Published March 27, 2025
CGTE researchers Dr. Stelios Andreadis, center director, and Dr. Kirk Personius are lead co-authors of a paper in the October 24th edition of Nature Communications.
This study describes experiments that support the novel hypothesis that reprogramming skeletal muscle to a pro-regenerative state increases its ability for innervation. Specifically, transient expression of the pluripotency transcription factor NANOG reprograms the muscle to an embryonic-like state, increases the number of satellite cells and prevents atrophy. In a sciatic nerve transection model, NANOG-reprogrammed muscle became conducive to innervation leading to synapse formation and improved motor function, electromyography (EMG) recordings and force generation capacity.
Andreadis is a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Personius is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science.