Medical doctor and PhD student Oskar Kjærgaard Hørsdal from the Department of Clinical Medicine and the Department of Cardiology at Aarhus University Hospital (Denmark) has been awarded the Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize 2026 for his research into a new treatment for patients with life-threatening heart failure.
NXTin.Health sits down with the 2026 Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize laureate to chat about research, university life and what he enjoys doing when he’s not busy studying hearts. And, naturally, we had to ask the question that has inspired countless love songs: is there really such a thing as a broken heart? Well, if anyone can give us the inside story, it’s an award-winning cardiologist!
What does receiving the 2026 Lundbeck Foundation Talent Prize mean to you, both personally and professionally?
On a personal level, this prize means a great deal to me. My mother, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2016, was one of the main reasons I wanted to pursue medicine in the first place. She was always my biggest critic, but also my strongest supporter. Before I went into medicine, I played handball at an elite level, and before every important match, exam, or anything else that made me nervous, she would always tell me: “You can do it, you want to do it, and now you will do it.” Those words have stayed with me ever since. They have followed me through medical school and into my research career, particularly when things have not gone quite as planned. For me, medicine has never been solely about scientific discoveries or academic achievements. It is about doing something that might genuinely make a difference in people’s lives. Something I believe in. And receiving this prize makes me think of her words again. Maybe, in some small way, I am on my way to doing exactly what she always believed I could.
Professionally, as a young researcher and medical doctor, I am incredibly honored to receive this early-career recognition. Research is very much a team effort, and I have been fortunate to work alongside outstanding colleagues and mentors who have supported and challenged me along the way. Receiving this prize is both a recognition of our work and a tremendous motivation to continue pursuing research that can hopefully make a meaningful difference for patients in the future.
What is your main area of focus and passion within cardiology?
My main research interest is experimental cardiology in acute and critical care, with a particular focus on the failing heart and its metabolism. Much of my research centers on cardiogenic shock, a life-threatening condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the energetic needs and oxygen demand of the body and its organs, which can happen following a severe heart attack. We investigate how the heart responds to acute injury, how its function and metabolism change, and how we might improve its performance through different interventions.
I am particularly interested in cardiac metabolism and the possibility of using naturally occurring substances, such as lactate and ketones, to support the failing heart. Through experimental studies, we can investigate these mechanisms in detail and evaluate potential treatments before moving into clinical trials.
What I find most interesting is the combination of cardiovascular physiology, metabolism, and the potential to translate experimental findings into better treatment strategies for critically ill patients.
Which recent advances and promising innovations are currently driving progress in acute cardiology?
Acute cardiology has made remarkable progress, but major challenges remain, particularly in cardiogenic shock, where mortality is still extremely high. Despite decades of research, no pharmacological treatment has convincingly improved survival, and even mechanical circulatory support has largely failed to demonstrate a survival benefit until the recent DanGer Shock trial.
This was a Danish-led study in a highly selected cardiogenic shock population. Previous studies have included a much broader patient population resulting in neutral studies.
I think this highlights two important points: First, progress is not necessarily just about developing new treatments, but also about identifying which patients benefit from them. Cardiogenic shock is an incredibly heterogeneous condition, and we are still learning how to characterize these patients and design clinical trials accordingly. Second, it highlights the need to explore entirely different treatment strategies. This is where experimental research becomes particularly important, allowing us to investigate the underlying physiology and test new approaches, such as targeting the failing cardiac metabolism.
In many ways, the field is still finding and defining itself, and I think that makes it a particularly exciting area of research.
You are still at the beginning of your career, yet you have already published numerous scientific articles. Do you still find time for handball, which was your original passion?
I played handball for many years, and it was a huge part of my life growing up. I continued playing for most of my time at the university. Unfortunately, with an increasingly unpredictable schedule, it has become difficult to commit to a team sport, so I do not play anymore. Instead, I have grown quite fond of running, which is much easier to fit around work. Currently, I am planning my next marathon in Copenhagen, so I still have something to train for and look forward to outside of research.
What do you think the heart can teach us about being human?
I think the heart teaches us quite a lot about adaptability, balance, and the importance of working together. It is an extraordinary organ that constantly adjusts to whatever we demand of it, but it also has its limitations. It consists of four chambers, each with its own role, and they all depend on each other to function properly.
And even then, the heart relies on the lungs, kidneys, and the rest of the body. When something goes wrong, simply pushing the heart harder is not always the answer. Sometimes, it is about finding the right balance and providing the right support.
I have always been a team sports guy, and family is incredibly important to me, so I suppose I see a parallel there. We all have different strengths and limitations, and being successful is not necessarily about being the strongest individual, but about adapting, working together, and supporting each other. Even the strongest heart cannot function on its own, and neither can we. I suppose there is a broader lesson in that, too
Is a broken heart something we only hear about in TV series and love songs, or can heartbreak actually have a physical impact on our hearts?
I hate to admit it, but apparently the love songs got something right. You can actually suffer from a broken heart, at least in the medical sense. There is actually a condition called Takotsubo syndrome, where emotional stress can quite literally cause the heart to fail.
It is a condition where severe emotional stress, such as losing someone you love, can trigger a sudden weakening of the heart muscle. We believe this is partly caused by a surge in stress hormones, which can temporarily impair the heart’s ability to pump blood.
The symptoms can resemble a heart attack, and in severe cases, patients can develop acute heart failure or even cardiogenic shock.
Fortunately, most patients recover their heart function within a few weeks, but it can be a very serious condition. And interestingly, it is not only heartbreak that can trigger it. Physical stress, and sometimes even extremely positive emotions, can have a similar effect.
So there is actually quite a bit of science behind what we normally associate with love songs!
