Welcome to the Thomson Muscle Lab
Our Focus
Healthy skeletal muscles are incredibly dynamic organs that are capable of adapting to a wide range of mechanical and metabolic stressors. For instance, repetitive loading leads to muscle growth, or hypertrophy, while disuse results in a loss of muscle size or atrophy. Like most tissues in the body, skeletal muscle is also capable of repairing itself after damaging injury. Unfortunately, these growth and repair processes often become short-circuited in old age and other muscle-wasting conditions such as cancer cachexia.
My lab seeks to:
1) Understand the biological basis of muscle-wasting in aging, cancer, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes
2) Discover therapeutic approaches for improving muscle size and function in these diseases
AMP-activated protein kinase is a molecular switch that is critical in maintaining healthy skeletal muscle metabolism and function. We are currently focusing on developing a novel AMPK-activating drug to improve muscle function in aging, cachexia, and other muscle wasting conditions. We are also interested in identifying other targets that may prove helpful in these disorders.
Dr. David Thomson
Cell Biology and Physiology Associate Professor
Email: david_thomson@byu.edu
3013 LSB
Provo, UT 84602
(801) 422-8709