EpiDiscovery Group
We use and develop research tools to help elucidate mechanisms in epigenetics, cancer and Venomics and develop drugs, biomarkers and crystallisation facilitators.

Snake antivenom, a luxury for the rich? In the AVV project we are identifying and developing synthetic antivenom (antitoxin), which can neutralize snake venom. Synthetic antitoxin could potentially save millions of lives worldwide in rural countries. Today, due to the price of a treatment, only wealthy people can afford antivenom and so snake antivenom is a luxury for the rich!
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Anti-Venom venture project
The scope of the AntiVenom Venture project is – using phage display technology – to identify, design and develop inhibitor candidates that may be used in the development of antivenoms.
The working hypothesis is that it is possible to develop modern, biotechnology-based antidotes to snake venom that do not have the severe side effects of current antivenoms derived from animals. The scientific basis for this hypothesis lies in the fact that animal-derived proteins (incl. antivenoms/antisera) can be immunogenic towards the human body, whereas humanised antibodies do not have this drawback.
We are also investigating venomous snakes to look for better treatments for disorders such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. We believe that the very proteins that make snake venom so deadly may – in the right amounts or with the right modifications –provide healing for millions of snake bite victims.
As crazy as it sounds, drugs based on snake venom proteins are on the market and are used to prevent heart attacks. An example is Eptifibatide, a cyclic heptapeptide that is a modified rattlesnake venom protein. This drug has been used since 1998 to treat people suffering minor heart attacks or those with chest pain indicating they are likely to suffer a heart attack.
The most noteworthy difference between medicine and poison is the dose.
Collaborators
Læger uden Grænser:
Direktør Jesper Brix
Team leader Hanne Klink Epstein
Den Blå Planet:
Kasper Jørgensen
Lars Olsen
Instituto Clodomiro Picado:
Professor José María Gutiérrez
Professor Bruno Lomonte
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts:
Associate Professor Arne Redsted Rasmussen
Randers Regnskov:
Director Henrik Herold
Animal caretaker Kristian Sørensen
Tropikariet i Helsingborg:
Director Magnus Lindqvist
Terrariet i Vissenbjerg:
Director Morten Jørgensen
Animal caretaker Jonas Caspersen
Animal caretaker Brian Bentzen
WWU Münster:
Professor Daniel Kuemmel
Copenhagen University Hospital Holbæk:
Doctor Pal B. Szecsi
Brian Lohse is convenor of the following PhD course:
Phage Display: Screening of proteins with DNA encoded peptide libraries
The course is running every second year, same time. Last course held
12-23 June 2017.
2017
- GO’ Morgen Danmark (in danish)
''Brian Lohse med levende giftslanger i GO’ morgen Danmark'' - News Feed from The Local, by Charlotte P. Persson/ScienceNordic the Ludwin Library Project 15 dec. 2017
''Danish scientists test rock singer who has been injecting himself with snake venom for 25 years'' - From Snakebite to biotek
''Christmas Calender window 1 December 2017'' - Live in Danish Radio 24 Seven (in danish)
''On the ethics and impact of the snakeproject'' - Article in Videnskab.dk (in danish)
''The Anti-Venom Venture project and the Ludwin Library'' - Article in Magisterbladet.dk - Profile of the week (in danish)
''KU and a punk musician will save snake bites victims'' - AFP NEWS AGENCY
''Snake man's venom habit holds hope for new antidote'' - Article in Berlingske Tidende (in danish)
''The snake man is a happiness and a nightmare for the University of Copenhagen'' - Collaboration with Den Blå Planet (in danish)
''Den Blå Planet er med i verdens giftigste forskning'' - TV2 News (in danish)
''Farlige slanger, danske forskere og en britisk punksanger i usædvanligt samarbejde'' - DR-DK News (in danish)
''Slanger tømmes for gift: Forskere vil lave modgift'' - Kulturnatten 13 October 2017 (in danish)
''Fra slangegift til modgift'' - Front page article & article in Avis Østerbro (in danish)
- Tonic.vice.com (2017) – Antivenom production of the future
''Why Can’t We Stop Milking Snakes Already?'' - The Guardian.com
