Custom-engineered extracellular vesicles as a remedy for muscle wastering conditions

Skeletal muscle mass is finely regulated by the balance between the accumulation of newly synthetized proteins (anabolism) and the degradation of pre-existing proteins (catabolism). Hypertrophy and atrophy, guided by cellular and molecular determinants from anabolic and catabolic pathways, are two linked yet distinct mechanisms that drive muscle mass regulation. Muscle hypertrophy plays a crucial role in skeletal muscle functionality, in both physiological conditions and after chronic or acute damages (2). This is in fact the case with muscular dystrophies. The overall goal of this project will be the establishment of custom-engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs), where the therapeutic potential of these EVs will be challenged in hopes of inducing/refute skeletal muscle hypertrophy in various mouse models. We will also decipher whether the maintenance of a hypertrophic phenotype for mouse models of muscle hypertrophy are due to specific exosomal miRNA enrichments. 

This research is in collaboration with Dr. Gunnar Buyse and Dr. Liesbeth De Waele.