Understanding How to Control Muscle Size

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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 degradation. 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.