The college’s Molecular Muscle Mass Regulation (M3R) lab recently hosted a conference to foster collaborations among muscle researchers from the “tornado alley” region.
The lab, in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation, has a robust molecular muscle lab led by Kevin Murach, an associate professor in the exercise science program. He and his team study how exercise can mitigate the decline of tissue function associated with aging. Murach was inspired to initiate the inaugural Tornado Alley Muscle Meeting due to the groundbreaking research being conducted at the U of A and nearby states.
“The University of Arkansas is reaching a critical mass of skeletal muscle researchers across campus and is growing a reputation for research in this focus area,” he said. “There are also several strong institutions for muscle research in the region.”
Representatives from the U of A, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Baylor University spent a Friday evening and Saturday on the U of A campus sharing research and ideas through insightful presentations and trainee competitions.
Murach, Benjamin Miller and Zach Hettinger from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, and Davis Englund from UAB organized the conference, which featured guest presentation sessions by lab leaders, a panel discussion and two trainee research competitions. Between sessions, attendees enjoyed meals and coffee breaks with colleagues working on muscle research across various disciplines, including aging, exercise, disease, disuse, and nutrition, in both pre-clinical and clinical settings.
The lab leader presentation sessions featured a dozen different speakers, including the conference organizers, from all the institutions represented. The speakers introduced the audience to their ongoing lab research projects and explained the implications of their findings. Many of the speakers used original data to showcase the work they are doing related to muscle research.
Following the presentation sessions, a panel of researchers gathered to answer questions about their experiences in the field. The panel consisted of Anna Thalacker-Mercer from UAB, Hettinger and Sue Bodine from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Cory Dungan from Baylor University and Christopher Nelson from the U of A. Panelists answered questions about the future of muscle research, technology, and artificial intelligence, and even provided young researchers with advice for pursuing a career in muscle research.
A significant focus of the conference was the advancement of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who attended. The conference wrapped up with two research competitions for them. The research blitz competition allowed trainees to present their original research using one PowerPoint slide. With just two minutes each, the contestants explained their hypotheses, research methods, data and conclusions. The trainee lay science competition gave competitors two minutes to present their research in simple, non-technical language designed for a general audience without the use of assistive technology.
Both competitions provided trainees the opportunity to experience preparing and delivering research presentations in a professional setting. The winners of each competition received an award made possible by the generous support of the American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology, which frequently publishes research from the labs represented.
The conference laid the foundation for future collaborations among area professionals. Murach said the meeting provided a space to build connections that are essential for working together to submit competitive large-scale grants with colleagues from multiple institutions.
“The goal of this conference was to bring everyone ‘local’ together, identify synergies and collaborative opportunities, and ultimately submit competitive large-scale grants that crosscut colleges and institutions,” he said.
The Tornado Alley Muscle Meeting was made possible by a College of Education and Health Professions’ WE CARE grant. It also received support from the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) at the U of A and the American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology.
