Ida K. Lund

Ph.d.

Postdoctoral fellow.

Key Research Interests
Roles of proteases in tissue remodelling, including both normal physiological processes, e.g. embryo development and wound healing, as well as pathological conditions such as cancer invasion and metastasis. In particular, the catalytic functions of selected proteases, their interaction partners and substrates, and the effect(s) of inhibiting these target proteins.

Current project
Spreading of cancer is depended on degradation of the extracellular matrix. Several enzymatic systems, including the plasminogen activation and the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) systems, perform this degradation. In particular/ especially urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), a central component of the plasminogen activation system, and selected MMPs (e.g. MMP-13) have been demonstrated to play important roles in breast cancer. As these proteases have been demonstrated important for tissue remodelling processes, e.g. wound healing, embryo implantation and cancer progression, my project aims to:

- Develop murine monoclonal antibodies with inhibitory effect on the
catalytic activity of target proteases.
- Investigate the physiological consequences of lack of selected proteases, i.e. both by gene-targeting and by antibody administration to mice.
- Examine the potential of an anti-cancer therapy based on monoclonal antibodies against the proteases using murine cancer models.

Career
2005 - : Post.doc., Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet

2001 - 2005: Ph.D., Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen & Novo Nordisk A/S (NN).
Research project performed in Departments of Signal Transduction, of Protein Science, and of Diabetes Biology at NN.
Title of Ph.D. Thesis: "Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B and b - Insight into the catalytic functionality and inhibitor affinity and selectivity".

2000-2001: Research Scientist, Novo Nordisk A/S, Dept. of Diabetes Biochemistry and Metabolism

1994-2000: M. Sc. Chemical Engineering (Biotechnology), Technical University of Denmark (DTU).
Thesis work performed in Dept. of Diabetes Biochemistry and Metabolism and in Dept. of Dyslipidemia Biology at Novo Nordisk A/S. Master Thesis: "The Effect of Growth Hormone on Primary Rat Hepatocytes".