Academic interests
I'm currently part of a multidisciplinary project on celiac disease at IMMI at Rikshospitalet. We aim to decipher the immunological mechanisms behind the development of the disease. My part of the project consists of studying the binding between gluten peptides from food and antibodies produced by the body, using methods such as X-ray crystallography, phage display and electron microscopy.
My postdoc project focused on membrane proteins involved in multiresistant tuberculosis. The project was a FRIPRO mobility project financed by the Research Council of Norway. I spent the first two years at the University of Leeds, UK, and the last year in the Økstad group at the Department of Pharmacy, including a collaboration with the Luecke group at NCMBM.
My PhD project focused on the X-ray crystallographic studies of the cholera toxin (from V. cholerae) and the heat-labile enterotoxin (from ETEC). In addition, I have investigated the binding of different ligands to the toxins using the methods SPR, ELISA, NMR and MST, including cell biology work. My main findings include five X-ray structures of the cholera toxin binding different blood-group oligosaccharides, complemented by SPR and STD-NMR data (Heggelund et al., PLOS Pathogens, 2016). The PhD project was supervised by Professor Ute Krengel. For more information, visit the Bacterial toxins webpage.
LinkedIn: no.linkedin.com/in/jeheggelund
Teaching
Lecturer in KJM1140 Autumn 2019 and Spring 2022 - Biochemistry 1 for chemists
Group teacher in the following subjects:
- KJM1001 - Introduction to chemistry
- KJM5310/9310 - Biomolecular structure and function
- KJM4350 - Protein crystallography
- MBV-KJM1030 - General chemistry and biological chemistry
- KJM2200V - Biological chemistry for teachers
- MBV3070 - Bioinformatics
Speaker at the following popular science events:
- Unveiling of the Hassel exhibition, Department of Chemistry, 2019
- Realistforeningens REALfrokost, 2016
- The new Life Science building exhibition, 2014
- Faglig pedagogisk dag, 2012/2013
- Kjemi1-dagen, 2013/2014
- Kjemi Grand Prix, 2012
Co-supervisor of students:
- Helene, Master student, 60 stp, 2016
- Tobias, KJM3020 - Undergraduate research, 20 stp, 2015
- Victoria, KJM2020 - Undergraduate research, 20 stp, 2014
- Daniel, Master student, 60 stp, 2015
- Njáll, KJM2020, Undergraduate research, 20 stp, 2012
- Aleksandra, ERASMUS project, 30 stp, 2012
- Przemysław, ERASMUS project, 30 stp, 2011
Background
- PhD in Structural biology, Department of Chemistry, UiO - 2015
- PhD thesis "Cholera toxin - carbohydrate interaction as the basis for cholera blood-group dependence" supervised by Prof. Ute Krengel
- MSc in Molecular biosciences, IBV, UiO - 2011
- Master thesis "Human Endonuclease V - Cloning, expression, purification and biochemical characterization" supervised by Dr. Bjørn Dalhus, OUS.
- BSc in Molecular biology and biological chemistry, IBV, UiO - 2009