Klaus Bønnelykke
Research Director
Professor of Paediatrics, Senior Hospital Physician, MD
We have collected very extensive data on allergic sensitization longitudinally in the COPSAC cohorts, including skin prick tests, specific IgE, and component resolved diagnostics. In the allergy group, we use these data to refine and explore diagnostic tools to interpret allergic sensitization more accurately. Further, we incorporate these data in more extensive analyses using them as biomarkers to better understand the mechanisms of atopic diseases.
In the psychopathology group we explore early life factors (low grade inflammation, dietary supplementation in pregnancy, maternal diet, the microbiome) and its influence on neurological development, including cognition, behavior and psychopathology. We use data from The Copenhagen Prospective Study on Neuro-PSYCHiatric Development (COPSYCH) visit, where we comprehensively examined the mental health and brain structure of the COPSAC2010 cohort at 10 years of age and combine this with previous data.
Our goal is to identify potential preventive strategies for development of psychiatric disease but also to help clinicians to detect early signs of disease/difficulties.
In the childhood growth group we focus on identifying which early life factors can influence childhood growth patterns and thereby increase the risk of having obesity later in life. Our aim is to uncover possible risk factors which could help in the prevention of development of obesity and metabolic disease.
As an area of interest between the two groups is to study whether differences in cognition and behavior can lead to differences in growth patterns and risk of obesity in childhood and later life.
In the clinic group we aim to perfect clinical research with children and adolescents. With a combination of perfectionism, thoroughness, systematic approach, constant vigilance, playfulness, attentiveness and creativity we get hundreds of children through hours of clinical examinations, endless tests, sampling of biological material, interviews and follow up. We translate research ideas into practice and make sure that the data available is world class.