Arafat Nasser

Scientific interests

Arafat holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. In 2012, he obtained the PhD degree in pharmacology at the same university. His research activities have focused on chronic pain, anxiety and depression. It has been devoted on understanding the role and mechanisms of the tetrahydrobiopterin pathway in pain and affective disorders. The goal has been to identify new more efficacious and safer treatments for these debilitating conditions.

Today Arafat works as Laboratory Manager at Neurobiology Research Unit (NRU). His main responsibility is to conduct chemical analysis of radioligands and their metabolites, and to develop new methods to determine new tracers in biological samples. Arafat is also responsible for other assays such as methods for genotype determination, and for the management of NRU's Cimbi Biobank.

Biography

Publications

Peer-reviewed

Laurell GL, Plavén-Sigray P, Johansen A, Raval NR, Nasser A, Aabye Madsen C, Madsen J, Hansen HD, Donovan LL, Knudsen GM, Lammertsma AA, Ogden RT, Svarer C, Schain M.J. Kinetic models for estimating occupancy from single-scan PET displacement studies. Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 2023 Apr 18:271678X231168591. doi: 10.1177/0271678X231168591. Online ahead of print.

Nasser A, Ozenne B, Høgsted ES, Jensen PS, Frokjaer VG. Reliability of three versus five saliva sampling times for assessing the cortisol awakening response. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2023 Jan;147:105950. doi: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105950. Epub 2022 Oct 7.

Raval NR, Madsen CA, Shalgunov V, Nasser A, Battisti UM, Beaman EE, Juhl M, Jørgensen LM, Herth MM, Hansen HD, Plavén-Sigray P, Knudsen GM. Evaluation of the α-synuclein PET radiotracer (d₃)-[¹¹C]MODAG-001 in pigs. Nucl Med Biol. 2022 Nov-Dec;114-115:42-48. doi: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2022.08.001. Epub 2022 Aug 24.

Raval NR, Nasser A, Madsen CA, Beschorner N, Beaman EE, Juhl M, Lehel S, Palner M, Svarer C, Plavén-Sigray P, Jørgensen LM, Knudsen GM. An in vivo Pig Model for Testing Novel Positron Emission Tomography Radioligands Targeting Cerebral Protein Aggregates. Front Neurosci. 2022 Mar 16;16:847074. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.847074. eCollection 2022.

Høgsted ES, Borgsted C, Dam VH, Nasser A, Jørgensen NR, Ozenne B, Stenbæk DS, Frokjaer VG. Stress-Hormone dynamics and working memory in healthy women who use oral contraceptives versus non-users. Front. Endocrinol. (Lusanne) 2021, 12, 731994. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2021.731994. eCollection 2021.  

Faurholt-Jepsen M, Frokjaer VG, Nasser A, Jørgensen NR, Kessing LV, Vinberg M. Associations between the cortisol awakening response and patient-evaluated stress and mood instability in patients with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study. Int J Bipolar Disord. 2021, 9(1), 8. doi: 10.1186/s40345-020-00214-0.

Shalgunov V, Xiong M, L´Estrade ET, Raval NR, Andersen ID, Edgar FG, Speth NR, Baerentzen SL, Hansen HD, Donovan LL, Nasser A, Peitersen ST, Kjaer A, Knudsen GM, Syvänen S, Palner M, Herth MM. Blocking of efflux transporters in rats improves translational validation of brain radioligands. EJNMMI Res. 2020, 10(1), 124.

Spies M, Nasser A, Ozenne B, Jensen PS, Knudsen GM, Fisher PM. Common HTR2A variants and 5-HTTLPR are not associated with human in vivo serotonin 2A receptor levels. Human Brain Mapp. 2020, Jul 22. Doi:10.1002/hbm.25138. Online ahead of print.

Nasser A, Møller AT, Hellmund V, Thorberg SS, Jespersgaard C, Bjerrum OJ, Dupont E, Nachman GS, Lykkesfeldt J, Jensen TS, Møller LB. Heterozygous mutations in GTP-cyclohydrolase-1 reduce BH4 biosynthesis but not pain sensitivity. Pain. 2018, 159(6), 1012-1024.

Andreasen JT, Nasser A, Puntiverio MC, Sahlholt M, Bach A, Gynther M, Strømgaard K, Pickering DS. Effects of the dimeric PSD-95 inhibitor UCCB01-144 in models of pain and cognition. Eur J Pharmacol. 2016, 780, 166-173.

Nasser A, Ali S, Wilsbech S, Bjerrum OJ, Møller LB. Intraplantar injection of tetrahydrobiopterin induced nociception in mice. Neurosci. Lett. 2015, 584, 247-252 

Nasser A, Møller LB, Olesen JH, Konradsen LS, Andreasen JT. Anxiety- and depression-like phenotype of hph-1 mice deficient in tetrahydrobiopterin. Neurosci. Res. 2014. DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2014.08.015                 

Nasser A, Møller LB. GCH1 gene variants, tetrahydrobiopterin and pain. Scand. J. Pain 2014, 5, 121-128

Nasser A, Bjerrum OJ, Heegaard AM, Møller AT, Larsen M, Dalbøge LS, Jensen TS, Møller LB. Impaired behavioural pain responses in hph-1 mice with inherited deficiency in GTP cyclohydrolase 1 in models of inflammatory pain. Mol Pain 2013. 9, 5

Andreasen JT, Bach A, Gynther M, Nasser A, Mogensen J, Strømgaard K, Pickering DS. UCCB01-125, a dimeric inhibitor of PSD-95, reduces inflammatory pain without disrupting cognitive or motor performance: comparison with the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Neuropharmacology 2013, 67, 193-200

Hansen RR, Nasser A, Falk S,  Baldvinsson SB, Ohlsson PH, Bahl JM, Jarvis MF, Ding M, Heegaard AM.  Chronic administration of the selective P2X3, P2X2/3 receptor antagonist, A-317491, transiently attenuates cancer-induced bone pain in mice. Eur. J. Pharmacol. 2012, 688, 27-34

Hansen RR, Nielsen CK, Nasser A, Thomsen SI, Eghorn LF, Pham Y, Schulenburg C, Syberg S, Ding M, Stojilkovic SS, Jorgensen NR, Heegaars AM. P2X7 receptor-deficient mice are susceptible to bone cancer pain. Pain 2011, 152, 1766-1776

Hald A, Ding M, Egerod K, Hansen RR, Konradsen D, Jørgensen SG, Atalay B, Nasser A, Bjerrum OJ, Heegaard AM: Differential effects of repeated low dose treatment with cannabinoid agonist WIN 55, 212-2 in experimental models of bone cancer pain and neuropathic pain.

Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 2008, 91, 38-46

Popular Science

Arafat Nasser, Ole J Bjerrum, Anne-Marie Heegaard, Lisbeth B. Møller: Genetik kan forudsige følsomhed for smerte. Lægemiddelforskning 2010. Danish text.

http://teol.ku.dk/abe/ansatte/?pure=files%2F32668400%2FGenetik_kan_forudsige.pdf.

Awards

2013 – Best oral speaker at the Danish Pharmocology Annual Meeting.

2011 – Best poster at the newSASP annual meeting.

2008 - 2016 – Grants from Aase & Ejnar Danielsens Foundation (twice), Augustinus Fonden, Brødrene Hartmanns Fond, Beckett-Fonden, The A.P. Møller Foundation for the Advancement of Medical Science, Oticon fonden, Pharmadanmarks studiefond (twice), Frabrikant Karl G. Andersens Fond and Lundbeck Foundation.