Editor's note: See our Director's Seminar web page for upcoming speakers and topics, as well as videos of events that have already occurred.
Marni Boppart, a professor of kinesiology and community health, will speak at noon Thursday, Nov. 5 as part of the Beckman Institute’s Director’s Seminar series. Boppart will discuss "Pursuing the Fountain of Youth: Development of Novel Therapies to Rejuvenate Aged Skeletal Muscle." Fall presentations will be presented online through Zoom; registration is required to access the lectures.
Marni Boppart"Pursuing the Fountain of Youth: Development of Novel Therapies to Rejuvenate Aged Skeletal Muscle"
The Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging estimates there will be 72.1 million people older than 65 years by 2030 (19% of the US population), twice as many as existed in the year 2000. The predicted increase in the aged population will undoubtedly impact the number of individuals seeking treatment for disabilities associated with a decline in skeletal muscle mass and function. In this talk, Boppart will highlight novel stem cell-based approaches they are developing to improve recovery of skeletal muscle mass and function following a period of disuse (bed rest, limb immobilization). The ultimate goal is to effectively preserve lean mass and extend health span in older adults.
Speaker Biography
Marni Boppart received her Sc.D. in applied anatomy and physiology from Boston University and completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard Medical School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health and is the head of the Molecular Muscle Physiology Laboratory, located at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. She is an affiliate member in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. She also serves on the faculty for the Carle Illinois College of Medicine, and is the leader for the Extracellular Vesicle Imaging and Therapy working group at the Beckman Institute. She is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine, associate editor of Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, associate editor of the Journal of Applied Physiology, and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her current research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular basis for skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise and the development of novel therapeutics that have the potential to prevent or treat age-related disabilities.
