More Information

Environment-induced heat stress is a major health concern in both humans and animals across the globe. For example, emergency room visits increase dramatically during heat waves and environmental heat represents a continuing and expanding impediment to efficient meat production.  I use pigs as a model organism due to their physiological similarity to humans while also being an agriculturally relevant species.  We aim to identify pathological changes contributing to heat-related muscle injury as a necessary step to the development and deployment of targeted therapeutics.  Our lab has been able to identify molecular and cellular changes within muscle, which include oxidative stress and dysfunctional autophagy. My research is focused on protecting mitochondria or stimulating autophagy as a means to blunt or reverse heat-related injury. I am also exploring a potential role of genetic sex on heat stress-related outcomes as emerging evidence suggests males are more resistant to heat stress-mediated dysfunctions than females.