Leveraging Senotherapeutic Properties of Metformin to Improve Collagen Remodeling during Muscle Regrowth in Older Adults

SCOPE OF WORK University of Kentucky Research Foundation Leveraging senotherapeutic properties of metformin to improve collagen remodeling during muscle regrowth in older adults As a co-investigator in this proposal (University of Utah, PI: Micah Drummond, PhD), I will aid in the design, collection, interpretation and analysis of experimental data. I will leverage my expertise in the in vitro culture of primary fibrogenic/adipogenic progenitor cells (FAPs) as well as second harmonic generation and polarized light microscopy to determine collagen architecture. I will oversee in vitro experiments as well as imaging of human muscle biopsies. My lab will collect data from these experiments that we will share with the PI. I will also aid in the analysis and interpretation of digital microscope images, participating in quantification of collagen and tissue resident stem cells. I will participate in monthly Zoom-based investigator meetings and generation of manuscripts. My contributions with advanced imaging of muscle collagen architecture and FAPs will enable us to define specific cellular and molecular effectors underlying metformin treatment during recovery following immobilization. Identification of these biologic mechanisms is needed to delineate the mechanism(s) of action of metformin on skeletal muscle adaptation during reloading to help validate this novel therapeutic intervention to speed recovery of aged muscle.