Rehabilitation Science faculty, Andrew Judge, PhD, professor in the Dept. of Physical Therapy, and collaborator Glenn Walter, PhD, professor in the Dept. of Physiology and Functional Genomics, received funding from the UF Opportunity Seed Fund for their study, “The Role of Trim63 in Cancer Cachexia.”
The two-year study will focus on Trim 63, which is a muscle specific gene that is important in the breakdown of skeletal muscle. Its levels are significantly increased in the skeletal muscle of people and mice with pancreatic cancer who exhibit significant loss of muscle and body weight, a condition referred to as cachexia. In their newly funded work, Drs. Judge and Walter will determine whether this increase in Trim 63 in muscle is causative in pancreatic cancer-induced muscle wasting and weakness, and further determine the extent to which Trim63 impacts tumor growth, and the metabolic signature of muscle, tumor and blood. Findings from these studies could identify Trim63 as a potential target to counter pancreatic cancer-induced cachexia.
Congratulations Dr. Judge and Dr. Walter!