Sarah M Judge,

Dr. Sarah Judge has 17 years of research experience investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive skeletal muscle wasting and impaired regeneration in the context of inactivity and disease. She has published more than 35 original research articles in this area, 10 as first-author, and 5 as corresponding/co-corresponding author. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Judge’s research has largely centered on better understanding mechanisms of cancer-induced muscle wasting/catabolism, which is a defining feature of the wasting syndrome known as cachexia. Cachexia is a complex metabolic disorder thought to be driven by both central and peripheral impacts of systemic inflammation induced by the presence of cancerous cells, but is common to other conditions and chronic diseases associated with systemic inflammation, including sepsis and chronic kidney disease. In patients with cancer, the loss of lean muscle mass associated with cachexia decreases patient quality of life, reduces tolerance to cancer treatments and is predictive of poor survival. Despite this, there is no US FDA-approved pharmacological agent to treat cachexia, highlighting a critical need to better understand the underlying mechanisms driving cachexia. Dr. Judge is Principal Investigator on an active R01 award from the NIH/National Cancer Institute looking at mechanisms of cachexia induced by pancreatic cancer, and also serves as co-PI on an NIH Small Business Grant investigating novel therapeutic targets to treat cachexia induced by multiple cancer types.

0000-0002-3974-0247

• Cancer Cachexia
• Muscle atrophy
• Skeletal muscle wasting
• muscle inactivity
• pre-clinical models