Translational Bioenergetics Laboratory research scientist, Sophia Liu, won the F40-44 age group and came in third overall with a time of 2:52:42 in the 2025 Seattle Marathon on Nov. 30. Sophia improved her time by 6 minutes over her previous top finish (first overall) time …

Arjune Dhanekula, former post-doctoral fellow in the lab and ongoing collaborator, recently published a new manuscript in GeroScience showing the critical role of mitochondrial dysfunction in driving age-related degeneration in the mouse aorta. Our group was able to identify a notable increase in mitochondrial dysfunction …

An article in the New York Times on NAD⁺-boosting longevity supplements includes a link to an observational study by the Translational Bioenergetics Lab describing changes in skeletal muscle changes in subjects with Parkinson’s disease link. These changes include reduced NAD(H) levels, lower mitochondrial function and reduced …

Study of Healthy Aging and Physical function with Elamipretide (SHAPE) We have reported health benefits from single dose elamipretide injection in older adults. The goal of this study is to establish the safety and tolerability of 4-weeks of daily subcutaneous injections in older adult and explore the potential benefits to skeletal muscle and …

Dr. Matthew Campbell has been awarded a grant from the NIA to study mitochondrial redox-sensitive signaling and substrate utilization following muscle contraction (K01AG086542). Previous work by Dr. Campbell has shown that improving redox status has a beneficial effect on mitochondrial and muscle function (PMID: 30597195). …

Abstract: With age, skeletal muscle loses mass, strength, and metabolic function, partly due to oxidative stress and impaired mitochondrial responses, contributing to frailty and sarcopenia. This project develops novel three-dimensional engineered muscle tissue (3D-EMT) from primary human myoblasts of older (>70 years) and younger (36–69 …

Sydney Pruss Effects of Chronic Mitochondrial Stress and Exercise-Training on Mitochondrial Antioxidant Capacity Shaan Chetanwala Investigating the Interaction of Senescence and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Age-Related Aortic Disease Christian Paulos Comparison of Skeletal Muscle Force in Aged Three-dimensional Engineered Muscle Tissues and In Vivo Rodent Models …

We’re proud to share that Dr. Arjune Dhanekula’s presentation, “Mitochondrial Dysfunction Drives Aging in the Thoracic Aorta,” won first place at the University of Washington Department of Surgery’s Schilling Symposium. This annual symposium showcases innovative research from surgical residents, spanning both clinical and benchtop investigations. …

Dr. Matthew Campbell has recently been awarded a grant from the NIA to study the effects of age in 3-dimensional engineered muscle tissue (3D-EMT) models of aging (R21AG088504). Decreased skeletal muscle mass, specific force, increased overall fatty infiltration in the skeletal muscle, frailty and depressed …

We are excited to share that Christian Paulos has been awarded the prestigious Mary Gates Research Scholarship, a highly competitive honor recognizing outstanding undergraduate researchers at the University of Washington. This award highlights Christian’s dedication, hard work, and the innovative research he is conducting in …

Ethan Ostrom, a post-doctoral scholar in the Translational Bioenergetics Lab, was recently awarded a Young Investigator Award for presenting his work at the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine in Savannah, Georgia. Ethan has a longstanding interest in mitochondrial function and redox signaling. His work …

The Marcinek and Regnier lab just received a new R01 from the NIA to study the mechanisms by which treatment with urolithin A, a mitochondrial  targeted intervention improves energetics and contractile function in the aging heart. 

The 31st Annual Summer Training Course provides intense exposure to current concepts in experimental aging research to approximately 20 research scientists to facilitate development of independent research programs in the basic biology of aging. It is primarily designed for junior faculty and advanced fellows with …

David Marcinek delivered the presentation, “Mitochondria in Aging: Bench to Bedside and Back Again”, in the monthly DLMP seminar series on January 23, 2024. This presentation covered some of the work in the Marcinek lab over the last decade moving between basic mechanisms and clinical …

The UW Nathan Shock Center (NSC) is one of 8 NIA funded P30 centers whose mission is to provide leadership and resources to advance research into the basic mechanisms driving aging. Aging is the single greatest risk factor for nearly all chronic diseases so a …

Anna Bakhtina and Gavin Pharaoh et al. recently published a new study in the high impact journal Nature Aging identifying that “Skeletal muscle mitochondrial interactome remodeling is linked to functional decline in aged female mice.” Aging is a complex process involving many biological changes leading …

Matthew Campbell et al. have recently published a new study in the journal of Geroscience demonstrating, “Intermittent treatment with elamipretide preserves exercise tolerance in aged female mice.” Elamipretide (ELAM) is a short tetrapeptide that interacts with cardiolipin and cardiolipin-interacting proteins on the inner mitochondrial membrane. …

Mischley et al. has published a new paper with a goal to identify a signature of bioenergetic and functional markers in the muscles of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The study shows that the mitochondrial dysfunction (low NAD+ and ATP) is associated with worse PD …

To get a more complete picture of the role of mitochondria in disease it is important to be able to both assess function in the intact system (in vivo) and dissect specific aspects of mitochondrial function without the complications of other cell systems (ex vivo). …

Berry et al. have recently published an article on Optogenetic rejuvenation of mitochondrial membrane potential extends C. elegans lifespan demonstrating mitochondrial control over the aging process in the nematode worm model. Their findings show that optogenetically increasing mitochondrial membrane potential during adulthood using a light-activated …

Valencia et al. paper describing “How aging increases susceptibility to develop cardiac hypertrophy following high sugar consumption”, published in Nutrients December 2022. Aging and poor nutrition are risk factors for heart disease, and pathological cardiac hypertrophy can lead to heart failure. High sugar consumption is …

Matthew Campbell et al. have recently published a new study in the journal of Geroscience demonstrating Elamipretide effects on the skeletal muscle phosphoproteome in aged female mice. Elamipretide (ELAM) is a short tetrapeptide that interacts with cardiolipin and cardiolipin-interacting proteins on the inner mitochondrial membrane. …

Brandon Berry will talk about “Preserving Mitochondrial Energetics with Age using Optogenetics” in a webinar, organized by Twitter based group @MitOtalks. To register, please send email with subject line “Join MITOtalks” to MITOtalks@gmail.com To follow their twitter page, please go to https://twitter.com/MitOtalks. Date: October 20th, …

Gavin Pharaoh will be presenting his work on “ADP Insensitivity in Muscle Aging” at the 2022 UW CTMR Annual Symposium – UW Center for Translational Muscle Research. To register for the talk, please use the following link: https://ctmr.washington.edu/2022-uw-ctmr-annual-symposium/

The Diabetes and Metabolism Seminar Series and NW-MRC Center Presents: Nutrition, Metabolism and Metabolomics: New Frontiers and Intersections — where Matthew D. Campbell presents his work on “Muscle contraction induced changes to mitochondrial substrate use”. To register for the talk, please use the following link: …