Hartmut Grasemann

Senior Associate Scientist
Translational Medicine, Research Institute

Dr. Hartmut Grasemann graduated from University of Essen medical school in Germany in 1992. Following his initial training in paediatrics and a post doctoral training in biochemistry he came to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Harvard Medical School for a research fellowship in respiratory medicine. He returned to Germany in 2000 to complete his paediatric training at the Children’s Hospital in Essen, where he was appointed Assistant Professor in 2002 before joining the Division of Respiratory Medicine at SickKids in 2005.

Research

Dr. Grasemann’s research interest is predominantly focused on airway inflammation in Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and specifically on the role of L-arginine / nitric oxide (NO) metabolism in lung and airways diseases. Work from his research laboratory has also largely contributed to the understanding airway narrowing and hyper responsiveness in asthma. His research program is translational in nature, as he’s working with patients, but also with research tools such as animal models or cultured cells, that allows him to take observations from a patient population to a model and then back to the patient. He’s collaborating with clinical researchers but also other basic scientists inside and outside the University of Toronto.  

Education and experience

• 2015–Present: Professor, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2011–Present: Senior Associate Scientist, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2010–Present: Staff Physician, Associate, Division of Emergency Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2006–Present: Associate Member, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 
• 2005–Present: Staff Physician, Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

Achievements

• 2009: Zellers Senior Scientist Award, Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Canada 
• 2007: Adolf-Windorfer Preis, German CF Foundation Biannual Award, Germany 
• 2003: ERS Annual Award for Paediatric Respiratory Research in Europe, (2nd prize) 

1. L-Citrulline increases nitric oxide and improves control in obese asthmatics. Holguin F, Grasemann H, Sharma S, Winnica D, Wasil K, Smith V, Cruse MH, Perez N, Coleman E, Scialla TJ, Que LG.JCI Insight. 2019 Dec 19;4(24):e131733. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.131733.
2. CFTR Modulator Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis. Grasemann H. N Engl J Med. 2017 Nov 23;377(21):2085-2088. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1712335.  
3. Association of wheeze with lung function decline in children with sickle cell disease. Bendiak GN, Mateos-Corral D, Sallam A, Atenafu EG, Kirby M, Odame I, Bikangaga P, Subbarao P, Grasemann H. Eur Respir J. 2017 Nov 30;50(5):1602433.  
4. Effect of Hydroxyurea Therapy on Pulmonary Function in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia. McLaren A, Klingel M, Behera S, Odame I, Kirby-Allen M, Grasemann H. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2017 Mar 1;195(5):689-691.  
5. Patterns of Growth and Decline in Lung Function in Persistent Childhood Asthma. McGeachie MJ, Yates KP, Zhou X, Guo F, Sternberg AL, Van Natta ML, Wise RA, Szefler SJ, Sharma S, Kho AT, Cho MH, Croteau-Chonka DC, Castaldi PJ, Jain G, Sanyal A, Zhan Y, Lajoie BR, Dekker J, Stamatoyannopoulos J, Covar RA, Zeiger RS, Adkinson NF, Williams PV, Kelly HW, Grasemann H, Vonk JM, Koppelman GH, Postma DS, Raby BA, Houston I, Lu Q, Fuhlbrigge AL, Tantisira KG, Silverman EK, Tonascia J, Weiss ST, Strunk RC. N Engl J Med. 2016 May 12;374(19):1842-1852.