Atul Shahaji Deshmukh

Atul Shahaji Deshmukh

Associate Professor

  • Deshmukh Group

    Blegdamsvej 3B, Mærsk Tårnet, 8. sal

    2200 København N.

    Phone: +4535325313Mobile: +4571466221

Dr. Atul Shahaji Deshmukh is currently an associate professor and group leader at the Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF) Center for Basic Metabolic Research. He is also an associate member of NNF Center for Protein Research. He carried out his doctoral studies at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden (under Prof. Juleen Zierath) and his postdoctoral training at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried, Germany (under Prof. Matthias Mann). Dr. Deshmukh has published research articles in many reputable, peer-reviewed journals and in 2019, was awarded a prestigious Future Leader Award from the European Foundation of the Study of Diabetes/Novo Nordisk Foundation (EFSD/NNF).  His laboratory combines state-of-the-art proteomics technology with a wide range of in vivo and in vitro assay to investigate how diet and physical activity alters protein dynamics and how they relate to metabolism.

Primary field of research

In humans, metabolic processes are intimately intertwined with food intake as well as physical activity. Unfortunately, the majority of today’s population engages in less exercise and is becoming more sedentary. This, coupled with increased consumption of a high-calorie diet, had led to an astonishing increase in the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes. These metabolic conditions are complex, multi-factorial diseases that develop from the interaction between genotype and the environment and are characterized by insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. It is well known that routine exercise is known to mitigate these metabolism-related disorders, through the engagement of skeletal muscle in combination with multisystem adaptation. Our understanding of how and why these diseases occur is incomplete, nor do we understand how physical activity improves and preserves our overall metabolic health. These complex metabolic conditions are likely to be the result of altered protein dynamics. Thus, a new approach using proteomics is warranted to tackle the many unanswered questions.

A major focus of the Group is to address how altered protein dynamics influence metabolism during health and disease. We are specifically interested in how exercise and diet influence the secretome, post-translational modifications, subcellular organization of proteins and the mitochondrial supercomplexome. We work closely with other groups within NNF research centers, our national and international collaborators as well as with pharmaceutical companies.

ID: 119731582