Niels Banhos Danneskiold-Samsøe

Peptide hormones are small strings of amino acids that are crucial for regulating our metabolism. Drugs derived from peptide hormones are used in the treatment of metabolic disorders including obesity and diabetes. Peptide hormones are cleaved from larger precursor proteins at specific amino acids. Using this knowledge uncovered a novel peptide hormone. The project aims to determine what regulates the release of this peptide hormone, which cells that produces it, and what role it plays in metabolism.

Given the importance of peptide hormones in health and disease, genetic mutations affecting peptide hormones are often harmful. The project utilizes an algorithm based on prediction of how likely a potential peptide is to cause harm, and where peptides are cleaved in proteins, to identify potential novel hormones and explore their effects on metabolism.