1.  Cellular studies to understand the pathophysiology of blinding inner retinal conditions, i.e. glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy – focus on the most abundant retinal glia cells, the Müller cells and cells of the optic nerve, retinal ganglion cells. Research techniques: Primary cell cultures, co-culture systems, human fibroblasts and pluripotent stem cells (patient-derived in vitro disease models), Western blot analysis, molecular biology, metabolic studies, Seahorse analyses, ATP analyses, viability assays, and immunohistochemistry.
   
   
2. Cellular studies to understand the side effects and efficacy of current treatment strategies in glaucoma – focus on the mucin producing conjunctival cells, the goblet cells. Research techniques: Human goblet cell cultures and Viability assays.
   
   
3. Translational studies to understand vascular changes and energy metabolism in patients with glaucoma during metabolic stress – a search for biomarkers and causalities. Research techniques: Patient cohorts consisting of various glaucoma subtypes, universal hypoxia, blood sampling, skin biopsy and fibroblast culturing, ELISA, leucocyte isolation, Western blot analysis and Seahorse analyses.
   
   
4. Clinical and epidemiological studies to improve the management of glaucoma – a search for improved screening methods to detect glaucoma. Research techniques: The National Registry, The Drug Registry, Patients with glaucoma, statistics, multicenter studies, and novel tools to detect unrecognized visual field defects.

Inner retinal conditions, such as glaucoma, constitute the leading causes of blindness worldwide. Overall glaucoma is defined by a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGC). The RGC transfers neuronal signals through the optic nerve to the brain to create an image. Hence, glaucomatous damage will affect the interpreted image by defects in the visual field. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for glaucomatous damage and to date the only validated treatment includes IOP lowering compounds. Yet, one third of glaucoma patients present a normal IOP and focus has evolved on other concomitant factors involved in glaucomatous damage such as excitotoxicity, altered blood flow, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

• The Synoptik Foundation
• The Velux Foundation
• Asta og Jul. P. Justesens Foundation
• The AP Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Foundation
• The Beckett Foundation
• Dansk Glaukom Forening
• The Eye Foundation (Øjenfonden)
• Fight for Sight, Denmark
• The Hørslev Foundation
• Jørgen Bagenkop Nielsen’s Myopia Foundation
• The Lundbeck Foundation
• Læge Sofus Carl Emil Friis og hustru Olga Doris Friis’ Legat
• The Michaelsen Foundation
• The Novo Nordic Foundation
• Aase and Ejnar Danielsen’s Foundation

• Kristine Freude, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Pete Williams, PhD, Assistant Professor, Karolinska Institute
• Goran Petrovski, MD, PhD, Professor, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
• Tor Utheim, MD, PhD, Professor, Oslo University Hospital, Norway
• Darlene Dartt, PhD, Professor, Harvard Medical School, USA
• Blanca Irene Aldana García, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Helle S Waagepetersen, PhD, Professor, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Christian Torp-Pedersen, MD, PhD, Aalborg University, Denmark
• Steffen Heegaard, MD, PhD, Professor, Rigshospitalet-Glostrup, Denmark
• Steffen Hamann, MD, PhD, Professor, Rigshospitalet-Glostrup, Denmark
• Guy Lenaers, PhD, Angers University Hospital, France
• Claus Henrik Nielsen, MD, PhD, Professor, Rigshospitalet, Denmark
• Verena Prokosch, MD, PhD, Professor, University of Cologne, Germany
• Nicolas G Bazan, MD, PhD, Professor, LSU University, USA

• Affiliated Researcher and Students
• Anna Horwitz MD, PhD
• Anne Katrine Toft-Kehler MD, PhD
• Daniel Tiedemann, MD
• Thisayini Baskaran, MD
• Maiken Korsgaard Christensen, Stud. Med.
• Diva Amiri, Stud. Med.