Greising's research is lead feature in University's Research & Innovation Office "Dual Use Discoveries" series

The University of Minnesota's Research & Innovation Office (RIO) has launched a collection of stories on dual use research, research that is "supported by national security agencies and companies and has had significant civilian use and value for the public." The lead feature, "Helping Soldiers and Other Trauma Victims Rebuild Muscles that Work," highlights the impressive contributions of the School of Kinesiology's own Sarah Greising, PhD, associate professor and director of Skeletal Muscle Plasticity and Regeneration Laboratory (SMPRL). Greising's work pioneers a breakthrough treatment for soldiers and trauma victims with severe muscle injuries (VML, or volumetric muscle loss) that don't heal naturally. The lab’s work discovered that combining the oral form of formoterol, an asthma drug, with physical rehabilitation restores muscle mass and function in ways previous treatments were unable to achieve. "This drug has done a few things we have not seen happen in previous VML models before," she said. Greising's work, supported by the Department of Defense, stems from her time at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research working with injured soldiers. After successful foundational studies, she is now progressing to large animal trials with the goal of human clinical trials. If successful, the treatment will benefit military personnel and civilian trauma victims from vehicle and farm accidents nationwide.