Satellite cells (SCs) are skeletal muscle resident adult stem cells required for muscle repair and regeneration. In uninjured muscle, SCs typically exist in a quiescent state until called upon to participate in tissue maintenance or repair. Upon exiting quiescence, SCs undergo substantial changes in gene expression, protein homeostasis and metabolic regulation.
Research in the lab investigates myogenic cell state transitions, with a focus on metabolic changes accompanying SC activation. Ongoing projects include single-cell gene expression studies, metabolic profiling of differentiating SCs, and examination of SC defects in the context of metabolic disorders. We are also interested in how SCs interact with the muscle microenvironment following traumatic tissue loss (i.e. volumetric muscle loss or ICU/sepsis-associated wasting).
