O2 transport and utilization: from atmosphere to mitochondria in health-disease
Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences at University of Copenhagen
This course is free of charge for PhD students at Danish universities (except Copenhagen Business School), and for PhD Students from NorDoc member faculties. All other participants must pay the course fee.
Anyone can apply for the course, but if you are not a PhD student at a Danish university, you will be placed on the waiting list until enrollment deadline. This also applies to PhD students from NorDoc member faculties. After the enrollment deadline, available seats will be allocated to applicants on the waiting list.
Learning objectives
A student who has met the objectives of the course will be able to:
1. Measure mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle
2. Measure hemoglobin mass and blood volume
3. Obtain knowledge about the oxygen cascade, from the atmosphere to the mitochondria in health and disease, and how exercise training affects it.
Content
The course will introduce the students to different methods via the workshops. Mitochondrial functional measurements will be demonstrated and thought in the workshops, as well as hemoglobin mass and blood volume assessment. In the afternoons there will be lectures covering different topics, and where the emphasis will be on the oxygen transport and utilization cascade. The following will be covered in the lectures: How exercise and exercise training affects the transport and utilization of O2 in young and old female and male healthy individuals as well as in main patient populations. Elite athletes will be used to exemplify the other extreme of the spectrum.
The students will get a relevant paper for each lecture, so that they will be familiar with the different topics.
Participants
There are no required qualifications, but knowledge and interest in exercise physiology and in particular in mitochondrial physiology is beneficial.
Relevance to graduate programmes
The course is relevant to PhD students from the following graduate programmes at the Graduate School of Health and Medical Sciences, UCPH:
Basic and Clinical Research in Musculoskeletal Sciences
Basic Metabolic Research
Molecular Mechanisms of Disease
Language
English
Form
Short student presentations, poster presentations, lectures, hand-on exercise (see program)
Course director
Steen Larsen, Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, stelar@sund.ku.dk
Teachers
Professor Carsten Lundby, University of Southern Denmark (confirmed)
Professor Erich Gnaiger, CEO Oroboros Instruments, Austria (confirmed)
Associate Professor Kasper Gejl, University of Southern Denmark (confirmed)
Professor Niels Ørtenblad, University of Southern Denmark (confirmed)
Associate Professor, Robert A. Jacobs, University of Colorado, USA (confirmed)
Professor Paul Coen, Translational Research Institute, USA (confirmed)
Professor Paul Robach, ENSA, France
Dr. Øivind Skattebo, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway (confirmed)
Professor Ylva Hellsten, University of Copenhagen (confirmed)
Professor Kristian Overgaard, Aarhus University (confirmed)
PhD student Ingvill Odden, Inland University, Norway (confirmed)
Professor Martin Halle, University of Münich, Germany
Associate Professor Eric Rullman, Karolinska Institute, Sweden (confirmed)
Professor Mathijs Hesselink, Maastricht University
Associate Professor Joris Hoeks, Maastricht University
Professor Stefan Mortensen, University of Southern Denmark (confirmed)
Dr., Brett Kirby, Nike – human performance, USA
Dates
18 - 22 August 2025
Course location
Mærsk Tower, Blegdamsvej 3b, 2200 Copenhagen N
Registration
Please register before 1 July 2025
Expected frequency
N/A
Seats to PhD students from other Danish universities will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and according to the applicable rules. Applications from other participants will be considered after the last day of enrolment.
Note: All applicants are asked to submit invoice details in case of no-show, late cancellation or obligation to pay the course fee (typically non-PhD students). If you are a PhD student, your participation in the course must be in agreement with your principal supervisor.