SDMRC Supported Research Projects

SDMRC Pilot Project Grants

The San Diego Skeletal Muscle Research Center (SDMRC) regularly invites applications for Pilot Proposal Grant funding. The purpose of the SDMRC Pilot Projects is to provide resources for proof-of-concept studies. More information on SDMRC supported funding opportunities. Below is a list of currently funded SDMRC Pilot Projects, including supported scientists and research projects.

	Discovering new epigenetic pathways that regulate skeletal muscle homeostasis Principal Investigator: Andrea Domenighetti, PhD; UC-San Diego Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 This project explores how novel histone-modifying proteins regulate post-natal tissue homeostasis and disease progression in skeletal muscle system.
	Analyzing redundant functions of obscurin and Obsl1 Principal Investigator: Stephan Lange, PhD; UC-San Diego, School of Medicine Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 Supported Scientists: Dr. Jordan Blondelle This project investigates whether loss of Obsl1 or lack of both, obscurin and Obsl1, affects muscle development, sarcomeric structure and ultimately muscle physiology. Results form these experiments may shed light on human myopathies, like the obscurin/Obsl1 and titin linked limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD type 2J). More information on the research focus of Dr. Lange can be found on his lab website.
	A novel mouse model of thin filament shortening in tropomyosin-based nemaline myopathy Principal Investigator: David Gokhin, PhD; The Scripps Research Institute Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 This project investigates whether a novel mouse model of TPM3-R167H-based NM recapitulates the human phenotype of thin filament destabilization and shortening, enabling its use for preclinical development of therapeutic approaches.
	Single cell gene expression profiling of skeletal muscle resident fibro-adipogenic progenitors Principal Investigator: Barbora Malecova, PhD; Sanford Burnham Medical Research Institute Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 One major limitation in the interpretation of bio-medical data is the lack of information on the dynamic transitions of cellular populations within tissue resident cell types and the relative contribution of specific cell subpopulations to physiological and pathological processes. This proposal seeks to address this issue, by exploiting a novel technology to analyze single cell gene expression profiling (SCGEP) of skeletal muscles-derived fibro-adipogenic progenitors (FAPs).
	Identification of transcriptonal changes in skeletal muscle in obesity and after weight loss Principal Investigator: Olivia Osborn, PhD; UC San Diego Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 This project investigates whether the skeletal muscle transcriptome will be altered by obesity.
	Mapping of three-dimensional chromatin interactions in human muscle cells Principal Investigator: Bing Ren, PhD; UC San Diego Funding Period: 06/01/2014 - 05/31/2015 The three-dimensional chromatin organization is emerging as a key determinant of lineage-specific gene expression and promises to reveal currently unknown mechanisms of control of gene expression in terminally differentiated tissues, such as skeletal muscles. This projects investigates whether lineage specific chromatin interactions facilitate the activation of specific genes in fibroblast-derived muscle cells versus isogenic fibroblasts.

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