The impact of aging on the biology of endurance exercise-derived exosomes
Description: Canada's population aged 60 years and older will nearly triple within 50 years, and those older than 80 represent one of the fastest growing subpopulations in the country. Currently, they represent ~15% of the population but account for ~40% of hospital services in provincial and territorial health care spending. The impact of aging on muscle health and general well-being is broad and multi-faceted, including impaired function, increased morbidity and reduced quality of life. Exercise is a fundamental component of human health, as regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of physical disability, chronic diseases, and extend the functional lifespan. The benefits of endurance exercise appear to be systemic, as they occur not only in muscle but across many other tissues as well. The term 'exerkines' can be used describe factors released in response to exercise without indicating a specific tissue or organ of origin, contained within cellular packages called exosomes. These complex systemic signals, responsible for these metabolic benefits following exercise, have not been elucidated. Understanding these factors in the context of aging is crucial to the development of therapeutic interventions and strategies in order to reduce age-related co-morbidities and disease. Thus, the aim of this study proposal is to use a human exercise model to describe the exercise-induced factors that provide systemic benefits and further our understanding of how they are transported to the muscle, organs and other tissues in the context of aging. To investigate this, we will compare the biology of exerkines following short- and long-term exercise in older as compared to young individuals. Thus, our main goal is to identify how the aging process affects the biology of exerkines in response to exercise. Our findings will further our understanding of exercise physiology, helping inform and develop therapies to help mitigate the various comorbidities of human aging.
Amount: CA$135,000
Funding type: fellowship
Funder scheme: CIHR Fellowship
Start date: 2017-10-01
End date: 2020-09-30
Investigator: Joshua Nederveen
Institution: McMaster University
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Funded outputs count: 0
Funder award ID: 152458_1
OpenAlex ID: G8962764029