About MuSkLE
The overall purpose of the MuSkLE (Musculo-Skeletal system, Locomotion & Exercise) consortium is to set up a network of close to 600 scientists (19 teams and 8 institutes) and clinicians in Lyon and Saint-Etienne specialized in the study of the musculoskeletal system, locomotion and exercise. MuSkLE aims at identifying the impact of physical exercise, in particular locomotor activities, on the entire musculoskeletal system in different physiological (e.g., athletes, nutrition) and pathophysiological contexts (e.g., osteoporosis, neuromuscular diseases, cancer, inflammatory rheumatism, aging...). Indeed, exercise has been consistently described as a ‘polypill’ to prevent and care multiple diseases but the posology still has to be defined and individualized.The objective is to break down the borders between fields to propose a true interdisciplinary research on this theme from a molecular to an integrative level, using different models (cell, drosophila, zebrafish, rodent, athlete, patient...).
This original and multi-scale approach (i.e., cellular, tissue, whole organ) will allow to i) improve our understanding of several diseases, ii) study the role of physical exercise and locomotion in their management, iii) understand the plasticity of this system in response to exercise, iv) determine the physiological bases involved in performance improvement.
The MuSkLE consortium is coordinated by Dr Rémi Mounier and Prof. Vincent Pialoux.