Dilson J.E. Rassier

Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE)

Department of Physiology

Faculty of Education

Department of Physics

 

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Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Calgary
Postdoctoral Fellowship University of Washington
PhD University of Calgary

 

Areas of expertise/interest

Physiology and Biophysics

Current research

Muscle physiology and biophysics

Personal statement

Dr. Rassier’s research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of muscle contraction and force generation. Muscle physiology has been the focus of investigation in several laboratories for many years, but there are several aspects of contraction that are still not understood. Dr. Rassier has been particularly interested in the relationship between force and length of sarcomeres (smallest sub-cellular contractile units), mechanical stability of sarcomeres upon force generation, the history-dependent effects on force generation and regulation, and the role of different cellular structures and molecules during contraction. Dr. Rassier uses experimental preparations with different levels of analysis, including (i) muscles, (ii) muscle cells, (iii) myofibrils and sarcomeres, and (iv) single molecules. This approach fosters interdisciplinary collaboration with research conducted in physiology, biophysics, biomechanics and molecular biology, and allows the investigation of muscle contraction in a variety of situations.