How high PHD2 levels may make aging muscles repair and respond to exercise less well
Official title: PHD2 mediated loss of hypoxia signaling limits skeletal muscle regeneration and exercise response in aging
Funded at Brigham and Women's Hospital · NIH-11299055 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing whether lowering a protein called PHD2 can help older muscles heal better and get more benefit from aerobic exercise.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $392,638 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AG078307-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11299055 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be older adults with age-related muscle weakness, reduced exercise tolerance, or poor muscle recovery after injury or activity.
✕Less likely to help
People whose muscle problems come from acute traumatic injury, specific genetic muscle diseases, or conditions unrelated to aging may be less likely to benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If you are an older adult worried about losing muscle or not improving with exercise, this work looks at one reason why that happens. The team uses aging mice and genetically modified animals to study how PHD2, a protein that rises with age, changes oxygen-sensing signals in muscle and harms repair and exercise adaptation. They will test whether blocking PHD2 restores the muscle’s ability to regenerate and to get fitter from aerobic training, and they compare mouse findings with gene activity seen in human muscle samples. The goal is to point toward treatments that keep muscles stronger and more responsive to activity as people age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could lead to new therapies that improve muscle repair and enhance exercise benefits for older adults.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies targeting hypoxia pathways and PHD enzymes have shown promise in animal models, but translating these approaches to human treatments remains limited and early.
Where this research is happening
-
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sinha, Indranil — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Sinha, Indranil
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.