Oana Ciofu
  • Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200 København N, 24 Bygning 24, 24-1-10

  • Blegdamsvej 3B

    2200 København N

  • Source: Scopus
1994 …2024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Primary fields of research

Bacterial evolution during persistence in biofilms with special focus on the development of antibiotic resistance as well as new anti-biofilm treatment strategies  such as  combination of antibiotics with bacteriophages or hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

CV

Curriculum vitae

 

 

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Family name, First name: Ciofu, Oana

Researcher unique identifier(s) ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5648-4858

Date of birth: 03/07/1967

Nationality: Danish

 

  • Research focus

My research focuses on bacterial evolution and adaptation in biofilms, with special interest in development of antibiotic resistance with the aim of optimizing the treatment and improving the outcome of patients with chronic infections including the potential use of viruses (bacteriophages) to control pathogenic biofilms.

 

  • EDUCATION
  • 8/12/2003: Doctor of Science in medicine (Doctor medicinae) from Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen (UCPH);
  • 29/1/ 1998: Authorization as Medical Doctor in Denmark, Faculty of Health Sciences, UCPH;
  • 19/6/1996: D. from Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UCPH; supervisor: prof. Niels Høiby
  • 15/9/1991: Medical doctor, University “Carol Davila”, Bucharest, Romania

 

  • CURRENT POSITION(S)
  • 2022-until present Professor of Antimicrobial resistance, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH ;

 

  • PREVIOUS POSITIONS
  • 2003- 2022 Associate professor, Department of Immunology and Microbiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH ;
  • 1998-2002: Assistant Prof. Dept. Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UCPH;
  • 1998/07-08: research guest Guelph University, Ontario, Canada
  • 1996-1998: Research assistant, Dept. Clinical Microbiology, Rigshospitalet;
  • 1993-1996: D student, Dept. Medical Microbiology and Immunology, UCPH;
  • 1992-1993: Assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital “Sf. Pantelimon”, Bucharest, Romania

 

  • CAREER BREAKS (if applicable)
  • Maternity leaves: 2008 April-November and  2001 September- 2002 April

 

 

  • SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

 

Total number of peer-reviewed publications: 104 and 14 book chapters

Number of first authorships: 21

Number of corresponding authorships: 32

Number of citations: 9499

H-index: 45 Web of Science

 

Ciofu, O. - Search Results - PubMed (nih.gov)

 

  • 10 SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
  1. Ciofu, O., C, Jensen, P.Ø, Høiby, N. “Tolerance and resistance of microbial biofilms”, Nature Reviews Microbiology 2022 10.1038/s41579-022-00682-4 (IF=60)

 

  1. Ahmed MN., Abdelsamad A, Wassermann, T., Porse A., Becker, J., Sommer M.O.A, Høiby, N and Ciofu O. “The evolutionary trajectories of aeruginosa in biofilm and planktonic growth modes exposed to ciprofloxacin: beyond selection of antibiotic resistance.” NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2020 Jul 24;6(1):28. (IF= 7.067).

 

  1. Henriksen, Karoline; Rørbo, Nanna; Rybtke, Morten; Martinet, Mark Grevsen; Tolker-Nielsen, Tim; Høiby, Niels; Middelboe, Mathias; Ciofu, Oana aeruginosa flow-cell biofilms are enhanced by repeated phage treatments but can be eradicated by phage-ciprofloxacin combination- monitoring of the phage-P. aeruginosa biofilms interactions” Pathog Dis. 2019 Mar 1;77(2). pii: ftz011. doi: 10.1093/femspd/ftz011(IF =2.02)

 

  1. Ciofu O., Smith S., Lykkesfeldt J ”Antioxidant supplementation for lung disease in cystic fibrosis” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Oct 3;10(10):CD007020. (IF=6.754)

 

  1. Ahmed MN, Porse A, Sommer MOA, Høiby N, Ciofu O. “Evolution of antibiotic resistance in biofilm and planktonic aeruginosa populations exposed to sub-inhibitory levels of ciprofloxacin”. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2018 Jul 27;62(8). (IF= 4.715).

 

  1. Zaborskyte G, Andersen JB, Kragh KN, Ciofu O.Real-Time Monitoring of nfxB Mutant Occurrence and Dynamics in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Exposed to Subinhibitory Concentrations of Ciprofloxacin”. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2017 Feb 23;61(3).(IF= 4.255)

 

  1. Jørgensen KM, Wassermann T, Johansen HK, Christiansen LE, Molin S, Høiby N, Ciofu O. “Diversity of metabolic profiles of cystic fibrosis Pseudomonas aeruginosa during the early stages of lung infection”. 2015 Jul;161(7):1447-62.

 

  1. Jensen PØ, Briales A, Brochmann RP, Wang H, Kragh KN, Kolpen M, Hempel C, Bjarnsholt T, Høiby N, Ciofu O. “Formation of hydroxyl radicals contributes to the bactericidal activity of ciprofloxacin against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms” Pathog Dis. 2014 Apr;70(3):440-3. (IF= 2.4)

 

  1. Hengzhuang W, Høiby N, Ciofu O. “Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of antibiotics in biofilm infections of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in vitro and in vivo”. Methods Mol Biol. 2014;1147:239-54. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-0467-9_17.

