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Developmental Biology Boot Camp

Muscle Resources

The ALS ice bucket challenge became a viral internet sensation in 2014, generating over $100 million of contributions towards ALS in a matter of weeks. (Chris Rand [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]).
The ALS ice bucket challenge became a viral internet sensation in 2014, generating over $100 million of contributions towards ALS in a matter of weeks. (Chris Rand [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)]).

The NIH contains many supported scientific areas with relevant connections to muscle tissue, with some focused entirely on muscle. Of these, perhaps most noteworthy is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease center (NIAMS). Within NIAMS, there is i) the Muscle Disorders and Therapies Program, which focuses mostly on diseases of skeletal muscle, both acquired and inherited, as well as the ii) Muscle Development and Physiology Program, focused more on the basic biology underlying muscle growth, development, and maintenance. This latter branch also encompasses muscle adaptation to exercise. Also within the NIH, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, while mostly neuro-centric, also has ties to muscle for disorders like MD or ALS. Contributions by the American Heart Association (AHA) are also noteworthy, which sponsored $441.8 million in 2018 towards research aimed at heart muscle growth, health, and development. Finally, the ALS ice bucket challenge turned from a fundraising campaign into a viral internet sensation 2014, resulting in charitable donations exceeding $100 million in just weeks after the campaign initiated.