''Self-Immunization a unique opportunity for Professor Brian
Lohse, DNA from Mr. Ludwin is a giant leap for the Anti-Venom Venture'' - CNN
Snake Man donates DNA to Professor Brian Lohse
2016
- Naturvidenskabsfestival - Høje Taastrup Gymnasium (in danish)
- Video interview from EpigenomicsNet 23 September, 2016
"Phage display technology and epigenetic drug discovery: an interview with Professor Brian Lohse" - Short Profile within Medicine at EU's PanEuropean Network
"Targeting Epigenetic Proteins" - Short Profile within Medicine at EU's PanEuropean Network
"Probing the surface" - Short Profile within Medicine at EU's PanEuropean Network
"Anti-venom more than a luxury"
2015
- Lecture at "Den Blå Planet" 23 November 2015 19:00 (In Danish)
"Årets giftigste foredrag" - TV programme "Ostsee Report" NDR1, 22 November 18:00 - 18:45 (In German)
"Zu Besuch bei "Blå Planet" (0:13:14 -0:17:50) - Radio interview i "Ghandi" DR, P3, 16 October 2015 (In Danish)
"Få styr på din epigenetik" (01:02:55) - Video from the radio programmes "Ghandi" Facebook profile (In Danish)
''Brian Lohse explains about epigenetik'' - News at Drug Design and Pharmacology, 16 September 2015
"ILF forskere vil udvikle modgift mod verdens farligste slanger" - Video, Den Blå Planet, 10 September 2015 (In Danish)
"Tapning af giftige havslanger har båret frugt" - Article, The Faculty of Health and Science, 3 September 2015
"One step closer to cheaper antivenom" - TV programme at DR ULTRA, 3 September 2015 (In Danish)
"Forskning om giftslanger" - News from TV2, 3 September 2015 (In Danish)
"Danske forskere vil udvikle modgift mod verdens farligste slanger" - TV Programme at DR3, 9 April 2015 (In Danish)
"Videnskabsministeriet"(first part of the programme) - News at Drug Design and Pharmacology, 26 February 2015
"EliteForsk scholarship for a PhD student at the Department of Drug Design and Pharmacology" - Article in Metroxpress, 26 February 2015 (In Danish)
"27-årige Andreas scorer millioner på slanger - og gær"
- Genetically modified virus libraries: Producing billions of potential biological drug compounds (Article nr. 4 in Lægemiddelforskning 2013. NB. The article is in Danish)
- Histone tails - a new target for cancer treatment (In Lægemiddelforskning 2010. NB. The article is in Danish)
2016
- Discovery of potent inhibitors of the epigenetic cancer target PRMT4
- Discovery and optimization of peptide-based anti-cobratoxins
2015
- Discovery of Peptidic Anti-cobratoxins by"Next Generation Phage Display
- Discovery of Peptide-based Inhibitors against Dendrotoxin B from Black Mamba through Phage Display Screening
- Discovery of Peptide-Based Antitoxins against Neurotoxins from Green and Black Mamba (Dendroaspis Family)
2014
- Going Beyond 2,4-Pyridine-Dicarboxylate: 4-Hydroxypyrazoles as New Inhibitors for KDM4C
- Going Beyond Iron Chelators: KDM4C Inhibition by Surface Targeting
2013
- Analogues of The Natural Product Sinefungin as Potent Inhibitors of EHMT1 and EHMT2
- In vitro studies of histone tail cross-talk effects on histone demethylases. Deciphering epigenetic marks on the molecular level
Postdocs
Kanchan Devkota
Technicians
Grete Sørensen
Catia Correa Goncalves Andersen
Phd students
Kanchan Devkota
Ulrike Leurs
Andreas H. Laustsen
Research Assistant
Kyriaki Glavina
Rasmus Kiil-Nielsen
Students
Johanna Bjärtun
Jonas Johannesen
Anette Kock
Christina Milbo
Maiken Ravnø
Ioanna Papacharalampous
Esmeralda Bilic
Saioa Oscoz Cob
Henrik Flindt
Line Præst Lauridsen
Kamilla Meyer
Research areas

Does Epigenetics shape life while you live? In the EpiDiscoverY group, EpiGenetics is the main focus and here we develop chemical probes for epigenetic protein families. We search for Need a ligand for your target? EpiDiscoverY is a Contract Research based Organization (CRO) under UCPH. We can deliver novel ligands that are peptide- , nanobody- or full antibody-based. EpiDiscoverY develops customized assays and does phage display screening of costumer targets with our in-house libraries.osteric sites and blocking of interaction partners to reveal secondary epigenetic mechanisms, which ultimately affects life your life while you live. EpiDiscoverY is a Contract Research based Organization (CRO) under ILF-SUND at the University of Copenhagen.
