David Rizo Roca

David Rizo Roca

Assistant Professor
Telephone: +46852482933
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9, Biomedicum C4, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C3 Fysiologi och farmakologi, C3 FyFa Integrativ Fysiologi, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, David Rizo-Roca’s research is focused on the role of altered metabolites in systemic and skeletal muscle metabolism and mitochondrial function, particularly in the context of Type 2 diabetes.

    David studied Biology at the University of Barcelona, where he also did his PhD in the Laboratory of Adaptive Physiology. In 2016, he joined the Laboratory of Metabolism and Exercise of the University of Porto, where he studied the use of exercise as a non-pharmacological tool to counteract mitochondrial dysfunction associated with metabolic disorders. David joined the Karolinska Institutet in 2019 as a Novo Nordisk Postdoctoral Fellow and has been an assistant professor since 2022.

Research

  • Recent advances in -omics technologies have allowed us to identify alterations in thousands of molecules in people with Type 2 diabetes. However, whether these molecules (such as metabolites and proteins) are reflecting or driving metabolic impairments remain often unexplored. Thus, it is essential to understand the role of these altered molecules in the development of insulin resistance to develop new therapeutic avenues against Type 2 diabetes. In this context, skeletal muscle and, particularly, mitochondria, play a pivotal role in the systemic metabolic impairments that characterize Type 2 diabetes, such as hyperglycemia. David Rizo-Roca’s research aims at identifying metabolites and proteins involved in the development or exacerbation of systemic and skeletal muscle metabolic impairments in the Type 2 diabetes.

Teaching

  • - Lecturer. Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (2023-present). Physiology course in the Bachelor's Programme in Biomedicine.
    - Lecturer. Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (2022-present). Physiological experimental approaches course in the Master's Programme in Translational Physiology and Pharmacology .
    - Adjunct Lecturer. Universitat de Barcelona, Spain (2014-2016). Physiology-related seminars and courses in the Bachelor's Programmes in Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Biomedicine, and Environmental Sciences; and in the Master's Programmes in Integrative Physiology and Biomedical Engineering.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Role of creatine on skeletal muscle metabolism, insulin sensitivity and whole-body energy homeostasis
    EFSD/Lilly Young Investigator Research Award Programme
    1 October 2022 - 30 September 2024

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