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.