Fundamental to the physiology of skeletal muscle is its “plasticity”, or the concept that muscle maintains an ability to adapt to mechanical and/or chemical cues in order to improve functional capacity. This is foundational to all exercise and rehabilitation, as various stimuli are expected to impart positive changes in the health of the muscle. Also fundamental to the physiology of skeletal muscle is an innate healing process following injury. The goals of the laboratory revolve around this foundation and focuses on conditions of skeletal muscle that have altered plasticity and/or limited to no regenerative potential, such as injury, aging, and disease. In particular, we examine the musculoskeletal and neuromuscular systems in efforts to understand and develop effective strategies to address the deleterious effects of complex traumatic muscle injuries, namely volumetric muscle loss. Ongoing work broadly encompasses investigating muscle and nerve interactions, metabolic and fibrotic comorbidities, regenerative rehabilitation treatment strategies, and the combination of these in more complex orthopedic injuries.
We are actively recruiting for a postdoctoral fellow, please see links for candidates external and internal to UMN.
