This Collection aims to showcase advancements in in vitro modeling of skeletal muscle physiology and pathology.
Traditionally, culturing muscle cells relied mainly on the use of immortalized myogenic cell lines capable of differentiating into myofibers, enabling analysis of differentiation, myoblast fusion and the investigation of specific functional processes like hypertrophy. Such models can be useful if the findings are verified by the use of primary cells. The advent of iPSC technology has greatly expanded the scope of in vitro modeling. Human iPSC-derived skeletal muscle cells, i.e. myogenic progenitors and myofibers, can now be generated using various protocols that mimic myogenic differentiation occurring in development. Thus, generation of human muscle cells have become routine, and the use of these is gaining acceptance for modeling genetic disorders using patient-derived iPSC and myogenic cells generated thereof. A limitation of iPSC-derived cell culture models is their immaturity, and this is also true for myogenic cells. Therefore, intense efforts are devoted to promote maturation of such myofibers, either in 3D cultures, by the use of co-culturing other cell types interacting with the myofiber (e.g. motor neurons, fibroblasts, endothelia) or by the use of organoids models in which several cell types are generated.
We invite submissions that explore diverse aspects of skeletal muscle modeling, including but not limited to:
• Optimizing differentiation and maturation of iPSC-derived myogenic cells
• Applications of in vitro models in studying muscle development, regeneration, and aging
• Investigation of molecular mechanisms underlying muscle diseases and disorders
• High-throughput screening of potential therapeutics for muscle-related conditions
• Integration of advanced technologies, such as microfluidics and tissue engineering, in muscle modeling
Contributions employing interdisciplinary approaches and addressing emerging challenges in the field are particularly encouraged.
