The purpose of this project is to recruit an Assistant Professor into the San Diego Muscle Triglyceride Metabolism Core Center. The proposal is designed to integrate this individual into a worid-class group of investigators who have an excellent track record of NIH funding. While a number of our members study muscle function and structure, we do not have an expert in muscle metabolism. The need for such and individual has become obvious based on the clinical findings of intramuscular fat deposition in diabetes, secondary to rotator cuff tear, and in atrophied lumbar musculature. In order to understand these problems and develop effective treatments for them, a researcher with a background in muscle physiology and specialized training in muscle metabolism is necessary. In fact, we have found such an individual - Simon Schenk, Ph.D. Simon is a superbly-trained scientist with an outstanding record of scientific achievement and publication. We have already solicited letters of recommendation from well-know experts in the field including Gregory D. Cartee, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Edward F. Coyle, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin, Jacob (Jed) E. Friedman, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Jeffrey F. Horowitz, Ph.D., University of Michigan, and Jerrold M. Olefsky, M.D., University of California, San Diego. Without exception, these prominent scientist were effusive in their praise of Dr. Schenk professionally and personally. We are thus in the unique position of being able to recruit this postdoctoral fellow into our group and to mentor him regarding the Assistant Professor faculty position. Successful recruitment would create two new jobs that could be leveraged to create others, consistent with the objectives ofthe American Revitalization and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) passed by Congress in 2008.
Many clinical problems result in intramuscular fat deposits. In the fields of sports medicine, orthopaedic surgery and endocrinology, intramuscular fat deposition is viewed as pathological and a sign of muscle functional loss. This proposal is desiged to recruit a muscle metabolic expert to the University of California, San Diego, where such pathologies can be studied and effective treatments developed.
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