MYOSTATIN AS A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR TREATMENT OF MUSCLE CONTRACTURES
My Honors Experience as a RaMP student in the Cornwall Lab last year was one of the most formative moments throughout my college career. I had the pleasure of continuing my work in the lab through the RaMP Continuation Honors Experience during the Spring 2021 semester. Given the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, I was able to complete my lab work remotely. This spring, my attention was geared toward learning the process of reading and writing scientific articles.
First, I had to gain a deeper understanding of the research which my lab was conducting before I could learn to write papers based on my research findings. To assist me in this process, I began by reading articles related to my research. The scientific literature I read taught me how to analyze data and, eventually, helped me to create figures and graphs for my own paper. Throughout the semester, I met with my research mentor via Zoom two times a week to discuss our lab’s research along with my writing progress.
In essence, the Cornwall Lab is studying ways to treat neuromuscular contractures caused by diseases such as neonatal brachial plexus injury. These contractures are debilitating, and the current treatments do not restore range of motion in the affected limb. My RaMP and SURF research from last year was related to pharmacologically blocking the proteasome using a proteasome inhibitor, known as bortezomib, as a potential method for treating contractures. We found that the use of this drug helped in the treatment of contractures, but it led to potential cumulative toxicity. Also, we found that a sexual dimorphism exists with this therapy given that male mice had a greater response to this drug compared to female mice. The full results from this study are outlined in a scientific article we published in The FASEB Journal (please refer to the SURF 2020 tab for a link to the publication).
My project this Spring Semester focused on a myostatin inhibitor, ACVR2B-Fc, to study its use in the treatment of contractures. Similar to the bortezomib experiment, our overall findings from this study demonstrate a sex-dependent role for the myostatin pathway in mediating contracture formation following neonatal muscle denervation. Specifically, we found that female mice with myostatin inhibitor treatment had a reduction in contracture severity. While we are still studying the method by which ACVR2B-Fc mediates contracture formation, we speculate that sex mediates divergent pathways that ultimately lead to contracture formation.
The time I have spent working on this project has given me a deeper appreciation for the scientific process that is involved in research. From planning the study to writing a Research Proposal to performing the experiments to presenting a virtual poster, I have learned the skills that it takes to become an “expert” in a particular field of research. This summer, I plan to continue working on my myostatin inhibitor project as a SURF student to gain a better understanding of the role this drug plays in treating contractures. I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to expand upon my previous research through the RaMP Continuation Honors Experience. I am excited to continue my research as a SURF student throughout the upcoming summer!
For my Learning Portfolio, I chose to showcase my virtual poster, which I had the opportunity to submit to the Undergraduate Scholarly Research Showcase. I am also showcasing my written report outlining the research methods and results from this past spring. I hope you enjoy learning more about my research on the sexual dimorphisms of ACVR2B-Fc in the treatment of neuromuscular contractures!
First, I had to gain a deeper understanding of the research which my lab was conducting before I could learn to write papers based on my research findings. To assist me in this process, I began by reading articles related to my research. The scientific literature I read taught me how to analyze data and, eventually, helped me to create figures and graphs for my own paper. Throughout the semester, I met with my research mentor via Zoom two times a week to discuss our lab’s research along with my writing progress.
In essence, the Cornwall Lab is studying ways to treat neuromuscular contractures caused by diseases such as neonatal brachial plexus injury. These contractures are debilitating, and the current treatments do not restore range of motion in the affected limb. My RaMP and SURF research from last year was related to pharmacologically blocking the proteasome using a proteasome inhibitor, known as bortezomib, as a potential method for treating contractures. We found that the use of this drug helped in the treatment of contractures, but it led to potential cumulative toxicity. Also, we found that a sexual dimorphism exists with this therapy given that male mice had a greater response to this drug compared to female mice. The full results from this study are outlined in a scientific article we published in The FASEB Journal (please refer to the SURF 2020 tab for a link to the publication).
My project this Spring Semester focused on a myostatin inhibitor, ACVR2B-Fc, to study its use in the treatment of contractures. Similar to the bortezomib experiment, our overall findings from this study demonstrate a sex-dependent role for the myostatin pathway in mediating contracture formation following neonatal muscle denervation. Specifically, we found that female mice with myostatin inhibitor treatment had a reduction in contracture severity. While we are still studying the method by which ACVR2B-Fc mediates contracture formation, we speculate that sex mediates divergent pathways that ultimately lead to contracture formation.
The time I have spent working on this project has given me a deeper appreciation for the scientific process that is involved in research. From planning the study to writing a Research Proposal to performing the experiments to presenting a virtual poster, I have learned the skills that it takes to become an “expert” in a particular field of research. This summer, I plan to continue working on my myostatin inhibitor project as a SURF student to gain a better understanding of the role this drug plays in treating contractures. I am very thankful to have been given the opportunity to expand upon my previous research through the RaMP Continuation Honors Experience. I am excited to continue my research as a SURF student throughout the upcoming summer!
For my Learning Portfolio, I chose to showcase my virtual poster, which I had the opportunity to submit to the Undergraduate Scholarly Research Showcase. I am also showcasing my written report outlining the research methods and results from this past spring. I hope you enjoy learning more about my research on the sexual dimorphisms of ACVR2B-Fc in the treatment of neuromuscular contractures!
final_virtual_poster_presentation.pdf | |
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emmert_final_written_report.pdf | |
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