Summary of the 28th London Myology Forum

11 July 2024

The London Myology Forum is a series of meetings that provide a regular platform for the presentation and discussion of research into muscle biology, disease and therapy. This series of meetings is a joint venture between King’s College London, University College London and The Royal Veterinary College.

Professor Peter Zammit, Professor of Cell Biology at King’s College London, writes…

The 28^th London Myology Forum meeting was held on Wednesday, 10 July 2024, in The Gordon Museum of Pathology at King’s College London, the largest medical museum in the UK. The meeting started with Professor Heinz Jungbluth, King’s College London, giving a talk on a group of conditions affecting the metabolism of muscle and nerves, linking irregular brain development and neurodegeneration (brain cell damage), followed by Dr Paul Kemp, Imperial College London, discussing the effects of inflammation on muscle loss in diseases that affect the whole body.

Next was Dr Ana Top, John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre at Newcastle University, who considered a skeletal muscle disease involving a muscle-specific protein kinase, a biological catalyst, and titin, an important protein for muscle function. This transitioned nicely into the work of Dr Martin Rees, King’s College London, on distinguishing damaging from harmless changes in titin. There was then a well-earned coffee break for networking to encourage collaboration, generously sponsored by us.

The second half kicked off with Professor Julie Dumonceaux, University College London, on using a muscle protein called myostatin as a (bio)marker to measure progression of disease severity and therapeutic efficacy in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). This was conveniently followed by Dr Philipp Heher, King’s College London, showing how DUX4, the causative gene for FSHD, causes pathology by affecting normal energy production from mitochondria, the cell’s batteries.

Dr Valentina Lionello, University College London, then presented her work on modelling X-linked myotubular myopathy using advanced human skeletal muscle models, before Dr Anna Kowala, University College London, spoke on the role of the connective tissue component collagen VI in muscle stem cell function. This exciting and informative conference ended with Dr John Hildyard, Royal Veterinary College, updating on the mechanics and dynamics of making dystrophin, changes in which cause Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies.

The 29^th London Myology Forum will be held at the Royal Veterinary College on 4^th December 2024.