Martin Laasmaa

Currently, I am working as an assistant professor at the Laboratory of Systems Biology. My main research interests include calcium handling during excitation-contraction coupling and molecule movements in cardiomyocytes.

Contact

Email: martin@sysbio.ioc.ee
Address:
Laboratory of Systems Biology
Department of Cybernetics
School of Science
Tallinn University of Technology
Akadeemia tee 15
12618 Tallinn
Estonia
Phone: (+372) 620 4406

Other Resources

Estonian Science Portal
ResearchGate

Publications

Karimi, H., Gustavson, O., Česnokova, I., Branovets, J., Birkedal, R., Laasmaa, M., & Vendelin, M. (2026). A Unified Platform for FCS and RICS Analysis with Advanced Statistical Inference. ACS Omega, 11(12), 19201–19219. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c12269

Branovets, J., Laasmaa, M., Stolova, J., Shen, X., Rätsepso, T., Bernasconi, R., Soodla, K., Balodis, M. J., Grahv, C., Hendrikson, E., Louch, W. E., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2025). Lifelong creatine deficiency leads to augmented sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release but not heart failure. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 329(2), H471–H489. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00106.2025

Karimi, H., Laasmaa, M., Pihlak, M., & Vendelin, M. (2025). Statistical analysis of fluorescence intensity transients with Bayesian methods. Science Advances, 11(16), eads4609. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.ads4609

Jaska, L., Birkedal, R., Laasmaa, M., & Vendelin, M. (2024). Simple Analysis of Gel Images With IOCBIO Gel Software. Bio-Protocol, 14(16), e5053. https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.5053

Kütt, J., Margus, G., Kask, L., Rätsepso, T., Soodla, K., Bernasconi, R., Birkedal, R., Järv, P., Laasmaa, M., & Vendelin, M. (2023). Simple analysis of gel images with IOCBIO Gel. BMC Biology, 21(1), 225. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-023-01734-8

Li, J., Sundnes, J., Hou, Y., Laasmaa, M., Ruud, M., Unger, A., Kolstad, T. R., Frisk, M., Norseng, P. A., Yang, L., Setterberg, I. E., Alves, E. S., Kalakoutis, M., Sejersted, O. M., Lanner, J. T., Linke, W. A., Lunde, I. G., de Tombe, P. P., & Louch, W. E. (2023). Stretch Harmonizes Sarcomere Strain Across the Cardiomyocyte. Circulation Research, 133(3), 255–270. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.123.322588

Hou, Y., Laasmaa, M., Li, J., Shen, X., Manfra, O., Nordén, E. S., Le, C., Zhang, L., Sjaastad, I., Jones, P. P., Soeller, C., & Louch, W. E. (2023). Live-cell photoactivated localization microscopy correlates nanoscale ryanodine receptor configuration to calcium sparks in cardiomyocytes. Nature Cardiovascular Research, 2(3), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44161-022-00199-2

Laasmaa, M., Branovets, J., Stolova, J., Shen, X., Rätsepso, T., Balodis, M. J., Grahv, C., Hendrikson, E., Louch, W. E., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2023). Cardiomyocytes from female compared to male mice have larger ryanodine receptor clusters and higher calcium spark frequency. The Journal of Physiology, 601(18), 4033–4052. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP284515

Birkedal, R., Laasmaa, M., Branovets, J., & Vendelin, M. (2022). Ontogeny of cardiomyocytes: ultrastructure optimization to meet the demand for tight communication in excitation–contraction coupling and energy transfer. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 377(1864), 20210321. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0321

Shen, X., van den Brink, J., Bergan-Dahl, A., Kolstad, T. R., Norden, E. S., Hou, Y., Laasmaa, M., Aguilar-Sanchez, Y., Quick, A. P., Espe, E. K., Sjaastad, I., Wehrens, X. H., Edwards, A. G., Soeller, C., & Louch, W. E. (2022). Prolonged β-adrenergic stimulation disperses ryanodine receptor clusters in cardiomyocytes and has implications for heart failure. eLife, 11, e77725. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.77725

Frisk, M., Le, C., Shen, X., Røe, Å. T., Hou, Y., Manfra, O., Silva, G. J. J., van Hout, I., Norden, E. S., Aronsen, J. M., Laasmaa, M., Espe, E. K. S., Zouein, F. A., Lambert, R. R., Dahl, C. P., Sjaastad, I., Lunde, I. G., Coffey, S., Cataliotti, A., … Louch, W. E. (2021). Etiology-Dependent Impairment of Diastolic Cardiomyocyte Calcium Homeostasis in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 77(4), 405–419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.044

