The "Munich Muscle Meeting" - the Chair for Sport Biology started an interdisciplinary meeting about "musculature" under this title in 2016. On Thursday, November the 16th, already the sixth such meeting took place. For this scientific meeting, around 45 experts from different research facilities came to the AUDI Lounge in the Prevention and Performance Labs (PPL).
"In Munich about 15-20 research groups exist, which concern themselves in completely different ways with the topic of "Musculature" - from the fields of medicine to biomechanics and also molecular biology," as described by Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage, Full Professor at the Chair of Sport Biology. Aside from the Chair of Sport Biology as well as the Professorship for Biomechanics in Sports at the TUM Department of Sport and Health Sciences, further research groups attended, for example from the Helmholtz Center, the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry, the University of the German Federal Armed Forces in Munich as well as from the Ludwig Maximilian's University (among other things, the Friedrich-Baur Institute) and the Technical University of Munich (among other things, the German Cardiological Center and the Rechts der Isar Hospital).
Interdisciplinary exchange and initiation of co-operation
"Our goal was to bring all groups in Munich together so that we can carry out an interdisciplinary exchange and initiate co-operation, in order for all to profit from it in the end," explains Prof. Wackerhage. "Through this interdisciplinarity, there is increased value for all of those involved. After all, different activities can also be implemented by partners, whose laboratory is particularly equipped for this purpose or whose personnel demonstrate special skills here," adds Dr. Martin Schönfelder, who is a scientific staff member at the Chair of Sport Biology.
In the course of the meeting, current research projects as well as completed scientific work are presented - the spectrum extends from guest lectures by professors on new publications, as well as master's and bachelor's theses. "The meeting was also arranged by us consciously as a possibility for the scientific new generation, on the one hand for them to learn from the experts and, on the other hand, to present their own work before a competent field," says Dr. Schönfelder.
19 institutes cross-linked, 45 participants at the 6th Munich Muscle Meeting
Already around 16 months after its establishment, the meeting has established itself. This is also reflected in the list of participants who attended on last Thursday - among them were, for example, Professor Jürgen Schlegel (Institute of Pathology at Rechts der Isar Hospital), Manfred Blobner (Anesthesiology Clinic at Rechts der Isar Hospital) and Agnes Görlach (Experimental and Molecular Pediatric Cardiology at the German Cardiological Center).
Dr. Marta Murgia (Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry) presented their research on the aging of muscle fibers, which she published this year in the journal Cell Metabolism. This Italian works in Padua together with Prof. Stefano Schiaffino, one of the world-wide, most renowned researchers on musculature. Sander Verbrugge (a doctoral candidate at the Chair of Sport Biology) demonstrated a research review on the influence of different genes for regulating muscle mass, Dr. Kenneth Dyer (Helmholtz Center) reported on the "muscle clock". For this, the physiologist analyzed which activities are accomplished by the musculature at which time of the day. The two students, Sarah Reese (Sport Biology at the TUM) and David Wnendt (Institute of Pathology/Neuropathology at the TUM) respectively presented their Master's and Bachelor's theses.
The "Munich Muscle Meeting" is organized at intervals of about three months by one of the currently participating 19 groups. The 7th Munich Muscle Meeting is planned for March/April 2018. Host will then be Dr. Peter Meinke from the Friedrich-Baur Institute of the LMU.
To Information on the Munich Muscle Meeting
To Homepage of the Chair of Sport Biology
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Henning Wackerhage
Chair of Sport Biology
Uptown Munich, Campus D
Georg-Brauchle Ring 60/62
80992 Munich
Telephone: 089 289 24480
Email: Henning.Wackerhage(at)tum.de
Text: Fabian Kautz
Photos: Fabian Kautz