How some muscles keep working longer
Official title: New mechanisms behind skeletal muscle endurance
Funded at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · NIH-11252618 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research looks at a natural muscle response called stretch activation to learn how it helps muscles keep producing force for people with muscle weakness or contractures.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Troy, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $459,324 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR083916-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252618 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People affected by chronic muscle fatigue, inherited contracture disorders such as arthrogryposis, or conditions linked to reduced muscle endurance may be most interested in following this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose problems are caused primarily by nerve damage, metabolic disorders unrelated to muscle contractile mechanisms, or non-muscle causes of fatigue may not directly benefit from these findings.
What this research studies
Researchers are studying a process called stretch activation, a delayed boost in force after a muscle is quickly stretched, to see how it helps muscles resist fatigue. They will measure this effect in isolated and live mouse muscle fibers and use insights from fruit fly experiments to compare slow and fast muscle types. Experiments will include conditions that mimic prolonged use, like higher phosphate levels, and will probe myosin-based molecular mechanisms that might explain the effect. The goal is to link these basic findings to conditions where muscles lose endurance or develop contractures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to new ways to preserve or restore muscle endurance and help people with muscle weakness, contractures, or related cardiac problems.
How similar studies have gone: Previous animal work, including studies in fruit flies and mice, has hinted that stretch activation matters for muscle function, but the specific mechanisms in mammalian skeletal muscle are largely novel and not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Troy, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Swank, Douglas M — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
- Study coordinator: Swank, Douglas M
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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.