Samuel M. Cadena

TL;DR: A GDF11-specific immunoassay is developed and a trend toward increased GDF 11 levels in sera of aged rats and humans is shown and GDF12 could be a target for pharmacologic blockade to treat age-related sarcopenia.

TL;DR: Analysis of regulation of erythropoiesis using a ligand-trapping fusion protein containing the extracellular domain of human activin receptor type IIB modified to reduce activin binding implicate transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily signaling in erythroid maturation and identify ACE-536 as a new potential treatment for anemia.

TL;DR: Optimism is provided that ACE-031 may be a viable therapeutic in the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases and future studies should be undertaken to confirm that the observed effects are not age dependent or due to the relatively short study duration.

TL;DR: It is found that elevated GDF11 causes signs of cachexia in mice: reduced food intake, body weight, and muscle mass, and a significant elevation in plasma Activin A, previously shown to contribute to the loss of skeletal muscle.

TL;DR: The first detailed behavioral analysis of mice flown in the NASA Rodent Habitat on the International Space Station yields a useful analog for better understanding human responses to spaceflight, providing the opportunity to assess how physical movement influences responses to microgravity.