Grant: Team Grant: CEEHRC Phase II

Building and maintaining our muscle mass is an ongoing battle between the stem cell-based processes that build muscle, and the degenerative processes that cause muscle loss. In our youth, stem cells have the upper hand in the battle where they make muscle faster than it is broken down. This allows for growth and increased strength in young healthy individuals. Unfortunately, as we age our stem cells get worn down and become less efficient at building new muscle. This allows the degenerative processes to get an edge in the battle leading to the loss of 1% of our muscle mass each year after the age of 40. Evidence in mice suggest that epigenetic processes contribute to age-related decline in stem cell function that leads to muscle loss. As epigenetic processes are reversible, this suggests that we may be able to find ways to extend the functional lifespan of our muscle stem cells to prevent muscle loss as we get older. In this project, we will use the latest technologies in the study of epigenetics to identify the changes taking place in muscle stem cells of aging humans. From these studies, we expect to identify specific factors we can target therapeutically to help ensure that our aging population is able to enjoy mobility and good quality of life while reducing the costs on our health care system.