Our main focus is understanding peripheral pathology in HD, and investigating its importance for disease pathogenesis and biomarkers. Our work is based on the hypothesis that insights into peripheral pathology in HD will improve knowledge of key pathogenic mechanisms, possibly providing new biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets.

Skeletal muscle wasting alongside central pathology is a well-recognized phenomenon seen in patients with Huntington´s disease (HD) and HD mouse models. HD muscle atrophy progresses with disease and affects prognosis and quality of life. Satellite cells, progenitors of mature skeletal muscle fibers, are essential for the proliferation, differentiation, and repair of muscle tissue in response to muscle injury or exercise. Ghrelin, a gut peptide hormone, plays an important role in regulating energy metabolism and has been shown to rescue R6/2 mouse catabolism.

Our group investigates the effect of HTT CAG repeat expansion and the impact of ghrelin treatment on satellite cells' proliferation and differentiation capacity.