Human Skeletal Muscle Wound Repair: An Association between Genetic Variation and Stem Cell Migration? (360G-Wellcome-207194_Z_17_Z)

Insufficient recovery following exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) can lead to muscle injury, with natural genetic variation perhaps influencing the extent of both. Skeletal muscle regeneration is a complex process that is mediated by muscle stem cells (called satellite cells). However, little is known about whether specific genetic variations (polygenic profile) influence dynamics of satellite cells and their impact on skeletal muscle regeneration. For that reason, we aim to conduct an in vitro muscle cell damaging study on primary skeletal muscle stem cells (previously derived from participants with specific polygenic profiles) to provide potential mechanisms regarding the individual response to injury in vitro. We hypothesise that activated satellite cells from individuals with a specific genetic profile will display better rates of recovery, following mechanical injury, compared with cells from participants without this profile. Our objective is to utilise stem cell-based research to provide oversight of the in-depth genetic mechanisms underlying the adaptations of muscle cells to injury repair. Our ultimate aim is to use current technology to prevent injury and promote recovery initially in the sporting world, but ultimately in the wider population as exercise becomes more widely accepted as a health intervention.