Hanne Borger Rasmussen

Hanne Borger Rasmussen serves as a Tenured Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Her research focuses on understanding how polarized cells, particularly neurons and epithelial cells, establish and maintain polarized distribution of plasma membrane proteins at the cell surface. She employs advanced imaging techniques to study protein trafficking and localization in living cells.

Her academic background includes a PhD in Neuroscience (2006) and an M.Sc. in Biochemistry (2000), both from the University of Copenhagen. She completed postdoctoral training at the Department of Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen, and was an exchange PhD student at UC Davis under Professor James Trimmer.

Dr. Rasmussen's primary research interests revolve around protein trafficking mechanisms in polarized cells, with particular emphasis on ion channels and their localization to specialized membrane domains like the axon initial segment. Her work spans both fundamental cell biological questions and their implications for channelopathies - diseases caused by ion channel dysfunction. She employs dynamic live-cell imaging techniques to directly observe protein transport and membrane dynamics in living neuronal and epithelial cells.

Her recent publications (2018-2025) demonstrate a consistent focus on membrane protein localization mechanisms, with increasing exploration of connections between basic cell biology and gastrointestinal pathologies. While primarily rooted in neuroscience and cell biology, her research has expanded to include studies on ulcerative colitis and colorectal cancer, reflecting interdisciplinary applications of her expertise in epithelial cell biology.

As an educator, Dr. Rasmussen teaches anatomy and histology of organ systems to medical, dental, and molecular biomedicine students at the University of Copenhagen. She serves as a supervisor for bachelor, master, and PhD students, contributing to the training of the next generation of biomedical scientists.

Her laboratory, the Rasmussen Group within the Molecular Cardiology and Membrane Proteins section, maintains a strong focus on imaging-based approaches to study membrane protein dynamics. The research group collaborates with both national and international partners across multiple disciplines, as evidenced by publications spanning neuroscience, cell biology, and gastroenterology.