Robert Wessells, Ph.D.
Office address
5275 Scott Hall
Position
Assistant Professor & Recruitment OfficerAreas of interest
Exercise adaptations, exercise and healthspan, exercise as therapy for progressive diseases
Narrative bio
Dr. Wessells graduated with a B.S. in Zoology from Miami University in 1993 before acquiring a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics from Ohio State University in 2000. He received postdoctoral training in fruit fly genetics and physiology at the University of Michigan and the Burnham Institute for Biomedical Research before taking his present position in 2014.
Dr. Wessells will consider new MS or PhD students for the 2025-26 academic year.
Research
Exercise is a powerful protective factor against many age‐related diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Our research focuses on understanding the molecular genetic mechanisms that underlie the benefits of exercise. Using the Drosophila model system, we seek to understand neuronal factors that control exercise behavior, muscular factors that control adaptation to training, and adipose factors that regulate metabolism in response to training. We use lab‐specific techniques to induce exercise and study its effect on endurance, speed, flight, and cardiac performance.
Read the more about The mechanism and benefits of exercise at: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/article/the-mechanisms-and-benefits-of-exercise/166745/
Read the article featuring Dr. Wessells and his research lab at: https://futurumcareers.com/what-can-fruit-flies-tell-us-about-virtual-reality-exercise
Read more about Senescence: Examining genetic responses, exercise benefits and age-related decline at: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/senescence-examining-genetic-responses-age-related-decline/158574/
Read more about How brain research is making the benefits of regular exercise accessible to all at: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/article/brain-research-benefits-of-regular-exercise-accessible/159381/
Read more - Identifying potential exercise mimetics that deliver the benefits of exercise at https://doi.org/10.56367/OAG-044-10954
Publications
Recent Publications:
- Protasiewicz J, Snider S, Khan M, Tao L, Wessells RJ, Sujkowski A. A new Drosophila model of prolonged inactivity shortens lifespan and impairs muscle function. Sci Rep 15, 27908 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-13446
- Damschroder D, Zapata-Pérez R, Richardson K, Vaz FM, Houtkooper RH, Wessells R. Correction: Stimulating the sir2-spargel axis rescues exercise capacity and mitochondrial respiration in a Drosophila model of Barth syndrome. Dis Model Mech. 2024 Sep 1;17(9):dmm052040. doi: 10.1242/dmm.052040. PMID: 39330214
- Yip C, Wyler SC, Liang K, Yamazaki S, Cobb T, Safdar M, Metai A, Merchant W, Wessells R, Rothenfluh A, Lee S, Elmquist J, You YJ. Neuronal E93 is required for adaptation to adult metabolism and behavior. Mol Metab. 2024 Jun;84:101939. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2024.101939. PMID: 38621602
- Zappia MP, Damschroder D, Westacott A, Wessells RJ, Frolov MV. The RU486-dependent activation of the GeneSwitch system in adult muscles leads to severe adverse effects in Drosophila. G3 (Bethesda). 2024 May 7;14(5):jkae039. doi: 10.1093/g3journal/jkae039. PMID: 38409337
- Richardson K, Sengupta M, Sujkowski A, Libohova K, Harris AC, Wessells R, Merry DE, Todi SV. A phenotypically robust model of spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy in Drosophila. J Neurosci Res. 2024 Jan;102(1):e25278. doi: 10.1002/jnr.25278. PMID: 3828483
- Kagan VE, Tyurina YY, Mikulska-Ruminska K, Damschroder D, Vieira Neto E, Lasorsa A, Kapralov AA, Tyurin VA, Amoscato AA, Samovich SN, Souryavong AB, Dar HH, Ramim A, Liang Z, Lazcano P, Ji J, Schmidtke MW, Kiselyov K, Korkmaz A, Vladimirov GK, Artyukhova MA, Rampratap P, Cole LK, Niyatie A, Baker EK, Peterson J, Hatch GM, Atkinson J, Vockley J, Kühn B, Wessells R, van der Wel PCA, Bahar I, Bayir H, Greenberg ML. Anomalous peroxidase activity of cytochrome c is the primary pathogenic target in Barth syndrome. Nat Metab. 2023 Dec;5(12):2184-2205. doi: 10.1038/s42255-023-00926-4. PMID: 37996701
- Safdar M, Wessells RJ. Octopamine Rescues Endurance and Climbing Speed in Drosophila Clkout Mutants with Circadian Rhythm Disruption. Cells. 2023 Oct 25;12(21):2515. doi: 10.3390/cells12212515. PMID: 37947593
- Richardson K, Wessells R. A novel panel of Drosophila TAFAZZIN mutants in distinct genetic backgrounds as a resource for therapeutic testing. PLoS One. 2023 Sep 27;18(9):e0286380. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286380. eCollection 2023. PMID: 37756350
- Cobb T, Hwang I, Soukar M, Namkoong S, Cho US, Safdar M, Kim M, Wessells RJ, Lee JH. Iditarod, a Drosophila homolog of the Irisin precursor FNDC5, is critical for exercise performance and cardiac autophagy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 Sep 26;120(39):e2220556120. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2220556120. PMID: 37
- Damschroder D, Zapata-Pérez R, Richardson K, Vaz FM, Houtkooper RH, Wessells R. Stimulating the sir2-spargel axis rescues exercise capacity and mitochondrial respiration in a Drosophila model of Barth syndrome. Dis Model Mech. 2022 Oct 1;15(10):dmm049279. doi: 10.1242/dmm.049279. Epub 2022 Oct 5.PMID: 3610783
- Sujkowski A, Richardson K, Prifti MV, Wessells RJ, Todi SV. Endurance exercise ameliorates phenotypes in Drosophila models of spinocerebellar ataxias. Elife. 2022
Cobb, T., Damschroder, D., Wessells, R. (2021). Sestrin regulates acute chill coma recovery in Drosophila melanogaster. Insect Biochem Mol Biol Feb 4:103548. - Sujkowski, A., Gretzinger, A., Soave, N., Todi, S.V., Wessells, R.J. (2020). Alpha- and Beta-Adrenergic octopamine receptors in muscle and heart are required for Drosophila exercise adaptations. PLoS Genet 16(6):e1008778. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008778. PMID:32579604
- *Kim, M.J., *Sujkowski, A., Namkoong, S., Gu, B., Cobb, T., Kim, B., Ho, A., Cho, C.S., Semple, I/, Ro, S.H, Davis, C., Brooks, S.V., Karin, M., *Wessells, R.J., *Lee, J.H. (2020). Sestrins are evolutionarily conserved mediators of exercise benefits. Nature Communications 11, 190. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13442-5
- Sujkowski, A., Ramesh, D., Brockmann, A., Wessells, R. (2017). Octopamine drives endurance exercise adaptations in Drosophila. Cell Rep. 21(7):1809-1823. PMID:29141215. PMCID: PMC5693351.
A complete list of Dr. Wessells' publications can be found at: PubMed-Wessells