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NIH awards $170M in grants to study molecular changes during physical activity
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The NIH announced it has awarded approximately $170 million to 19 research teams developing a comprehensive map of molecular changes occurring during physical activity.
The awards, part of the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity in Humans program, will in part allow researchers to collect samples of Americans of different races, ethnic groups, sexes, ages and fitness levels, which will be analyzed to determine the effect of physical activity on changes in the body’s chemical molecules, according to a press release from the agency.
With the funds, the awardees will develop recruitment plans for clinical trials, identify methods to analyze tissue samples and develop animal models to better focus research in humans, according to the release.
Recruitment will occur at seven centers, six for adults and one for participants younger than 18 years, beginning in 2018, according to the release.
The awards will also establish seven chemical analysis sites, three sites to conduct physical activity studies in animal models, a bioinformatics center and a coordination center, the NIH stated in the release.
“We have long understood that exercising is beneficial to our overall health, but don’t fully understand the impact of exercise at the molecular level,” Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, said in the release. “The development of a so-called molecular map of circulating signals produced by physical activity will allow us to discover, at a fundamental level, how physical activity affects our health. This knowledge should allow researchers and doctors to develop individually targeted exercise recommendations and better help those who are unable to exercise.”
Disclosure: Collins is an employee of the NIH.