 

 

  1. Jørgensen KM, Wassermann T, Jensen PØ, Hengzuang W, Molin S, Høiby N and Ciofu O. “Sub-lethal ciprofloxacin treatment leads to rapid development of high-level ciprofloxacin resistance during long-term experimental evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa”, Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2013 Sep;57(9):4215-21.(IF= 4.255)

 

 

 

 

  • MAJOR GRANTS AND AWARDS

The Family Hede Nielsen Award, 2005 for “Research in prevention of development of antibiotic resistance by use of antioxidants”, 400.000 DKK

 

  • TEACHING ACTIVITIES AND SUPERVISION (if applicable)
  • Course leader “Medical Microbiology” for medical students 6 sem. BA ( >500 students course)
  • Course leader “Clinical decision making” for medical students 5 sem.KA
  • Initiator and organizer of the first interdisciplinary “ One Health” course at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences ”One Health: Antibiotic resistance – a threat for human and animal health” for medical and veterinary students, KU, SUND, modul 3 of “ Clinical decision course” 5 sem. KA (> 600 students course) . Runs twice a year starting from E17
  • Microbiology course 6.sem BA: lectures, laboratory courses, examination.
  • Lectures and supervision at two ph.D courses: Medical Biofilms and Antibiotic Research.
  • Lectures in UCPH Coursera course on “Biofilm infections”.

 

Supervisor of 8 PhD students; 15 master projects for students with biological educations; more than 30 bachelor and master projects of medical students;

 

External examiner for Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Master of Science (MSc) in Engineering programmes and master programmes the field of Civil - Kemi. : appointed by the Danish Agency for Higher Education since 2012 til 2026

ISIM Department supervisor for assistant professors and post docs participating in the Teacher Course for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (Adjunktpædagogikum).

 

 

  • INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Member of the Leadership team at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology (since 2022)
  • Member of the bachelor education committee representing 6th semester BA (microbiology) (since 2016)
  • Assessor/chair of committees for positions at professor level at UCPH
  • Chair ISIM Skills Development Fund (since 2015)
  • Member of the coordination group of Laboratory Practical Courses (since 2019).
  • Organizing committee: European Biofilm Conference Palma de Mallorca sept. 2022; European Biofilm Conference Copenhagen 2024

 

 

  • REVIEWING ACTIVITIES

Grant application review

The National Authority for Scientific Research of the Romanian Government, French Research Council, Flemish Research Council, Finish Research Council, Austrian Research Council, Estonian Research Council, German Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Irish Research Council, Estonian Research Council, Italian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, United Kingdom CF Trust, ESCMID Research grants evaluator, EU Research Council

 

Associate editor Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology;

 

Reviewer for following scientific journals

Reviewer for several scientific journals: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Microbiology, Microbiology Open, Microbiological Research,  mBio, npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, Microbiology Spectrum, BMC Infectious Diseases, BMC Pulmonary Medicine, Scientific report ( Nature), ISME Journal, Journal of Cystic Fibrosis, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance, Frontiers Microbiology, FEMS Microbiology Reviews, FEMS Microbiology Letters, Protein Engineering, Design and Selection, Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, European Respiratory Journal, Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal, APMIS.

 

  • MAJOR COLLABORATIONS

 

Ass. prof. Research Laboratory Leader Laia Fernández Barat, University of Barcelona, Spain Topic: treatment of biofilm infection

 

Ass. prof. Coen van Hasselt, University of Leiden, the Netherlands. Topic: modelling of antimicrobial resistance development

 

Dr.rer. nat. Oliwia Makarewicz , Bereichsleiterin Laborforschung, Institut für Infektionsmedizin und Krankenhaushygiene, Jena, Germany. Topic: phage treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

 

 

  • INNOVATION AND OUTREACH (if applicable)

 

Organizer of Cultural Night ISIM event October 2022

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teaching

  • Course leader and teacher in the “Medical Microbiology” course as part of bachelor education of medical students

  • Coordinator of the first interdisciplinary One Health course at the Faculty of Health and medical Sciences “Antimicrobial resistance: a threat for humans and animals health”where medical and veterinary students are working together in mixed groups around specific infectious diseases cases.

  • Supervisor phD students: 6, several master  and bachelor students

Fields of interest

I am primarily interested in the cure of persistent, chronic infections due to bacterial biofilms and my goal is to improve the treatment of this type of infections by interfering with the bacterial evolution and by enhancing the activity of antibiotics in biofilms.

Possible conflicts of interest

I have no possible conflicts of interest.

Current research

  • Evolution of antibiotic resistance in biofilms vs planktonic cultures under treatment with sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics

  • The role of oxidative stress in bacterial evolution in biofilms

  • The interaction between bacteriophages and P.aeruginosa biofilms in the presence and absence of antibiotics.

  • The effect of the new combination of ceftazidime-avibactam on P. aeruginosa biofilms.

  • The development of resistance to azithromycin in P. aeruginosa biofilms.

Keywords

  • Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
  • Bacteriology
  • microbiology
  • Biofilm

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or