Development of alternative technologies to assess muscle functionality

Skeletal muscle is a dynamic tissue that undergoes many regeneration processes during our lifetime. Loss of skeletal muscle is known as muscle atrophy or sarcopenia and is directly related with quality of life and life expectancy. There are very few diagnostic tools to identify muscle atrophy and the ones available are time-consuming and expensive. Therefore, the most used diagnostic measure for accessing muscle atrophy and recovery is physical examination for patients with a certain mobility status. In the case of bedridden patients, the methods for identify muscle atrophy are invasive and expensive, such as MRI or muscle biopsy. In consequence of this, muscle loss evaluations of bedridden patients are rarely performed. Therefore, the development of an early detection, non-invasive diagnostic tool will benefit patient recovery and improve preventive measures. Consequently, this project will promote research and development besides creating innovative technologies that can be used for the benefit of our community.

Faculty Supervisor:

James Fawcett

Student:

Rafaela Andrade-Vieira

Partner:

Springboard Atlantic

Discipline:

Pharmacy / Pharmacology

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Dalhousie University