Thin Filaments and Muscle Regulation in Heart and Skeletal Muscle
Official title: Thin Filaments and Muscle Regulation
Funded at Boston University Medical Campus · NIH-11444619 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are studying how the tiny structures that control muscle contraction work, and how mutations can disrupt them, which could help people with heart or muscle diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University Medical Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 1986 |
| Project end | April 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $712,387 |
| NIH project number | 2R01HL036153-36A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11444619 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with inherited or acquired conditions affecting cardiac or skeletal muscle regulation where thin filament mutations are implicated.
✕Less likely to help
People without muscle regulation disorders may not directly benefit from this basic mechanistic study.
What this research studies
This project uses advanced imaging to map the near-atomic structure of thin filaments in heart and skeletal muscle, focusing on troponin and tropomyosin as they switch myosin on and off. By comparing normal and mutant components, researchers aim to reveal how regulatory transitions lead to healthy contraction or disease-related weakness or overactivity. The work centers on cryo-EM models to understand how calcium triggers activation and how myosin movement changes filament structure. Insights from this project could point to early interventions that restore proper muscle regulation in patients with cardiomyopathies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the research could inform new strategies to treat or prevent muscle and heart diseases caused by thin filament dysfunction.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies using similar structural approaches have deepened understanding of muscle regulation and linked mutations to disease.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University Medical Campus
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lehman, William J — Boston University Medical Campus
- Study coordinator: Lehman, William J
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.