Ohio Physiological Society Meeting – 2021
- Post by: Andrew Voss
- September 22, 2021
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We had a great time this past weekend at the annual Ohio Physiological Society meeting in Cleveland. Thanks to all of the faculty and students at Case Western Reserve University in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics for hosting the meeting and putting on such a great conference.
Steve Burke, a research associate in the lab, presented data he has been gathering over the past couple of years. The project is looking at muscle force production in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease. Our lab has been working to assess how ion channel defects in skeletal muscle and altered neurotransmission affects muscle performance in these mice.
For his master’s thesis, Steve developed a system that allows us to measure in situ muscle force from the plantar flexor muscles by electrically stimulating the sciatic nerve. He also developed a long exercise protocol that consists of repeated tetanic contractions to assess muscle fatigue in R6/2 mice. This study has resulted in some other discoveries that we are excited to publish.
Steve, our collaborators, and I are currently working on a manuscript that will be published this year. We can’t wait to unveil the complete project. We think these data could open new doors to aid in studying this disease and highlight a novel treatment target. Check back here and follow our LinkedIn page for more updates on this work.
As always we appreciate the opportunity to present and all of our colleagues for the wonderful conversations and the constructive feedback. Thanks again to Case Western for putting on such a great meeting. We are grateful we had the opportunity to attend. See you next year!