How metabolism keeps muscle stem cells healthy
Metabolic regulation of muscle satellite cell homeostasis
This project looks at how fats and energy inside muscle stem cells affect their ability to repair and maintain muscle in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11294360 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You will hear about research that studies small fat droplets and energy use inside muscle stem cells and how those features change when cells wake up to repair muscle. The team follows these changes in lab-grown cells and in living models to see how cells move between resting, dividing, and renewing states. They focus on molecules that control lipid handling and protein modifications like acetylation to understand what keeps the stem cells healthy. Findings are meant to point to targets that could one day help muscles recover better after injury or with aging.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with muscle weakness, poor muscle repair after injury, or age-related muscle loss are the people most likely to benefit from eventual treatments informed by this work.
Not a fit: Children and people whose weakness is primarily due to nerve disorders rather than muscle stem cell dysfunction are less likely to benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to boost muscle repair and reduce age-related muscle loss.
How similar studies have performed: Related research on lipid droplets has yielded insights in cancer metabolism, but applying lipid-droplet biology to muscle stem cells is a relatively new and emerging approach.
Where this research is happening
Durham, United States
- Duke University — Durham, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kuang, Shihuan — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Kuang, Shihuan
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 below.