David J Glass
Dr Glass received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and his M.D. from New York Medical College. After postdoctoral work at Columbia, he worked at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals for 14 years before establishing the Muscle Diseases group at Novartis. Since 2005, he has been Global Head of Muscle Diseases research at Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research.
Our research interests center on the molecular mechanisms underlying skeletal muscle atrophy and hypertrophy, and the changes associated with sarcopenia - the age-related decline in muscle function. Quite a large number of signaling pathways impinge on these phenotypes, and these signals come from an array of other cellular types besides the skeletal muscle fiber, which is obviously also of critical importance. We try to progress from the discovery of the molecules and signals which control these phenotypes, to the understanding of how these molecules function in vivo, to the development of pharmacological agents that might restore muscle to homeostasis, to the eventual trial of these agents in the clinic. The goal is to understand how the skeletal muscle relevant cellular systems work, so that one might be able to improve human health and combat disease.
