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SUMMARY:Optimizing mechanosensitive tissue regeneration
DTSTART:20120417T153000
DTEND:20120417T163000
DTSTAMP:20260407T020704Z
UID:de32a591739d02ac2e3f574874e2b6d7f0ab70f0ca66afb5a425be63
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Alfredo Franco-Obregon (Institut für Biomedizinische Techn
 ik\, ETHZ)\nABSTRACT :\nThe human race is rapidly aging. It has been estim
 ated that in some western countries the number of individuals over retirem
 ent age will double in less than a quarter century\, a change in global de
 mographics that will be mirrored by increases in age-related infirmities a
 nd rising health care costs. The additional socioeconomic burden of simply
  maintaining the steadily aging population ambulatory and self-sufficient 
 will be most strongly felt in Sweden\, Japan and Switzerland\, the countri
 es with oldest populations on earth.\n\nUnderlying most age-related infirm
 ities is a disruption of mechanosensitive tissue development\, particularl
 y of skeletal muscle\, which comprises the bulk of our body mass as young 
 adults. In early adulthood\, myogenesis is exquisitely responsive to physi
 cal activity (exercise) having a profound impact on physiological well-bei
 ng: 1) skeletal muscle activity provides a mechanical stimulus that promot
 es the developmental programs of muscle itself\, but also of bone\, connec
 tive and vascular tissues\; 2)\; as our largest tissue\, skeletal muscle a
 cts as a reservoir for many of the body’s most important metabolites\, a
 mino acids and minerals\, assuming a major homeostatic role in body mainte
 nance\; 3) skeletal muscle is a major source of the insulin-like growth fa
 ctors (IGF-1s)\, our most important anabolic agent\; 4) as a prime target 
 of insulin\, skeletal muscle helps maintain insulin levels within safe ran
 ges\; 5) skeletal muscle\, as it is essential for coordinated movement and
  stability\, prevents falls and injuries\; and 6) skeletal maintains metab
 olic efficiently by providing most of the bodies heat. Unfortunately\, our
  ability to mechanically-stimulate the development of skeletal muscle grea
 tly diminishes in old age resulting in up to a 40% loss of total muscle ma
 ss by our 8th decade. Importantly\, areas of muscle (and bone) loss are in
 filtrated by fat deposits of unique and insidious origin that release cyto
 kines\, further accelerating bone and muscle catabolism and overwhelming t
 he already dwindling levels of IGF-1s. Thus\, the loss of skeletal muscle 
 mass with advanced age (a clinical condition known as sarcopenia) underlie
 s many disorders associated with advanced age such as diabetes\, osteopeni
 a\, cardiovascular disease\, degenerative joint disease and systemic catab
 olism while concomitantly reducing our resistance to infection and comprom
 ising our ability to overcome trauma. Succinctly\, sarcopenia sets into mo
 tion a vicious auto-degenerative cycle that literally consumes the elderly
  into a state of fatal fragility. My research concerns the development of 
 strategies designed at maintaining muscle mass in the elderly and in perso
 ns suffering from imposed immobilization at the level of muscle regenerati
 on. We also study the fundamental cellular mechanotransduction process tha
 t initiates the developmental programs of our major mechanosensitive tissu
 es.\n\nABOUT THE SPEAKER :\nDr. Franco-Obregón received his PhD in the Ne
 urosciences at the University of California at San Francisco\, where he st
 udied the contribution of calcium entry via mechanically-gated channels in
  muscular dystrophy. His main scientific focus continues to be the underst
 anding of the biophysical mechanisms influencing skeletal muscle cell surv
 ival and development. He is currently in the Space Biology Group of the Sw
 iss Federal Institute of Technology\, the ETH where he leads the Rehabilit
 ation and Regenerative Strategies Group. He is currently on the editorial 
 board of the Journal of Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
LOCATION:CM 1 4 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CM%201%204
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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