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Molecular and cellular exercise physiology – The Ruas Lab
Research in our laboratory is aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms that mediate skeletal muscle adaptations to diverse challenges and their local and systemic consequences. We are particularly interested in understanding how exercised or sedentary skeletal muscle can crosstalk with other organs, and how it can affect individual health and disease.
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Our research
Sedentary lifestyles seem to come at a high cost to our health and have been linked to the incidence of several diseases including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), mood disorders (e.g. depression), and even cancer. Physical activity and skeletal muscle condition play a clear role in the prevention and treatment of these diseases. However, exercise programs are not always viable treatment options due to inherent disease characteristics such as muscle weakness, difficulty in movement, or, in particular, patient compliance.
By studying the mechanisms by which skeletal muscle adapts to different challenges and positively affects so many aspects of human health, we can learn valuable lessons that can be translated into future disease therapies.
Research Projects
The common goal of the projects being developed in our laboratory is to better understand the signal transduction and gene regulatory pathways that control skeletal muscle function in health and disease. With this knowledge, we aim at developing strategies that can be used as possible therapeutic avenues for the treatment of metabolic and degenerative diseases.
We are particularly interested in understanding how exercised or sedentary skeletal muscle can crosstalk with other organs, and how it can affect individual health and disease.
Staff and contact
Group leader
- Jorge RuasProfessor | Docent
All members of the group
- Michele AzzoliniAffiliated to Research
- Gerard Baiges-GayaPostdoctoral Studies
- Eva BlomstrandAffiliated to Research | Docent
- Igor CervenkaAffiliated to Research
- Kyle DumontPhd Student
- Margareta Porsmyr-PalmertzLaboratory Manager
- Stine Marie PræstholmPostdoctoral Researcher
- Jorge RuasProfessor | Docent
Visiting address
Karolinska Institutet, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, floor 5, Solna, 171 65
Postal address
Karolinska Institute, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Attn: [Name of recipient], Stockholm, 17171, Sweden
Former Group members
- Serge Ducommun
- Paulo Jannig
- Igor Cervenka
- Michele Azzolini
- Jorge Correia
- Duarte Ferreira
- Shamim Dadvar
- Paula da Silva
- Leandro Agudelo
- Manizheh Izadi
- Lars Ketscher
- Amanda Klein
- Kyle Martin
- Vicente Martinez-Redondo
Photo: Xmas dinner, Stockholm, December 5th, 2017.
Rotations and internships
Simona Skiotyte (2022)
Research Project for the Biomedicine degree at Karolinska Institutet
Tiffanie Lefteri (2022)
Research Project for the Biomedicine degree at Karolinska Institutet
Luka Krzic (2021)
Research Project for the Biomedicine degree at Karolinska Institutet
Bashar Issa (2021)
Research Project for the Biomedicine degree at Karolinska Institutet
Jordi G. Torres (2020)
Research project for the Biochemistry degree at the University of Barcelona, Spain.
Marie Herrnhold (2019)
Internship from the Biomedicine program at Karolinska Institutet.
Mariana Ribeiro (2018)
Master’s thesis. MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences. University of Lisbon, Portugal.
Tomas Gybel (2018)
Visiting student from Mazaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Baubak Shamim (2018)
Visiting PhD student from the Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia
Paulo Jannig (2016)
Visiting PhD student from the University Sao Paulo, Brazil
Miguel Moutinho (2016)
Visiting PhD student from the University of Lisbon, Portugal
Abdirahman Farah (2015)
Internship from the Biomedicine Masters program at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Shamim Dadvar (2015)
Internship from the Medicine undergraduate program at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Alicia Hansson (2015)
Degree Project from the Medicine undergraduate program at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
In collaboration with Dr. Sreekumaran Nair at the Mayo Clinic, USA
Austin Lee (2014)
Internship from the Life Science undergraduate program at Harvard College, Boston MA, USA
Fredrik Wernstål (2014)
Internship from the Medicine undergraduate program at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Charles Petipré (2014)
Master’s thesis, MSc in Genomics and Proteomics, Université de Lille, France
Supported by the Erasmus Programme
Benedicta Ugochi Iwuagwu (2013)
Internship. MSc in Biomedicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Recipient of Karolinska Institutet's Global scholarship award, 2011
Oscar Andén (2013/2014)
Internship from the Biomedicine undergraduate program, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Vera Blaschke. (2013/2014)
Internship. Bachelor’s degree in Life Science, University of Konstanz, Germany
Recipient of a Leonardo da Vinci programme scholarship (European Commission)
Photo: Lab Retreat. Tallinn, May 13th, 2015.