The Institute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia - University of Houston
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College of Pharmacy
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The Institute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia

About the Institute

Muscle loss due to aging and inactivity as well as the muscle-wasting syndrome cachexia in cancer and chronic heart failure have significant impacts on life expectancy and quality of life. In addition, muscle mass loss plays a critical role in the development of metabolic disorders, such as diabetes and obesity, and muscle wasting and cardiomyopathy are common manifestations of many genetic and other muscle disorders, including inherited myopathies and muscular dystrophies. The Institute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia (IMBC) at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy was established to address the critical needs of basic and translational research on muscle biology and development of new drugs for prevention of cachexia and muscle wasting in various disorders.

kumar and darabi in lab

Institute Team

The IMBC is the first institute at UH dedicated to research and education on muscle biology, cachexia, and neuromuscular disorders. The institute is led by Director Ashok Kumar, Ph.D., and Associate Director Radbod Darabi, M.D., Ph.D., National Institutes of Health-supported researchers whose work has been published in such journals as Cell Stem Cell, Cell Reports, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Science Signaling, Nature Medicine and Nature Communications. The IMBC's multidisciplinary membership comprises well-known researchers in the fields of skeletal and cardiac muscle, cancer, and neuromuscular disorders.

The IMBC's dual mission includes performing innovative and impactful research on muscle biology and cachexia and fostering the next generation of scientists. The educational component of IMBC aims to provide research training to undergraduate and graduate students and post-doctoral fellows as well as mentorship to early-stage investigators and junior faculty.

Institute Members

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Muscle Biology & Cachexia Conference

The Muscle Biology and Cachexia Conference May 18-20 at UH's Student Center South will bring together researchers, trainees, and industry representatives focused on skeletal and cardiac muscle biology, muscle stem cells, exercise physiology, cancer, and cancer-associated cachexia to share insights and establish collaborative relationships.

Featuring keynote and plenary presentations by leading researchers from the Texas Medical Center and Greater Houston to institutions across the U.S. and the world, the MBCC-25 also will provide opportunities for trainees to showcase their findings during poster sessions and short talks and compete for presentation awards.

More about MBCC-25

Mission & Goals

The IMBC will be dedicated to advancing innovative scientific research, strengthening grant applications to secure extramural funding, and serving as a hub of interdisciplinary collaboration by engaging students, early-stage investigators, and senior investigators of various scientific backgrounds to understand the basic mechanisms and develop novel therapeutics for muscle wasting, cancer, cachexia, and various neuromuscular disorders, including muscular dystrophy.
The mission of the IMBC will be addressed through the following goals:
a. Lead distinctive and cutting-edge research focused on discovering new drug targets for prevention of muscle loss in conditions like cancer cachexia, sarcopenia, heart failure, and muscular dystrophy.
b. Develop state-of-the-art core facilities to empower research excellence in muscle biology, cachexia, and neuromuscular disorders.
c. Foster a robust research-training program for students and early-stage investigators about muscle biology, cachexia, and muscle disorders in the city and state.
d. Cultivate interdisciplinary collaborations with UH faculty, Texas Medical Center researchers and clinicians, Texas A&M, UTMB, and other state and national universities in order to advance the mission of the institute.
e. Organize annual symposia/conference to highlight research advancements and promote educational initiatives of UH.
f. Develop and provide teaching opportunities for graduate students and post-doctoral fellows to help them become next generation educators and researchers in these areas.
g. Develop community outreach programs to educate patients suffering from cachexia and neuromuscular disorders, raise public awareness, and organize fund-raising activities to support IMBC’s activities.