During her PhD studies, Louise Søgaard Petersen investigated how naturally occurring small RNAs can be redesigned into a programmable tool to control protein production in human cells. Proteins carry out most cellular functions, and too much or too little of a given protein often leads to disease. Louise developed new RNA-based strategies that can either reduce harmful protein variants or boost protein levels when they are insufficiently produced.

The findings provide a foundation for using natural cellular RNAs as programmable tools, opening possibilities for future RNA medicines aimed at treating genetic disorders.

The PhD study was completed at Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Thursday, 18 December 2025 at 10:00
Place: Building 1871, room 120, AUD Nucleus, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Universitetsbyen 81, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis: A Therapeutic RNA Approach to Control Protein Levels
Contact information: Louise Søgaard Petersen, e-mail: lsp@mbg.au.dk, tel.: +45 60 72 13 15
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Brage Storstein Andresen, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Professor Vicente Pelechano Garcia, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institute, Sweeden
Associate Professor Lotte Bjergbæk (chair), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Associate Professor Christian Kroun Damgaard, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Senior Researcher Søren Lykke-Andersen, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Natural Sciences/GSNS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C