Mads Schak Toustrup-Jensen

2008–: Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University. My research interests are in membrane transport, and my work focuses on investigating the structure and function of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase as well as understanding its role in neurological disorders associated with mutations in the α2 and α3 subunits of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase.

2004–2008: Assistant Professor and subsequently Postdoctoral Researcher at the Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Aarhus University.

2003: PhD degree awarded by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Aarhus University, for the dissertation entitled “Structure-Function Relationship of the A-M3 Sector of Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase Studied by Site-Directed Mutagenesis.” Recipient of the Aarhus University Research Foundation PhD Prize of DKK 50,000

I have worked for many years on understanding the structure and mechanism of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we introduce mutations into the genes encoding the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase. The exogenous Na⁺,K⁺-ATPases are subsequently expressed in mammalian cell culture (COS cells), and functional studies of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase are then performed on purified cell membranes isolated from COS-1 cell lines transfected with DNA encoding either wild-type or mutant Na⁺,K⁺-ATPases.

My research also encompasses investigations into the role of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase in neurological disorders. Specifically, we study the structural and functional effects of mutations in the α2 and α3 subunits of the Na⁺,K⁺-ATPase that are associated with a range of neurological diseases characterized by symptoms including migraine, epilepsy, parkinsonism, dystonia, cerebellar ataxia, and intellectual disability.

As an Associate Professor, my primary responsibilities are research and teaching. I teach and examine medical students in cell biology and physiology. In addition, I supervise, teach, and coordinate the Bachelor's research projects in the medical degree programme within the theme "Kidney, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases."