Augusta University · PhysiologyStepp Lab
David W Stepp · Augusta, Georgia
Research Focus
Dr. David Stepp's lab at Augusta University focuses on understanding how skeletal muscle health can protect against cardiovascular problems caused by obesity. The research looks at how maintaining muscle mass and performance can improve blood vessel function, potentially offering new treatment strategies for individuals with obesity who cannot exercise effectively. The lab explores the roles of specific genes and proteins in muscle and their influence on heart health.
obesityskeletal musclevascular healthcardiovascular diseasegene expressionlipid accumulationexercisemyostatinsarcolipinmetabolism
Research Aims
4AIM 01Investigate how CYP1B1 affects skeletal muscle dysfunction and vascular injury in obesity.
AIM 02Determine the impact of myosteatosis on vascular health in obese models.
AIM 03Explore the therapeutic role of sarcolipin in promoting mitochondrial fat oxidation in skeletal muscle.
AIM 04Identify the molecular mechanisms linking muscle metabolism to vascular health in obese conditions.
Skills the Lab Values
mouse modelsgene expression manipulationmolecular biology techniquesmuscle histologymetabolic assaysWestern blotimmunohistochemistrymetabolic rate measurementdata analysis using Python
Output against the department
Publications196top 34% of dept.97th of 286
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations6.1kbottom 48% of dept.150th of 286
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.