ARRA: Determinants of Extraocular Muscle Function

This application is in response to NOT-OD-09-060, "Administrative Supplement Notice for Students and Science Educators under the Recovery Act". Recently, studies supported by the parent project, "Determinants of extraocular muscle function" (ROl EY012998), demonstrated that extraocular muscle mitochondria are intrinsically different from limb muscle mitochondria, a potential explanation for the targeting of extraocular muscles by some mitochondrial myopathies. As the complexity of the experimental approach grows, technological obstacles hinder progress and limit the impact of the proposed studies. In particular, access to new methods and experimental models have become significant impediments to the work. Therefore, the purpose of this supplement is two-fold: to advance the scientific aims of the parent grant and to provide a framework for the training of undergraduate and high school students on contemporary biomedical research.