During his studies, Jesper Just researced a cell type, the pericyte, surrounding the smallest blood vessels in the body. In this unique position, pericytes serve as important constituents for vascular homeostasis. However, pericyte loss or dysfunction has been observed in a number of pathologies, especially within cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. Targeting the pericyte could therefore prove instrumental in the further development of vascular therapeutics. In order to target the pericyte, Jesper Just co-developed a new method to find specific antibodies against the pericyte. Using this method it was possible to obtain functional antibodies targeting the pericyte, which hold the potential for thereapeutic use.

The PhD degree was completed at the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Science and Technology, Aarhus University.

This résumé was prepared by the PhD student.


Time: Friday 11 March 2016 at 13.00
Place: Building 1532, room 318, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 120, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of dissertation: Exploring the pericyte and oxidative stress by recombinant antibody technology
Contact information: Jesper Just, e-mail: jesperj@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 29725098
Members of the assessment committee:
Associate Professor Rasmus Hartmann-Petersen, Section for Biomolecular Sciences, Department of Biology, Copenhagen Biocenter, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor Dario Neri, Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Professor Finn Skou Pedersen (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor:
Associate Professor Peter Kristensen, Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor:
Professor Leif Østergaard, Department of Clinical Medicine – Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.

The defence is public.
The dissertation is available for reading at the Graduate School of Science and Technology/GSST, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1520, room 128-134, 8000 Aarhus C.