Nowadays, it is common to see people with constant muscle pain, due to improper exercise or normal wear and tear. In more severe cases, however, stem cells named ‘satellite cells’ in the skeletal muscles can help in muscle repair. When satellite cells don’t function properly, deterioration of muscles occurs, leading to muscle weakness and fibrosis.

Satellite cells remain in two states: they either ‘lurk’ or ‘start’ to turn into muscle. The research team in the Center for Molecular Medicine from the University of Georgia have found a technology which could control the switch between two states of satellite cells.

Hang Yin, assistant professor in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of biochemistry and molecular biology, said "When a muscle is damaged, we can use this technology to turn more satellite cells into muscle cells, which greatly accelerates the muscle repair."

Under low oxygen conditions, the satellite cells lurk but under optimal circumstance, they replicate themselves and turn into muscle.

Yin said, "We showcased in this study that a small molecular compound called a HIF2a inhibitor can trick satellite cells to sense or not sense hypoxia, and hence control their behaviors."

Hence the next study would target these HIF2a inhibitor drugs to improve muscle repair.