Biosketch
Prof. Daniel Ketelhuth’s academic career started at the University of São Paulo, where he obtained his Biochemical-Pharmacy degree and a PhD in Immunology. In the next fourteen years, at the Karolinska Institute, Daniel progressed from a postdoc to successfully becoming an independent research leader. Recruited to the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in 2019, Prof. Ketelhuth leads a research team and spearheads the Danish Centre for Advanced Cell Analysis – DCCA, generously supported by a large Novo Nordisk Foundation grant. Beyond research, he has also contributed to the academic sphere by mentoring over thirty fellows and contributing to undergrad, master’s, and postgraduate programmes across disciplines in Sweden and Denmark.
Research profile
Earlier in his career, Prof. Ketelhuth focused his research on identifying and characterizing epitopes from ApoB100/LDL that could activate the innate and adaptive immune system and drive atherosclerosis. His discovery that LDL oxidation isn’t necessary to trigger inflammation and atherosclerosis marked a significant shift in his field. These findings led to numerous innovative studies, new research tools, and promising therapeutic targets, including IP for ApoB100 vaccine epitopes that were licensed to a biotech company for R&D. Transitioning to an independent researcher in the early 2010s, he became a pioneer in immunometabolism in cardiovascular disease (CVD), revealing the atheroprotective role of the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism.
Main research questions:
- Identify and characterize metabolic targets, e.g., enzymes and metabolites, involved in the modulation of vascular inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysms.
- Understand how the dynamics of metabolic dysregulation influence cardiometabolic disease.
- Decipher the complex immunometabolic communications underlying the mechanisms of plaque instability.
The initial findings that a tryptophan metabolite, 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid, could regulate vascular inflammation and reduce plasma cholesterol levels spurred multiple studies investigating this metabolite as well as the pathophysiological role of kynurenine pathway enzymes, especially its major rate-limiting indoleamine2,3-dioxygenase-1, many collaborations, grants, and a partnership with a pharmaceutical company for drug development based on tryptophan metabolite analogues. More recently, his research has expanded beyond tryptophan, investigating several new immunometabolic targets, and identifying the pyruvate dehydrogenase/pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase axis (PDH/PDK) as a major regulator of vascular inflammation, and that inhibition of PDK activity could be used to prevent atherosclerosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Positions and training
2021 – Present: Prof of Cardiovascular Pharmacology – IMM, SDU, Odense, Denmark
2023 – Present: Head of the “Danish Center for Advanced Cell Analysis” – IMM, SDU
2014 – 2024: Senior Researcher – CMM, Karolinska Institute
Contributions
Chairman of the 1st European ImmunoMetabolism Conference (EIMN-2024, Denmark)
Active member of the Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology of the European Society of Cardiology
Section Editor of Translational Basic Science for European Heart Journal Open