Amélie Marais
Amélie Marais’ research looks at a specific type of muscular dystrophy called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD).
Here is some background on DMD:
- Boys with DMD end up experiencing a “typo” in their genes that makes it so they’re missing one of the really important structural proteins in their muscles.
- Overtime they cannot build up their muscles which results in them losing a lot of it.
- Because of this, DMD patients live a shortened lifespan.
- Current treatment options are not good, as the drugs currently available have very negative side effects.
That is where Amélie comes in – her research involves trying to find better ways to treat the disease and one of those ways is by targeting a specific protein, GSK-3. Her research has been showing very promising results, and she hopes treatment to block GSK-3 could be a treatment option for DMD patients. Why is this important? Amélie shares that we are letting DMD patients down and there is not a good understanding of how to treat this disease. Amélie knows she has a responsibility and resources to do this research, by looking into better treatment options to help individuals be stronger for longer, help their families, and reduce any stresses on the healthcare they might experience.
Briana Hockey
Briana’s research investigates how muscles work and how they change with disuse and disease. For example, as we get older or when astronauts go to space their muscles can become small and weak. Briana is looking at ways to help muscles stay strong even in those situations.
Specifically, she is focusing on an enzyme called glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), which plays a role in muscle health. By lowering the levels or activity of this protein—either through genetics or medication—she hopes to boost muscle size and function. This could help people stay stronger as they age, recover faster from injury or inactivity, protect astronauts for space travel, and improve outcomes for those living with chronic diseases, like muscular dystrophy.
When asked why this research matters to Briana, she shares “This research matters to me because it connects my passion for learning how the body works with the goal of solving real-life problems. It’s not just about astronauts—it’s about helping your grandma stay independent, help people bounce back after injury, and supporting healthier lives for everyone including those living with chronic disease. This research has the ability to make meaningful impact on peoples lives”
Characterizing the effects of muscle-specific GSK3α/β reduction on murine muscle contractility and metabolism in female mice
Toward countering muscle and bone loss with spaceflight: GSK3 as a potential target
GSK3 inhibition improves skeletal muscle function and whole-body metabolism in male mouse models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Jessica Braun
How does muscle health affect metabolism? Jessica Braun’s research investigates the function of a protein found in skeletal muscle and heart muscle and how it affects function as well as metabolism! Why is this important?! This protein has not been looked at before, and we need to characterize it well so it can be used in future research with regards to muscle health, aging, muscle dystrophy, and unloading.
Neuronatin promotes SERCA uncoupling and its expression is altered in skeletal muscles of high-fat diet-fed mice
Neuronatin regulates whole-body metabolism: is thermogenesis involved?
Luc Wasilewicz
Luc Wasilewicz studies Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a muscle wasting disease, but the issue he found with current research is most of it has been done at room temperature. For mice, this represents a cold stress and induces physiological changes, which affects results. Luc addresses this issue by housing mice at a temperature that is more physiologically relevant for research.
We call this temperature zone thermoneutral, but you can think about it like a Goldilocks zone – the temperature zone that is just right so you don’t have different metabolic changes that could be occurring and alter their physiology, and then alter how the research is interpreted.
Why is this important to research? Think of this research as fact checking; increasing the accuracy of future research and highlighting the importance of housing temperature for interpreting results. The goal of his research is to provide insights into mechanisms of muscle wasting and test therapeutic options to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Sophie Hamstra
Heart failure, lithium, and calcium movement …. what do we need to know about this? Well, muscles need controlled calcium movement in their cells and in Sophie Hamstra’s research, she is focused on trying to prevent heart failure by maintaining that calcium movement. Why? Sophie has always been interested in cardiovascular function and being a part of the health science field. Taking a chance at the opportunity to do new research allowed her to become part of this project and make important strides forward in this area of study.