I am a physiologist investigating the molecular basis of normal function in skeletal muscle and the dysfunctions occurring in various muscle diseases and in fatigue. In addition, I investigate analogous dysfunction of calcium release and excitability occu
Establishing STARS As A Therapeutic Target To Reduce Muscle Wasting And Improve Muscle Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$446,189.00
Summary
Muscle wasting occurs rapidly with disuse after injuries occurring at work, during sport, with chronic disease and in road accidents. It is also a consequence of ageing. Muscle wasting and reduced muscle function places considerable financial strain on our health care system. We aim to use gene therapy and pharmacological interventions to increase the levels of a protein called STARS. We hypothesize that STARS will reduce disuse-induced muscle wasting, increase recovery and improve function.
Genetic Basis For Skeletal Muscle Formation And Regeneration In Development And Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$876,005.00
Summary
How does muscle grow and repair after injury or disease? This basic question in the focus of the research in this fellowship. Specific cells are put aside during development to generate the growth and provide stem cells required for regeneration. Using the advantages of the zebrafish system I will record the action of different stem cell populations during growth and disease. I will define the genes required for stem cell action and utilize this knowledge to create new therapeutic pathways.
Therapeutic Potential Of Skeletal Muscle Plasticity And Slow Muscle Programming For Muscular Dystrophy
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$780,476.00
Summary
There is no cure for DMD, a devastating, life-limiting muscle disease causing progressive muscle wasting in boys and young men. A potential therapy may come from modulating muscle activity patterns to promote a protective slow muscle phenotype through low-frequency stimulation protocols and/or well-described pharmacological ‘exercise mimetics’. This proposal will evaluate their therapeutic merit in mouse models of DMD to answer the key questions to advance this approach to the clinic.
Physiological And Pathological Effects Of Oxidation On Contractile Function In Skeletal Muscle
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$613,311.00
Summary
Reactive oxygen molecules generated within muscle fibres in normal exercise and in pathological conditions, greatly affect muscle function by altering the responsiveness of the contractile proteins. This study investigates how various oxidative stresses affect particular reactive sites on key proteins controlling muscle contraction. The findings should identify key molecular changes involved in normal activity and the role oxidation plays in chronic muscle weakness in particular conditions.