Grant: Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA)

This project will investigate the respective roles of protein synthesis and protein breakdown in driving skeletal muscle atrophy during periods of human disuse such as immobilization, bedrest, or reduced physical activity. Although loss of muscle mass during disuse is well recognized, the relative contribution of impaired muscle protein synthesis versus elevated protein breakdown remains unclear. Using established human models of disuse alongside biochemical and molecular approaches, the student will examine changes in key pathways regulating muscle protein turnover. The project will identify mechanisms responsible for disuse atrophy and help inform targeted nutritional, exercise, or pharmacological strategies to preserve muscle mass during inactivity, rehabilitation, aging, and recovery from illness or injury. By identifying whether increased breakdown or decreased synthesis drives muscle loss is critical for the field. This project will investigate the respective roles of protein synthesis and protein breakdown in driving skeletal muscle atrophy during periods of human disuse such as immobilization, bedrest, or reduced physical activity. Although loss of muscle mass during disuse is well recognized, the relative contribution of impaired muscle protein synthesis versus elevated protein breakdown remains unclear. Using established human models of disuse alongside biochemical and molecular approaches, the student will examine changes in key pathways regulating muscle protein turnover.