Researcher Priscilla Clarkson of the SPHHS Exercise Science Department has seen many muscles at work at the Totman Gym at the University of Massachusetts, but now, thanks to cutting-edge technology, she can examine them in a whole new light. Clarkson is the principal investigator for a three-year, multi-university study of the role of genotype, or genetic makeup, in the development of muscles in the upper arm. The project is funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Eric Hoffman, of the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., is the principal investigator for the entire project while Clarkson serves as the principal investigator at the UMass Amherst site. She is also Associate Dean of Academic Affairs for SPHHS.

"It may be surprising, but we know very little about the genetic aspects of human muscle," Clarkson said. "We don't really know how genes direct or affect a muscle's ability to repair itself or to adapt to different
       
situations. Or, why a particular exercise can make one person gain in muscle mass and not another. Using knowledge gained in the Human Genome Project and the use of micro-array technology, we now can look at the genetic components of muscle development closer than ever before."

Clarkson pointed out that this three-year study may help NASA scientists better prepare astronauts for maintaining muscle mass during long space flights, or may provide insights into the causes of muscle-wasting diseases, such as muscular dystrophy.

With a grant of nearly $400,000, Clarkson and her colleagues are studying the development of muscle strength and mass in approximately 1,400 participants at eight sites, including UMass, the University of Connecticut, Hartford (CT) Hospital, Children's Research Institute of Washington, D.C., Central Michigan University, Dublin (Ireland) City University, West Virginia University, University of Central Florida, and Appalachian State University. UMass researchers designed the strength test that is being used at all the sites.

Participants at the UMass and UConn sites must go to Hartford Hospital for magnetic resonance imaging tests to measure muscle mass before they begin a twice-weekly exercise program for a full semester (12 weeks). The first group of participants is made up of students who do not regularly exercise, and who are willing to submit to genetic profiling through blood tests. In order to make the study uniform, all participants at all sites follow the same regimen, and must guarantee they will attend every exercise and testing session. In exchange, they are paid small stipends.