Molecular Exercise Physiology Laboratory

The Molecular Exercise Physiology Laboratory (MEPL) at Skidmore College provides undergraduate students an opportunity to learn a variety of cellular laboratory techniques to study how skeletal muscle and adipose tissue adapt to exercise, aging, and diabetes. The MEPL has the ability to assess the activity and abundance of a variety of insulin and growth factor signaling molecules. This is accomplished by standard biochemical laboratory techniques such as gel-electrophoresis, immuno-blotting, immuno-precipitations, Quantitative PCR and a variety of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In addition, glucose transport activity, glycogen synthesis, protein synthesis, and protein degradation rates can be assessed in isolated intact muscles.