Rate My Professor Martin Fronius

Associate Professor Martin Fronius serves in the Department of Physiology within the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Otago. He earned a Diplom in Biology and a Dr. rer. nat. from Justus Liebig University Giessen in Germany. His academic career began as a Research Associate at the Institute of Animal Physiology at Justus Liebig University Giessen from 2004 to 2006, followed by a Lecturer position there from 2006 to 2013. In 2013, he joined the University of Otago as a Senior Lecturer in Physiology, advancing to Associate Professor. He contributes to teaching courses including HUBS 191 (Human Body Systems 1), PHSL 233 (Cellular, Gastrointestinal and Renal Physiology), PHSL 345 (Physiological Aspects of Health and Disease), PHSL 472 (Neurophysiology), and serves as 400-level Convener in Physiology.

Research in the Fronius Lab centers on the function and regulation of ion channels, with emphasis on the impact of mechanical forces such as shear stress and pressure, fluid homeostasis in the lung, and auto-/paracrine signalling via non-neuronal acetylcholine. Key projects explore how epithelial Na+ channels (ENaC) sense shear stress, the role of vascular ENaC in blood pressure regulation in health and disease, and the influence of the extracellular matrix and glycocalyx on mechanotransduction. His work addresses clinical conditions including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary oedema, and cystic fibrosis. Notable grants include the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund (2016–2018) for 'Cellular mechanics of blood pressure' and a University of Otago Research Grant (2016). Key publications encompass 'Shear force sensing of epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) relies on N-glycosylated asparagines in the palm and knuckle domains of αENaC' (PNAS, 2020), 'Epithelial Sodium Channel δ Subunit Is Expressed in Human Arteries and Has Potential Association With Hypertension' (Hypertension, 2022), 'COVID-19 and Liquid Homeostasis in the Lung—A Perspective through the Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC) Lens' (Cells, 2022), 'Activation of the cardiac non-neuronal cholinergic system prevents the development of diabetes-associated cardiovascular complications' (Cardiovascular Diabetology, 2021), and 'Epithelial Na+ channel and the glycocalyx: a sweet and salty relationship for arterial shear stress sensing' (Current Opinion in Nephrology & Hypertension, 2022). These contributions advance understanding of mechanobiology and ion channel regulation in physiological and pathological contexts.