Langston Lab

Why does exercise induce muscle inflammation? Does local inflammation affect muscle function? Why are aged muscles chronically inflamed? The Langston Laboratory is focused on demystifying the role of the immune system in the regulation of skeletal muscle functions (e.g., contractile, metabolic, endocrine) with an ultimate goal of uncovering novel cellular and molecular targets that can be modulated to preserve or improve muscle health in the face of aging and disease.

Though exercise has been thought of as a panacea for millennia, the cellular and molecular bases of the beneficial effects of exercise are not fully understood. Our work highlights skeletal-muscle inflammation as a critical, yet overlooked, regulator of exercise benefits (e.g., increased oxidative capacity of muscle fibers and enhanced aerobic performance). Mechanical stress, sensed by muscle-resident mesenchymal stem cells, is one signal responsible for such inflammation – we are actively investigating other immunomodulatory signals that are induced by exercise. By developing a more mechanistic understanding of how exercise modulates the immune system, and how inflammation regulates muscle function, we hope to design exercise-inspired interventions to combat modern afflictions associated with chronic inflammation, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes; improve regeneration and performance after injury; reduce the pathology of musculoskeletal diseases, including idiopathic myopathies; and combat age-related frailty (i.e., increase healthspan).