Novo Nordisk Foundation

23/06/2026

Diabetes, heart disease, and stroke are part of a group called cardiometabolic diseases. These cause one in three deaths around the world.

We’ve brought experts from around the world together at the Global Science Summit to share knowledge and make progress towards new solutions.

23/06/2026

It was a great first day at the Global Science Summit.

Experts from around the world have been sharing their perspectives on the growing challenge of cardiometabolic diseases – an interconnected group of conditions including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

From panels to workshops, we’ve explored changing health patterns and how AI and digital technologies can help improve prevention and care.

More to come on day two.

22/06/2026

One third of global deaths are caused by cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. We’ve brought experts from around the world together at the Global Science Summit to share knowledge and work towards solutions.

At the opening, our CEO Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, shared the Foundation’s perspective on this global health challenge.

19/06/2026

Too many promising discoveries in cardiometabolic disease research never make it from the lab to patients.

CardioMetabolic Bridge is a new pan-European initiative to accelerate drug discovery and the development of next generation therapeutics for cardiometabolic diseases - such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The initiative will support selected academic research projects with funding, scientific and commercial mentoring from entrepreneurs and industry experts and access to state-of-the-art facilities.

The Novo Nordisk Foundation is supporting the initiative with up to DKK 450 million (EUR 60.2 million) over six years.

Learn more: https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/news/new-european-initiative-to-accelerate-drug-discovery-for-cardiometabolic-diseases/

17/06/2026

At the Novo Nordisk Foundation, we work to advance the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases. This interconnected group of diseases - which includes diabetes and heart disease - is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Fuelled by ageing populations, urbanisation, changing diets, low levels of physical activity and rising temperatures, the prevalence of these diseases is rising rapidly - placing a growing burden on health systems.

Next week, we're bringing together scientists, decision-makers, and patient organisations in Denmark for our Global Science Summit. We will be looking at cardiometabolic diseases from every angle, with an aim to accelerate progress on understanding, preventing, and managing this growing health challenge.

16/06/2026

Regenerative medicine could transform how we treat disease – even offering cures. But too often, new knowledge doesn’t get translated into treatments.

Our new report – developed with Catenion – lays out what’s needed for Europe to move from strong science to real-world therapies that could transform the lives of people living with chronic disease around the world.

Read it here:https://novonordiskfonden.dk//app/uploads/EU-RM-Bioclusters-Report.pdf

15/06/2026

New collaboration will support research on respiratory infections, infectious and non-communicable diseases, and strengthen international scientific cooperation.

Global Health EDCTP3 and the Novo Nordisk Foundation have announced a funding partnership to support research aimed at improving health outcomes in Africa and strengthening global health innovation, with the Novo Nordisk Foundation contributing up to €18 million to the initiative.

We support a wide range of projects and initiatives that benefit people’s lives, society and the planet. We have three focus areas.

08/06/2026

A transformative approach to treating heart failure is emerging from regenerative medicine.

At the Melbourne node of Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine – reNEW, based at Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI), researchers have been building an alternative to transplantation: stem cell-derived heart patches designed to restore pumping function in a failing heart.

Earlier this year, the science led to the creation of Ibnova Therapeutics. The spinout company is now working to take the technology towards clinical trials, supported by BioInnovation Institute (BII) and Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator.

Discover more about how our work benefits people and the planet: https://novonordiskfonden.dk/en/our-impact/

02/06/2026

One glacier could soon lose as much ice each year as the whole of Antarctica does today.

The Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is already destabilising. New simulations suggest it could shed 180 to 200 billion tonnes of ice per year within the next 50 years.

Daniel Goldberg, Lecturer in Glaciology at the University of Edinburgh, shows that the headline numbers are only part of the story. The study finds that projections depend heavily on how ice models are trained and calibrated. Small methodological choices can produce radically different futures, even when scientists are working with the same glacier.

Thwaites has drawn attention for decades because its shape makes retreat hard to stop once it begins. What this work adds is a reminder that uncertainty in prediction can outweigh physical change itself over the coming century.

The research was supported in part by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Mass loss from the Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica is already accelerating – and new simulations suggest that it could be shedding 180–200 billion tonnes of ice per year within 50 years....

21/05/2026

A father’s weight before conception can shape a child’s metabolism. That imprint is carried in s***m.

Jan-Wilhelm Kornfeld, Professor at the University of Southern Denmark, shows that excess weight in fathers alters microRNAs in s***m, tiny molecular switches that fine-tune which genes are turned on or off early in development. In mice, these changes impaired the offspring’s ability to regulate blood sugar and burn energy. Similar molecular signals were also found in s***m from overweight men.

The work shifts attention to a period that is usually invisible in public health debates: the months and years before conception. Biology does not reset at fertilisation. It arrives with a memory. For families and clinicians, the study reframes responsibility and opportunity. Metabolic health is not only inherited through pregnancy but carried forward earlier, and by both parents.

Read the full article on ScienceNews - a platform providing articles, videos, and podcasts from the world of research. All content is based on research or researchers supported by the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Excess weight among fathers can leave biological traces in s***m – tiny molecular signals that are carried into the fertilised egg – and may impair the child’s ability to regulate blood...