Rikard Blunck, Université de Montréal

Research

Biophysics Intramolecular Conformational Changes Ion Channels Structure-Function Of Membrane Proteins Voltage Sensor Relaxation Voltage-Clamp Fluorimetry Voltage-Gated Ion Channels Xenopus Oocytes

Latest papers

A Historical Outline of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Ion Channel Research.
Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026 · first author
Cytokines reprogram airway sensory neurons in asthma.
Cell reports · 2024
Mono-allelic KCNB2 variants lead to a neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by altered channel inactivation.
American journal of human genetics · 2024

All 19 publications

Latest funding

Influence of Lipid Matrix on Ion Channel Oligomerization and Function
NSERC · 2023 · Principal investigator
$78,000
The Molecular Memory of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels
CIHR · 2019 · Nominated PI
$810,900
A versatile broad range microscale thermophoresis apparatus for the measurement of biomolecular interactions
NSERC · 2017 · Co-investigator
$144,844

All 17 grants and awards

19 publications.

01

A Historical Outline of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Ion Channel Research.

Blunck R

Advances in experimental medicine and biology2026First author

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-07523-9_6 PMID: 41606276

02

Cytokines reprogram airway sensory neurons in asthma.

Crosson T, Bhat S, Wang JC, Salaun C, Fontaine E, Roversi K, Herzog H, Rafei M, Blunck R, Talbot S

Cell reports2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115045 PMID: 39661516

03

Mono-allelic KCNB2 variants lead to a neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by altered channel inactivation.

Bhat S, Rousseau J, Michaud C, Lourenço CM, Stoler JM, Louie RJ, Clarkson LK, Lichty A, Koboldt DC, Reshmi SC, Sisodiya SM, Hoytema van Konijnenburg EMM, Koop K, van Hasselt PM, Démurger F, Dubourg C, Sullivan BR, Hughes SS, Thiffault I, Tremblay ES, Accogli A, Srour M, Blunck R, Campeau PM

American journal of human genetics2024

DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.02.014 PMID: 38503299

04

Clinical and Functional Study of a De Novo Variant in the PVP Motif of Kv1.1 Channel Associated with Epilepsy, Developmental Delay and Ataxia.

Dinoi G, Morin M, Conte E, Mor Shaked H, Coppola MA, D'Adamo MC, Elpeleg O, Liantonio A, Hartmann I, De Luca A, Blunck R, Russo A, Imbrici P

International journal of molecular sciences2022

DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158079 PMID: 35897654

05

A Novel KCNA2 Variant in a Patient with Non-Progressive Congenital Ataxia and Epilepsy: Functional Characterization and Sensitivity to 4-Aminopyridine.

Imbrici P, Conte E, Blunck R, Stregapede F, Liantonio A, Tosi M, D'Adamo MC, De Luca A, Brankovic V, Zanni G

International journal of molecular sciences2021

DOI: 10.3390/ijms22189913 PMID: 34576077

06

Determining stoichiometry of ion channel complexes using single subunit counting.

Blunck R

Methods in enzymology2021First author

DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.02.017 PMID: 34099180

07

A Variant in the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Alpha 3 Subunit Gene Is Associated With Hypertension Risks in Hypogonadic Patients.

Wu T, Wang Y, Shi W, Zhang BQ, Raelson J, Yao YM, Wu HD, Xu ZX, Marois-Blanchet FC, Ledoux J, Blunck R, Sheng JZ, Hu SJ, Luo H, Wu J

Frontiers in genetics2020

DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.539862 PMID: 33329690

08

Reply to Pisupati et al.: Evaluating single subunit counting data to find the correct stoichiometry.

Möller L, Regnier G, Labro AJ, Snyders DJ, Blunck R

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2020Senior author

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2018077117 PMID: 33082223

09

Determining the correct stoichiometry of Kv2.1/Kv6.4 heterotetramers, functional in multiple stoichiometrical configurations.

