Boushel, Robert

• Systems Biology, Exercise & Health

Dr. Boushel’s research and teaching covers broad areas of exercise physiology including regulation of the oxygen cascade during exercise, the circulation and muscle metabolism. This focus is applied to study the acute response to dynamic exercise and the adaptive response to various forms of training in healthy and clinical populations and environments. His lab uses thermo- and dye dilution methods to measure cardiac output and limb blood flow, arterio-venous sampling for oxygen and metabolites and mitochondrial respiration on biopsies to determine systemic and regional oxygen delivery, diffusion and utilization during exercise. These experimental approaches enable the study of energy metabolism, metabolomic, proteomic responses to exercise and training. Dr. Boushel also focuses on exercise in primary care medicine in collaboration with colleagues in the Division of Sport and Exercise Medicine at the Chan Gunn Pavilion at UBC. He leads the Saltin International Graduate Course in Exercise and Clinical Physiology, and is a member of UBC Precision Health, the UBC Health Executive and Steering Committee of the BC Diabetes Research Network.

NOTE: Not accepting students at this time.

1. Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Zinner C, Willis SJ, Morales-Alamo D, Calbet JAL, Boushel R, Holmberg HC. Mitochondrial oxygen affinity increases after sprint interval training and is related to the improvement in peak oxygen uptake. Acta Physiologica (Oxf). 2020 Mar 6:e13463.
2. Sheel AW, Boushel R, Dempsey JA. Competition for blood flow distribution between respiratory and locomotor muscles: implications for muscle fatigue. Journal of Applied Physiology (1985). 2018 Sep 1;125(3):820-831.
3. Cardinale DA, Larsen FJ, Jensen-Urstad M, Rullman E, Søndergaard H, Morales-Alamo D, Ekblom B, Calbet JAL, Boushel R. Muscle mass and inspired oxygen influence oxygen extraction at maximal exercise: Role of mitochondrial oxygen affinity. Acta Physiologica (Oxf). 2018 Jun 4:e13110.
4. Thrush AB, Antoun G, Nikpay M, Patten DA, DeVlugt C, Mauger JF, Beauchamp BL, Lau P, Reshke R, Doucet É, Imbeault P, Boushel R, Gibbings D, Hager J, Valsesia A, Slack RS, Al-Dirbashi OY, Dent R, McPherson R, Harper ME. Diet-resistant obesity is characterized by a distinct plasma proteomic signature and impaired muscle fiber metabolism. International Journal of Obesity (Lond). 2018 Mar;42(3):353-362.
5. Boushel R. Linking skeletal muscle blood flow and metabolism to the limits of human performance. Applied Physiology Nutrition Metabolism. 2017 Jan;42(1):111-115
6. Gnaiger E, Boushel R, Søndergaard H, Munch-Andersen T, Damsgaard R, Hagen C, Díez-Sánchez C, Ara I, Wright-Paradis C, Schrauwen P, Hesselink M, Calbet JA, Christiansen M, Helge JW, Saltin B. Mitochondrial coupling and capacity of oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle of Inuit and Caucasians in the arctic winter. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2015 Dec;25 Suppl 4:126-34.
7. Larsen FJ, Schiffer TA, Ørtenblad N, Zinner C, Morales-Alamo D, Willis SJ, Calbet JA, Holmberg HC, Boushel R. High-intensity sprint training inhibits mitochondrial respiration through aconitase inactivation. FASEB Journal. 2016 Jan;30(1):417-27.
8. Steding-Ehrenborg K, Boushel RC, Calbet JA, Åkeson P, Mortensen SP. Left ventricular atrioventricular plane displacement is preserved with lifelong endurance training and is the main determinant of maximal cardiac output. Journal of Physiology. 2015 Dec 1;593(23):5157-66.
9. Mortensen SP, Boushel R. High-density lipoprotein: a new therapeutic target for glucose intolerance? Circulation. 2013 Nov 26;128(22):2349-50.
10. Yin H, Pasut A, Soleimani VD, Bentzinger CF, Antoun G, Thorn S, Seale P, Fernando P, van Ijcken W, Grosveld F, Dekemp RA, Boushel R, Harper ME, Rudnicki MA. MicroRNA-133 controls brown adipose determination in skeletal muscle satellite cells by targeting Prdm16. Cell Metabolism. 2013 Feb 5;17(2):210-24.