Grant: Operating Grant

Migration and growth of myogenic cells occurs extensively during skeletal muscle regeneration and is important in cell transfer therapy. Up to now, the treatment of muscular dystrophy using cell-based transfer into muscle tissue has had limited success due in part to the low survival and dispersion of grafted cells outside the primary site of injection. Our laboratory has recently isolated a novel protein kinase, termed SLK, involved in the control of cell proliferation and migration. The proposed experiments will focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms of SLK-regulated growth and stem cell migration using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Dissection of the regulatory mechanisms that govern cellular growth and cell migration will contribute significantly to the design of more efficient repair therapies.