Möller L, Regnier G, Labro AJ, Blunck R, Snyders DJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2020

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1916166117 PMID: 32284408

10

TACAN Is an Ion Channel Involved in Sensing Mechanical Pain

Beaulieu-Laroche L, Christin M, Donoghue A, Agosti F, Yousefpour N, Petitjean H, Davidova A, Stanton C, Khan U, Dietz C

Cell2020156 citationsOpen Access

DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.01.033 PMID: W3006898855

Influence of Lipid Matrix on Ion Channel Oligomerization and Function

Principal investigatorNSERC2023Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

Keywords: electrophysiology; Energetics of biological assemblies; fluorescence; Oligomerization; Planar lipid bilayers; single molecule fluorescence

$78,000

The Molecular Memory of Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels

Nominated PICIHR2019Project Grant

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

Keywords: Biophysics; Intramolecular Conformational Changes; Ion Channels; Structure-Function Of Membrane Proteins; Voltage Sensor Relaxation; Voltage-Clamp Fluorimetry; Voltage-Gated Ion Channels; Xenopus Oocytes

$810,900

A versatile broad range microscale thermophoresis apparatus for the measurement of biomolecular interactions

Co-investigatorNSERC2017Research Tools and Instruments

Principal investigators: Najmanovich, Rafael

$144,844

Studying Dynamics and Energetics of Membrane Protein Oligomerization using Single Molecule Fluorescence

Principal investigatorNSERC2017Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

$270,000

Robot for lipidic cubic phase (LCP) crystallization of membrane proteins

Co-investigatorNSERC2015Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Baron, Christian

$143,943

Molecular Mechanisms of chemomechanical coupling in the ligand-gated ion channels iGluR and TRP

Nominated PICIHR2014Operating Grant

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

Keywords: Electrophysiology; Fluorescent Unnatural Amino Acids; Hereditary Diseases; Ionotropic Glutamate Receptors; Migraine; Protein Purification; Single Molecule Fluorescence; Transient Receptor Potential Channels; Trpv1/-A1; Voltage-Clamp Fluorometry

$758,264

Probing the energy landscape of conformational changes in membrane proteins

Principal investigatorNSERC2012Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

$225,000

Low-volume ITC for investigating biomolecular interactions

Co-investigatorNSERC2012Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Omichinski, James

$130,099

Ligand-Gated Ion-Channels: From Genes to Behaviour

Co-investigatorCIHR2011Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: INMHA

Principal investigators: Lapointe, Jean-Yves; Bowie, Derek

Keywords: Autism Related Disorders; Diabetic Neuropathy; Epilepsy; Ion-Channels; Osmoregulation

$10,000

Centrifuge for high-capacity protein and DNA purification

Principal investigatorNSERC2011Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Principal investigators: Blunck, Rikard

$102,412

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Pharmacology and Therapeutics
Medicine
Physique
Rheumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery
Physiology and Pharmacology
Microbiology
Pediatrics
Other

Co-authors at Université de Montréal, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Alfredo Ribeiro-Da-Silva

Pharmacology and Therapeutics

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Derek Bowie

Pharmacology and Therapeutics

1 shared papers, latest 2017

Lisbet Haglund

Rheumatology and Orthopaedic Surgery

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Myriam Srour

Pediatrics

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Moutih Rafei

Physiology and Pharmacology

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Moutih Rafei

Microbiology

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Sébastien Talbot

Biomedical and Molecular Sciences

1 shared papers, latest 2024

Kjetil Ask

Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Jiangping Wu

Medicine

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Jonathan Ledoux

Faculty

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Reza Sharif-Naeini

Physiology

1 shared papers, latest 2020

Write to this professor

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Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2023

Subject: Prospective PhD student: Biophysics Dear Professor Blunck, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "A Historical Outline of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in Ion Channel Research." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "Influence of Lipid Matrix on Ion Channel Oligomerization and Function" (2023), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]