22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Murine Costal Diaphragm Procedure Development
Jesse C. Lavin
Dr. Laura Fielden, Faculty Mentor
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive trait that is characterized by progressive muscle weakness leading to paralysis and death. The disease is most prevalent in young males although females will typically be carriers of the defective gene. Most cases lead to death before age thirty. The mdx mouse is a good model for DMD because it also fails to express the dystrophin gene of the X-chromosome. It also elicits many phenotypic characteristics associated with the human form of DMD such as skeletal muscle weakness, fibrosis, and fiber necrosis. We have adapted a procedure for measuring tension forces in the costal diaphragm, of the mdx mouse, to allow our lab to achieve the accepted values of force per cross sectional area.
Keywords: mdx, Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, Costal Diaphragm, Tension
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 10-13
Location: PML
Time: 4:15