New methods to study diabetes and metabolic disorders at single-cell and tissue-levels

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What is your scientific background?

I first trained as a physicist in the University of Barcelona, where I did my PhD using single-molecule tools like optical tweezers to study how DNA and RNA behave under force. During these years, I became increasingly interested in how the precision and quantitative mindset of physics can be applied to biology. This motivated me to move to Stanford to work with Stephen Quake, a pioneer in applying physical measurement principles to biology.

In Stanford, I developed a method to link whole-cell electrophysiology with single-cell RNA sequencing to understand why insulin-producing cells in the pancreas become dysfunctional in diabetes. At the same time, I also worked in precision medicine tools for maternal-fetal health. A key milestone was developing a non-invasive blood test for pregnancy complications such as preterm birth and preeclampsia. After a short period out of academia to help establish, a molecular diagnostics start-up based on these discoveries, I joined the University of Gothenburg in 2022. 

My research group now develops new single-cell and tissue-level methods to study how cells behave in health and disease. While we have a focus on diabetes and metabolic disorders, we also investigate complications such as kidney injury and autoimmune disease, always with the goal of combining advanced technologies with biological and clinical questions.

What are the big scientific questions you are working with? Is there a vision for your research group?

A central question my group aims to answer is why some cells fail in disease while others remain resilient. This is especially clear in diabetes, where insulin-producing β-cells show substantial heterogeneity in their function and response to metabolic stress. We still do not fully understand what makes some cells more vulnerable, but we think that signals from their local microenvironment are an important contributing factor.

To study this, we develop technologies that let us measure cellular function and gene expression with high precision: from electrical activity and calcium signaling to single-cell and spatial transcriptomics in intact human tissue. We also analyze cell-free RNA in blood to detect early signs of organ damage and immune responses without the need for a biopsy.

By combining these approaches, we hope to build a more complete picture of how tissues malfunction in the earliest stages of disease. Although our main focus is diabetes, the methods we develop are broadly applicable, and we are already extending them to kidney injury and autoimmune disease.

Why did you start with research?

I am not entirely sure, but from early on I enjoyed solving puzzles and playing clue-based games. I was also drawn to science thanks to my grandfather, who taught me astronomy and introduced me to Cosmos, Carl Sagan’s classic series. I remember being fascinated by space exploration, and I think that curiosity played a role in deciding to study physics. 

However, my first ‘real’ research project came during high school. For my graduation project, I worked with my biology teacher to map bat populations around my hometown, Arenys de Mar. I studied how mines d’aigua, which are traditional Catalan underground water galleries, had become refuges for endangered bat species. We highlighted the importance of preserving these traditional agricultural constructions, which are now largely abandoned. It was a great experience: I presented the work in a national youth science contest and later spent time doing additional fieldwork in Doñana National Park. Looking back, it was a fun and eye-opening introduction to what doing research involves, and it really hooked me into exploring other scientific projects during my university studies.

Overall, I think that this combination of experiences made me genuinely interested in research. Even today, I find that the most exciting part of being a scientist is the moment you see a new and unexpected result for the first time. I also enjoy communicating science, whether in papers, talks, or simply explaining a new finding to a colleague over fika. 

What co-operations do you have today: with other scientific group, with industry, or clinical?

We work closely with many clinical and preclinical groups in Sweden and abroad. At the University of Gothenburg, we collaborate with groups in physiology and metabolism (A. Rosengren and P. Rorsman) and in autoimmune disease and rheumatology (C. Maglio). Locally, we also have an ongoing collaboration with AstraZeneca to apply our methods to the study of kidney injury.

Internationally, I have built a network to study pancreatic tissue together with teams in Austria, Finland, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia and Canada. We also work on blood-based biomarkers for fetal-maternal health and viral infections in collaboration with groups in South Africa, Denmark, Germany and the USA.

Short description of your research for non-academics

The team of Joan Camuñas develops new methods to study how cells in our organs behave in health and disease, especially in diabetes and pregnancy complications. His work helps reveal which genes may cause cells and tissues to stop working properly, and could lead to new non-invasive tests for early diagnosis and better treatments.