Branovets, J., Karro, N., Barsunova, K., Laasmaa, M., Lygate, C. A., Vendelin, M., & Birkedal, R. (2021). Cardiac expression and location of hexokinase changes in a mouse model of pure creatine deficiency. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 320(2), H613–H629. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00188.2020

Laasmaa, M., Branovets, J., Barsunova, K., Karro, N., Lygate, C. A., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2021). Altered calcium handling in cardiomyocytes from arginine-glycine amidinotransferase-knockout mice is rescued by creatine. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 320(2), H805–H825. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00300.2020

Vendelin, M., Laasmaa, M., Kalda, M., Branovets, J., Karro, N., Barsunova, K., & Birkedal, R. (2020). IOCBIO Kinetics: An open-source software solution for analysis of data traces. PLOS Computational Biology, 16(12), e1008475. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008475

Rubinstein, J., Woo, J. G., Garcia, A. M., Alsaied, T., Li, J., Lunde, P. K., Moore, R. A., Laasmaa, M., Sammons, A., Mays, W. A., Miyamoto, S. D., Louch, W. E., & Veldtman, G. R. (2020). Probenecid Improves Cardiac Function in Subjects with a Fontan Circulation and Augments Cardiomyocyte Calcium Homeostasis. Pediatric Cardiology, 41(8), 1675–1688. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00246-020-02427-7

Tazmini, K., Frisk, M., Lewalle, A., Laasmaa, M., Morotti, S., Lipsett, D. B., Manfra, O., Skogestad, J., Aronsen, J. M., Sejersted, O. M., Sjaastad, I., Edwards, A. G., Grandi, E., Niederer, S. A., Øie, E., & Louch, W. E. (2020). Hypokalemia Promotes Arrhythmia by Distinct Mechanisms in Atrial and Ventricular Myocytes. Circulation Research, 126(7), 889–906. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.315641

Lu, P., Veletić, M., Laasmaa, M., Vendelin, M., Louch, W. E., Halvorsen, P. S., Bergsland, J., & Balasingham, I. (2019). Multi-nodal nano-actuator pacemaker for energy-efficient stimulation of cardiomyocytes. Nano Communication Networks, 22, 100270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nancom.2019.100270

Laasmaa, M., Lu, P., Veletić, M., Louch, W. E., Bergsland, J., Balasingham, I., & Vendelin, M. (2019). Energy-efficiency of Cardiomyocyte Stimulation with Rectangular Pulses. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-49791-w

Karro, N., Laasmaa, M., Vendelin, M., & Birkedal, R. (2019). Respiration of permeabilized cardiomyocytes from mice: no sex differences, but substrate-dependent changes in the apparent ADP-affinity. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-48964-x

Laasmaa, M., Karro, N., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2019). IOCBIO Sparks detection and analysis software. PeerJ, 7, e6652. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.6652

Karro, N., Sepp, M., Jugai, S., Laasmaa, M., Vendelin, M., & Birkedal, R. (2017). Metabolic compartmentation in rainbow trout cardiomyocytes: coupling of hexokinase but not creatine kinase to mitochondrial respiration. Journal of Comparative Physiology B, 187(1), 103–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00360-016-1025-x

Laasmaa, M., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2016). Revealing calcium fluxes by analyzing inhibition dynamics in action potential clamp. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 100, 93–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2016.08.015

Simson, P., Jepihhina, N., Laasmaa, M., Peterson, P., Birkedal, R., & Vendelin, M. (2016). Restricted ADP movement in cardiomyocytes: Cytosolic diffusion obstacles are complemented with a small number of open mitochondrial voltage-dependent anion channels. Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, 97, 197–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2016.04.012

Birkedal, R., Laasmaa, M., & Vendelin, M. (2014). The location of energetic compartments affects energetic communication in cardiomyocytes. Frontiers in Physiology, 5, 376. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2014.00376

Illaste, A., Laasmaa, M., Peterson, P., & Vendelin, M. (2012). Analysis of Molecular Movement Reveals Latticelike Obstructions to Diffusion in Heart Muscle Cells. Biophysical Journal, 102(4), 739–748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.012

Laasmaa, M., Vendelin, M., & Peterson, P. (2011). Application of regularized Richardson-Lucy algorithm for deconvolution of confocal microscopy images. Journal of Microscopy, 243(2), 124–140. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2818.2011.03486.x