Johanna Lanner

Johanna Lanner

Senior Lecturer | Docent
Telephone: +46852482373
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9, Biomedicum C5, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C3 Fysiologi och farmakologi, C3 FyFa Molekylär muskelfysiologi och patofysiologi, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Associate Professor of Physiology and principal investigator for the Molecular Muscle Physiology and Pathophysiology laboratory at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology. 

Research

  • Chronic (non-communicable) diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer often develop secondary muscle complications. These muscle complications (including weakness and fatigue) may even be the overshadowing symptoms since ordinary daily activities require extensive effort which reduces the quality of life for afflicted patients, and also contribute to increased mortality risk.

    My research centers on muscles capacity to generate force and processes that provides the muscle with energy, particularly focusing on calcium regulation, redox signaling, and mitochondrial function. Over the years, my research has explored the intricate mechanisms underlying muscle dysfunction in chronic diseases that exhibit a component of systemic inflammation. My work has led to valuable insights into the interplay between cellular processes impact on overall muscle health. Research in the Molecular Muscle Physiology and Pathophysiology laboratory aims to improve our molecular understanding of muscle dysfunction including weakness and fatigue.  We are also involved in developing novel therapeutic interventions to improve muscle function.

    In the Molecular Muscle Physiology and Pathophysiology laboratory we have created an interdisciplinary and translational niche for making ground-breaking research on the causes of muscle function and dysfunction. This includes human patients and healthy subjects, as well as preclinical models, which are used together with functional analyses (e.g. live imaging, muscle contraction, cellular respirometry), ultrastructural analyses (e.g. electron microscopy, near super-resolution imaging), in vivo assessments (e.g. muscle strength, indirect calorimetry) and multi-omics analyses. This approach allows us to bridge gaps between disciplines, foster creativity and innovation.

Articles

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Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2027
    Intrinsic muscle weakness (i.e., weakness without loss of muscle mass) is a comorbidity afflicting many patients including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease, and our normal ageing population. Muscle weakness hinders a healthy lifestyle and is a leading cause of long-term sick leave. Despite the severe negative impact on the patients’ lives, there are currently no efficient clinical pharmacological therapeutic approaches to improve muscle strength, hence we urge a better understanding of this comorbidity. Here we will use a consolidating multi-disease approach (RA, breast cancer and peripheral artery disease) and cutting-edge technology to i) elucidate shared molecular signatures driving disease-induced muscle weakness and ii) apply a translational multi-disease exercise approach to identify novel targets to combat disease-induced muscle weakness. Human subjects and mouse models will undergo functional analyses in vivo and ex vivo, including muscle strength and cellular respirometry. Muscle will undergo additional detailed analyses, including live imaging, single cell profiling and bulk transcriptomics. The molecular signatures will be further elucidated by gain- and loss-of-function experiments in skeletal muscle and by novel in vivo models. The molecular insights will be groundbreaking for our understanding of disease-induced muscle weakness and used for determining future pathways of intervention to ultimately improve muscle function for patients.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023
    Intrinsic muscle weakness (i.e., weakness without loss of muscle mass) is a comorbidity afflicting many patients including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cardiovascular disease, and our normal ageing population. Muscle weakness hinders a healthy lifestyle and is a leading cause of long-term sick leave. Despite the severe negative impact on the patients’ lives, there are currently no efficient clinical pharmacological therapeutic approaches to improve muscle strength, hence we urge a better understanding of this comorbidity. Here we will use a consolidating multi-disease approach (RA, breast cancer and peripheral artery disease) and cutting-edge technology to i) elucidate shared molecular signatures driving disease-induced muscle weakness and ii) apply a translational multi-disease exercise approach to identify novel targets to combat disease-induced muscle weakness. Human subjects and mouse models will undergo functional analyses in vivo and ex vivo, including muscle strength and cellular respirometry. Muscle will undergo additional detailed analyses, including live imaging, single cell profiling and bulk transcriptomics. The molecular signatures will be further elucidated by gain- and loss-of-function experiments in skeletal muscle and by novel in vivo models. The molecular insights will be groundbreaking for our understanding of disease-induced muscle weakness and used for determining future pathways of intervention to ultimately improve muscle function for patients.

Employments

  • Senior Lecturer, Physiology, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 2021-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2020
  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 2008

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