RPI Biology Professor Doug Swank, Ph.D., was recently awarded the prestigious Marion J. Siegman Lectureship Award from the American Physiological Society. The award recognizes researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the understanding of muscle contraction and motility.
When you're running up stairs or out on a jog, your muscles eventually start to feel heavy and weak. That's fatigue setting in, a sign that the muscles’ energy reserves are becoming depleted. But a team of researchers led by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) biology professor Doug Swank, Ph.D., have discovered something surprising: certain muscle fibers have a built-in backup system that fights back against fatigue, potentially helping us keep going when we'd otherwise have to stop.
Research on three mutations associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy –a disease best known for revealing itself as an unexpected, fatal heart attack during strenuous exercise – found separate mechanisms at work at the molecular level.
Biologist Douglas Swank is working to unravel some of the biggest mysteries of the human heart with help from an unexpected source – the tiny Drosophila, commonly known as the fruit fly.
Anthony Bishop, Chris Newhard, and Divya Shastry have been awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships, while five other students have been recognized with honorable mention.