Our main focus is phage display technology, searching for novel ligands that can be used as compound tools or scaffolds that have the potential to be further developed into biopharmaceuticals. EpiDiscoverY also develop customized assays for specific targets and do screening of costumer targets with our in-house libraries. We have experience working with both industry and academia and have experience with patents, MTA’s and other types of contract, but are also carrying out classical academic research collaborations.
A common denominator for all of the projects is the use of phage display technology.
Previous Collaboration
- AstraZeneca
- EpiTherapeutics ApS
- Novo Nordisk A/S
- Immunitrack
- Promega

Does Epigenetics shape life while you live? In the EpiDiscoverY group, EpiGenetics is the main focus and here we develop chemical probes for epigenetic protein families. We search for allosteric sites and blocking of interaction partners to reveal secondary epigenetic mechanisms, which ultimately affects life your life while you live.
'Epi-' comes from Greek (επί-) and means over, outside of, or around. Hence, epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene activity that are not caused by changes within the DNA sequence.
The EpiDiscoverY project is aimed at developing chemical probes, for epigenetic protein families, identifying and targeting allosteric sites or blocking interaction partners to reveal secondary epigenetic mechanisms. We work with small molecules, peptides and antibody fragment, which can be developed into epigenetic chemical probes.
By further chemical design, involving peptidomimetics or labeling studies, we are developing new types of selective cancer biomarkers and designing inhibitors for these newly discovered classes of proteins. The identified biomarkers are used to study the individual proteins in vitro and in vivo, by fluorescence techniques, enzyme kinetics and inhibition studies. The majority of these proteins’ whereabouts and specific functions in both animal and human cells are still unknown
Collaboration
- Associate Professor Frank O. Fackelmeyer
- Oxford Chemistry group
- SGC oxford/Toronto
- Members of the EU-COST action CM-1406 (EpiChemBio).

The ultimate tool to develop biopharmaceuticals? Phage display is a powerful tool for selecting peptides, proteins or antibodies with specific binding properties from a very large number of variants (up to billions). The DNA-encoded libraries can be screened on any target to identify selective binders and inhibitors.
Phage display is a powerful tool for selecting peptides, proteins or antibodies with specific binding properties from a very large number of variants (up to billions).
The technology was introduced by G.P. Smith in Science, 1985, and entails the expression of peptides, proteins or antibody fragments on the surface of phages – viruses that infect bacterial cells.
The purpose is to screen for proteins with specific properties, selected from libraries of DNA variants and expressed as populations of protein variants on the surface of phage particles. The DNA-encoded libraries are for instance used to screen epigenetic protein families and identify selective binders and inhibitors (chemical probes) of peptides and antibodies. These specific and highly selective chemical probes are then produced using either antibody engineering or standard peptide synthesis.
Collaboration
- Associate Professor Frank O. Fackelmeyer
- Oxford Chemistry group
- SGC oxford/Toronto
- Members of the EU-COST action CM-1406 (EpiChemBio).
Den Blå Planet:
Kai Frydendahl
Lars Olsen
Instituto Clodomiro Picado
Professor José María Gutiérrez
Professor Bruno Lomonte
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
Associate Professor Arne Redsted Rasmussen
Previous collaboration
- AstraZeneca
- EpiTherapeutics Aps
- Novo Nordisk A/S
Group/project members
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