Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Muscle regeneration in injury and disease requires the activation, proliferation and differentiation of muscle satellite cells. Recent research have demonstrated that satellite cells are self-renewing and Muscle regeneration in injury and disease requires the activation, proliferation and differentiation of muscle satellite cells. Recent research has demonstrated that satellite cells are self-renewing and compose of a heterogeneous population of stem cells and progenitors. Our lab has identified the satellite stem cell population (Kuang et al., 2007; Cell) and demonstrated that increasing the tissue content of these cells results in a direct enhancement on regeneration kinetics (Le Grand et al., 2009; Cell stem cell). However, the maintenance and regulation of satellite stem cells is not well understood. To study the cell signalling network controlling the homeostatic levels of satellite stem cells and their response in regeneration, we have developed a novel drug screen platform to examine the proliferation kinetics of satellite stem cells on ex-vivo cultured muscle fibers. Screening against a library of compounds targeting developmental pathways (~380 compounds) will allows us to identify cellular pathways that modulate the proliferation of satellite stem cells. Characterization of these target pathways will unveil new insight into the molecular regulation of these stem cells during regeneration. In addition, compounds with a positive effect have the potential to be directly translated into therapeutic options for degenerative muscle disorders.