Academic and Teaching Staff

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PolyU Scholars Hub

Professor Sharon Y. C. RUAN

Associate Professor

Explores roles of ion channels in human health and diseases

PolyU Scholars Hub

ORCID ID

SCOPUS ID

Biography

Prof. Sharon Ruan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). She obtained her PhD in Physiology from Sun Yat-sen University and subsequently received extensive postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Prof. Ruan’s research centers on ion channels – membrane proteins that regulate ion flow across cell membranes – and their associated signal transduction in reproduction, endocrinology, development and associated human diseases. Her work has yielded important findings including identifying novel roles of ion channels and their related signaling pathways in reproductive events including embryo implantation (published in Nature Medicine 2012), parturition (EMBO Molecular Medicine 2018), ovarian steroidogenesis (Cell Communication & Signaling 2024), as well as endocrine/metabolic diseases (Nature Communications 2014). She also extended the research into new roles of ion channels in musculoskeletal physiology and related diseases (Nature Medicine 2016, J Cachexia Sarcopenia and Muscle 2025, Nature Communications 2026).

Research Interests

Academic and Professional Experience

Postdoc Fellow, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital, USA, 2009-2013
Research Assistant Professor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013-2017

Research Outputs

Hu P, Du W, Chu M…Qin L, Xu J and Ruan YC, CFTR mediates Cl- transport in osteocytes to sustain cell viability and skeletal homeostasis. Nature Communications (2026) (In press).
Chen, Z., Xu, J., Hu, P., Du, W., Chen, J., Zhang, X., Zhou, W., Gao, J., Zhang, Y., Dai, B., Nie, G., Hu, J., Zhou, L., Xu, S., Chan, H. C., Cheung, W. H., Ruan, Y. C. & Qin, L. Defective Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Accelerates Skeletal Muscle Aging by Impairing Autophagy/Myogenesis. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 16, e13708 (2025).
Ma, X., Xu, R., Chen, J., Wang, S., Hu, P., Wu, Y., Que, Y., Du, W., Cai, X., Chen, H., Guo, J., Li, T. C. & Ruan, Y. C. The epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) in ovarian granulosa cells modulates Ca(2+) mobilization and gonadotrophin signaling for estrogen homeostasis and female fertility. Cell Communication and Signaling, 22, 398 (2024).
Chen, J. J., Xiao, Z. J., Meng, X., Wang, Y., Yu, M. K., Huang, W. Q., Sun, X., Chen, H., Duan, Y. G., Jiang, X., Wong, M. P., Chan, H. C., Zou, F. & Ruan, Y. C. MRP4 sustains Wnt/beta-catenin signaling for pregnancy, endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Theranostics 9, 5049-5064, (2019).
Sun, X., Guo, J. H., Zhang, D., Chen, J. J., Lin, W. Y., Huang, Y., Chen, H., Huang, W. Q., Liu, Y., Tsang, L. L., Yu, M. K., Chung, Y. W., Jiang, X., Huang, H., Chan, H. C. & Ruan, Y. C. Activation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) leads to cytokine profile shift to pro-inflammatory in labor. EMBO Mol Med 10 (2018).
Zhang, Y., Xu, J., Ruan, Y. C., Yu, M. K., O'Laughlin, M., Wise, H., Chen, D., Tian, L., Shi, D., Wang, J., Chen, S., Feng, J. Q., Chow, D. H., Xie, X., Zheng, L., Huang, L., Huang, S., Leung, K., Lu, N., Zhao, L., Li, H., Zhao, D., Guo, X., Chan, K., Witte, F., Chan, H. C., Zheng, Y. & Qin, L. Implant-derived magnesium induces local neuronal production of CGRP to improve bone-fracture healing in rats. Nature Medicine 22, 1160-1169, (2016). Co-first.
Guo, J. H., Chen, H., Ruan, Y. C., Zhang, X. L., Zhang, X. H., Fok, K. L., Tsang, L. L., Yu, M. K., Huang, W. Q., Sun, X., Chung, Y. W., Jiang, X., Sohma, Y. & Chan, H. C. Glucose-induced electrical activities and insulin secretion in pancreatic islet beta-cells are modulated by CFTR. Nature Communications 5, 4420, (2014).
Ruan, Y. C., Guo, J. H., Liu, X., Zhang, R., Tsang, L. L., Dong, J. D., Chen, H., Yu, M. K., Jiang, X., Zhang, X. H., Fok, K. L., Chung, Y. W., Huang, H., Zhou, W. L. & Chan, H. C. Activation of the epithelial Na+ channel triggers prostaglandin E(2) release and production required for embryo implantation. Nature Medicine 18, 1112-1117, (2012).

2024-2026 General Research Fund by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$ 1,587,600, Hong Kong. PI.
2023-2025 General Research Fund by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$ 1,140,288, Hong Kong. PI.
2022-2023 Health and Medical Research Fund by Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong HK$1,220,000, Hong Kong. PI.
2021-2029 Area of Excellence by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$70 million (Total), Hong Kong. Co-PI.
2021-2024 General Program by National Natural Sciences Foundation of China, RMB$550,000, China. PI.
2018-2020 Health and Medical Research Fund by Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong HK$1,199,380, Hong Kong. PI.
2017-2020 Early Career Scheme by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$1,227,859, PI.
2017-2022 Theme Based Research Scheme by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$33.333 million (Total), Hong Kong. Co-PI.
2017-2020 Start-up fund by the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, HK$500,000, PI.
2017-2018 Large Equipment Fund by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HK$1,598,291, Hong Kong. PI.
2015-2018 General Program by National Natural Sciences Foundation of China, RMB$740,000, China. PI.
2014-2017 General Research Fund by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, HK$ 572,258, Hong Kong. PI.
2014-2015 Direct Grant by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK$80,000, Hong Kong. PI.
2013-2014 Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Therapy Program by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK$250,000, Hong Kong. PI.
2012-2017 National Major Basic Research Program (Special 973 funding program) by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, RMB$25,880,000 (Total), China. Subproject Co-I.
2011-2012 Postdoctoral Fellowship by Lalor Foundation, US$35,000, USA. PI.
2010-2011 Postdoctoral Fellowship by Lalor Foundation, US$35,000, USA. PI.

Associate editor for Frontiers in Physiology (Reproduction section, since 2019), Frontiers inEndocrinology (Reproduction section, since 2019)
Reviewer for Human Reproduction, Molecular Human Reproduction, Cancer Cell International, Scientific Reports, Ebiomedicine

Reviewer, National Natural Science Foundation of China (2015, 2017 & 2020)