum N, Mirian C, Maier AD, Mathiesen TI, Vilhardt F, Haslund-Vinding JL. Translocator protein (TSPO) expression in neoplastic cells and tumor-associated macrophages in meningiomas. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 82, 1020-1032 (2023). 
2. Zang J, Peters F, Cambet Y, Cifuentes-Pagano E, Hissabu MMS, Dustin CM, Svensson LH, Olesen MM, Poulsen MFL, Jacobsen S, Tuelung PS, Narayanan D, Langkilde AE, Gajhede M, Pagano PJ, Jaquet V, Vilhardt F, Bach A. Targeting NOX2 with Bivalent Small-Molecule p47phox-p22phox Inhibitors. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 66, 14963 (2023).
3. Borland H, Rasmussen I, Bjerregaard-Andersen K, Rasmussen M, Olsen A, Vilhardt F. α-synuclein buildup is alleviated via ESCRT-dependent endosomal degradation brought about by p38MAPK inhibition in cells expressing p25α. Journal of Biological Chemistry 298, 102531 (2022).
4. Haslund-Vinding J, Møller JR, Ziebell M, Vilhardt F, Mathiesen T. The role of systemic inflammatory cells in meningiomas. Neurosurgical Reviews 45, 1205-1215 (2022).
5. Villegas L, Nørremølle A, Freude K, Vilhardt F. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate Oxidases Are Everywhere in Brain Disease, but Not in Huntington's Disease? Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience 5, 736734 (2021).

Cell Biology and Histology for students of Medicin and Molecular Biology, or Medicin and Technology and Quantitative Biology (different courses).

Supervision of ERASMUS and graduate students in the lab.

Born january 13th 1969

• Cand. Polyt. Civil Engineering, The Danish Technical University, 1994

• Cand. Scient. Human Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Univ. of Copenhagen, 1995

• Short term visiting scientist, The Radium Hospital, Univ. of Oslo, Norway, 1997

• Ph.D., Faculty of Health Sciences, Univ. of Copenhagen, 1998

• Postdoctoral position (Assistant Maitre), Biology of Ageing Laboratory, Dept. Of Geriatrics,

• Geneva University Hospitals, Switzerland, 1998-2001

• Assistant Professor (forskningsadjunkt), Dept. of Medical Anatomy, Faculty of Health Sciences, Univ. of Copenhagen, 2002-