Regeneron muscle atrophy research

[Guest guest]

(Regeneron is one of the major funders of NT-3 CMT research)

Understanding How to Control Muscle Size

http://www.regeneron.com/research/disease_template.asp?v_c_id=16

Many different medical conditions cause muscle shrinkage, or atrophy,

such as when a patient suffers from cancer or AIDS, or simply when a

limb is casted following injury, or even when a

patient undergoes prolonged bed rest. Furthermore, the normal

atrophy that accompanies aging, termed sarcopenia, can contribute to

debilitating fraility in older patients. In such settings of muscle

atrophy, the patient has few therapeutic choices to prevent muscle loss.

Muscle size is maintained by a balance between processes that promote

muscle growth via increasing protein synthesis, and processes that cause

muscle atrophy by initiating protein egradation. For example, tumors

might cause muscle atrophy by secreting certain molecules which can

signal muscle cells to

increase protein breakdown.

The cellular signals in muscle tissue which initiate muscle protein

synthesis and breakdown are only now beginning to be understood.

Regeneron scientists have identified key cellular proteins that mediate

the muscle growth process, and they have also identified proteins

required for muscle atrophy. Furthermore, they have demonstrated that

that they can manipulate these proteins, primarily by using genetic

approaches, to cause either muscle growth or to block muscle atrophy in

preclinical models.

These findings provide new potential targets that may lead to novel

therapeutics for healthy muscle maintenance. Regeneron is researching

muscle atrophy and related diseases in collaboration

with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, Inc.