Dr Sharon Y.C. Ruan Assistant Professor
Explores roles of ion channels in human health and diseases

Location ST421b
Phone +852 3400 8084
mail sharon.yc.ruan@polyu.edu.hk
stream Personal Website

Open Platform for University Scholars
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Biography Dr Sharon (YC) Ruan received her Ph.D. degree from Sun Yat-Sen University in 2009, and afterwards went for postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital (USA) for 4 years. In 2013, she was recruited as a Research Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Since 2017, Dr Ruan has been appointed as Assistant Professor in Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME) at PolyU.
Dr Ruan’s research has focused on ion channels, a group of membrane proteins, and their related signaling 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 embryo implantation (published in Nature Medicine 2012; Theranostics 2019), labour (EMBO Molecular Medicine 2018), organ development (J Cell Science 2014) and endocrine/metabolic diseases (Nature Communications 2014). In recent years, she has extended the research into new roles of ion channels in musculoskeletal physiology and diseases, and made major breakthroughs in understanding the osteogenic effect of orthopaedic implant-derived magnesium ion (Nature Medicine 2016) as well as ion channel-associated bone disease (Bioactive Materials 2021).
Dr Ruan has won a couple of major awards such as “National Science and Technology Award in Women and Children’s Health” and successfully obtained funding support from General Program (PI, 2015-2018; PI, 2021-2024) by National Natural Sciences Foundation of China; General Research Fund (PI, 2014-2018), Early Career Scheme (PI, 2017-2020), Theme-based Research Scheme (Co-PI, 2017-2022), Area of Excellence (Co-PI, 2021-2029) by Research Grants Council of Hong Kong; and Health and Medical Research Fund (PI, 2017-2020; PI, 2022-2023) by Food and Health Bureau of Hong Kong.
Currently, Dr Ruan aims to continue her research on ion channels with a particular interest in developing ion channels into molecular targets in the diagnosis/treatment of reproductive, endocrine and musculoskeletal diseases.




Research Interests
Ion channels in reproductive health and diseases
Ion channels in development, endocrine & metabolic diseases
bone-related regenerative medicine



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




Research Outputs

Selected publications
Xu, J., Hu, P., Zhang, X., Chen, J., Wang, J., Zhang, J., Chen, Z., Yu, MK., Chung, YW., Wang, Y., Zhang, X., Zhang, Y., Zheng, N., Yao, H., Yue, J., Chan, H.C., Qin, L., Ruan, Y.C. Magnesium implantation or supplementation ameliorates bone disorder in CFTR-mutant mice through an ATF4-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Bioactive Materials. (2021) doi.org/10.1016/j.bioactmat.2021.06.034. In press. Corresponding author. IF: 14.593
Chen JJ, Xiao ZJ, Meng X, Wang Y, Yu MK, Huang WQ, Sun X, Chen H, Duan YG, Jiang X, Wong MP, Chan HC, Zou F, Ruan YC. MRP4 sustains Wnt/β-catenin signaling for pregnancy, endometriosis and endometrial cancer. Theranostics 2019; 9(17):5049-5064. doi:10.7150/thno.32097. Cover Story. Corresponding author. IF: 10.018.
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, YC. Activation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) leads to cytokine profile shift to pro-inflammatory in labor. EMBO Mol Med, doi:10.15252/emmm.201808868 (2018). Corresponding author. IF: 12.137.
4. Huang, W. Q., Guo, J. H., Yuan, C., Cui, Y. G., Diao, F. Y., Yu, M. K., Liu, J. Y., Ruan, Y. C. & Chan, H. C. Abnormal CFTR Affects Glucagon Production by Islet alpha Cells in Cystic Fibrosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Front Physiol 8, 835, doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00835 (2017). Corresponding author. IF: 4.566.
Zhang Y, Xu J, Ruan YC, Yu MK, O'Laughlin M, Wise H, Chen D, Tian L, Shi D, Wang J, Chen S, Feng JQ, Chow DH, 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 HC, Zheng Y & Qin L. Implant-derived magnesium induces local neuronal production of CGRP to improve bone-fracture healing in rats. Nature medicine (2016). Co-first author. IF: 53.44.
Guo JH, Chen H., Ruan YC, Zhang XL, Zhang XH, Fok KL., Tsang LL., Yu MK., Huang WQ., Sun X, Chung YW, Jiang X, Sohma Y. & Chan HC. Glucose-induced electrical activities and insulin secretion in pancreatic islet beta-cells are modulated by CFTR. Nature communications 5, 4420, (2014). IF:14.919.
Ruan YC, Chen H & Chan HC. Ion channels in the endometrium: regulation of endometrial receptivity and embryo implantation. Human reproduction update 20, 517-529 (2014). IF:15.61.
Ruan YC, Wang Y, Da Silva N., Kim B., Diao RY, Hill E, Brown D., Chan HC & Breton S. CFTR interacts with ZO-1 to regulate tight junction assembly and epithelial differentiation through the ZONAB pathway. Journal of cell science 127, 4396-4408, (2014). Cover story. IF: 5.285.
Ruan YC, Guo JH, Liu X, Zhang R, Tsang LL, Dong JD, Chen H, Yu MK, Jiang X, Zhang XH, Fok KL., Chung YW, Huang H, Zhou WL. & Chan HC. Activation of the epithelial Na+ channel triggers prostaglandin E(2) release and production required for embryo implantation. Nature medicine 18, 1112-1117 (2012). IF：53.44.
Ruan YC, Zhou W & Chan HC. Regulation of smooth muscle contraction by the epithelium: role of prostaglandins. Physiology (Bethesda) 26, 156-170 (2011). IF:8.831.




Funding Records
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.
2017-2018 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.
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.




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




Service to Granting Agency
Reviewer, National Natural Science Foundation of China (2015, 2017 & 2020).