Christoph Handschin

Christoph Handschin is a Full Professor in Pharmacology at the Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland, with a research focus on skeletal muscle plasticity, aging, and metabolic diseases since 2015. He leads a research group investigating molecular mechanisms of muscle adaptation to physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

• Education: PhD in Biochemistry (summa cum laude, 2001), MSc in Molecular Biology (1996), Voluntary training at Novartis (1992)

Research Interests span skeletal muscle biology, aging, exercise physiology, neuromuscular diseases, and metabolic disorders. His work emphasizes PGC-1α signaling, mitochondrial dynamics, and chromatin remodeling in muscle adaptation. Recent studies explore exercise-induced chromatin changes, biomarkers of aging, and dysferlinopathy mechanisms.

Key Scientific Awards include the ERC Consolidator Grant (2013), SNSF Professorship (2006), and MDA Scientist Career Development Award (2004). He is a member of the American Physiological Society and European Association for the Study of Diabetes.

Recent Articles highlight breakthroughs in chromatin accessibility, functional aging biomarkers, dysferlinopathy metabolism, and PGC-1α-driven muscle adaptations. His research bridges molecular mechanisms (e.g., Klf5, PER2) with systemic physiology (e.g., exercise performance, sarcopenia).