Robert T. Dirksen

Robert T. Dirksen is a Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. His research program bridges muscular dystrophies, cardiac disease, and calcium signaling pathophysiology, with specific focus on RYR1-related disorders, mitochondrial dysfunction, and store-operated calcium entry. He leads a multi-disciplinary lab using Dirksen Lab to investigate disease mechanisms and develop novel therapies.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Pharmacology (University of Rochester, 1991)
• M.S. in Pharmacology (University of Rochester, 1988)
• B.S. in Biology (University of Notre Dame, 1985)

Dr. Dirksen's work reveals how calcium dysregulation drives muscle degeneration through four major themes: excitation-contraction coupling, mitochondrial calcium uptake, store-operated entry systems, and molecular mechanisms of myotonic dystrophy. His 2025 Nature Aging study demonstrated inflammation-induced epigenetic erosion in aged stem cells, while 2024 EMBO Journal work developed ORAI1-based therapeutic models for tubular aggregate myopathy.

Scientific Recognition:

• 2015: Department Chair
• 2012: Department Vice-Chair
• 2002: Graduate Student Society Faculty Mentoring Award

His lab website highlights collaborations with C. Thornton (myotonic dystrophy), JP Jin (calcium channel regulation), and JJ Dowling (zebrafish models). Current projects include RYR1 disease modeling, SOCE mechanisms, and mitochondrial calcium dynamics in striated muscle.