PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
AKC seminar: When nature experiments: evolutionary medicine and human knockouts
August Krogh Seminar
Ola Hansson
(1) Associate Professor, Head of the Translational Muscle Research Unit at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Sweden.
(2) Affiliated researcher at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Finland.
Abstract
Our research unit is interested in learning how genetic variation influences skeletal muscle function and whole-body metabolism. Using translational approaches, we combine human intervention studies with preclinical analyses of muscle cells cultured in 2D and 3D systems.
By linking physiological measurements - such as VO₂max, muscle strength, and glucose tolerance - with molecular readouts including RNA-seq, fiber typing, and exon skipping, we aim to uncover new insights into skeletal muscle biology with implications for human health, performance, and evolutionary questions.
Humans are exceptional endurance runners, yet far weaker than our closest primate relatives, chimpanzees. While differences in fiber type, innervation, and fiber length have been suggested, they do not fully explain this disparity.
In my talk, I will present evidence that alternative splicing of MYF6/MRF4 influences muscle fiber length and strength, shedding light on why humans are more enduring but less strong than non-human primates.
This research highlights the power of translational approaches to bridge molecular mechanisms and human physiology, offering fresh perspectives on what makes human muscles unique.
In the second part, I will also discuss our work on the gene MSS51, where two independent mouse knockout models have been published with strikingly different phenotypes—one showing susceptibility to diabetes and the other protection from diet-induced obesity and diabetes.
Using “human knockouts,” i.e. individuals carrying loss-of-function variants, as a guide, we have performed preclinical studies in human muscle cells. Using this translational approach, we have clarified the human relevance of these mouse models and provided insights that may reconcile the conflicting observations.
Research Profile
Ola Hansson (OH) has a basic education in biology and received his PhD in Experimental Diabetes Research in 2005.
He has been since 2013 an Associate Professor of Functional Genomics, currently heading the Translational Muscle Research (TMR) unit at Lund University, Sweden.
Since 2018, OH has also been an affiliated researcher at the Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Finland.
After working for many years in the laboratory of Professor Leif Groop, he succeeded him in 2016 by taking over the responsibility for the research group.
OH has received several awards including the Medeon Prize (2016) and Sparbankens Stora Forskningspris (2023).
His research focus has been to explain how genetic variation influences phenotypic variation on a molecular level, with special emphasis on metabolic processes.
The overarching goal is to tailor, for the individual, the most beneficial training program to help people reach their exercise goals and thereby counteract a genetic predisposition to metabolic disease.
Literature
Time
31 October 2025
14:00-15:00: Seminar and discussion
15:00-16:00: Post seminar servings and socializing
Venue
Auditorium 1, August Krogh Building, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen
Registration
Participation is free, but please register here.
For PhD students
PhD students participating in August Krogh seminars receive 0,2 ECTS per seminar
Contact
Kate Aiko Wickham, kawi@nexs.ku.dk
