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Drug Repurposing to Mimic the Effects of Exercise Training for Targeted Health Effects

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William E. Kraus, M.D.

William E. Kraus, M.D.

Johnson Distinguished Professor of Cardiovascular Genomics
Duke University
Timothy A. Johnson Medical Scholar Lecture

Drug Repurposing to Mimic the Effects of Exercise Training for Targeted Health Effects

Date: Feb. 25, 2025

Time: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. (Reception and hors d'oeuvres at 5 p.m.)

About this Seminar

The health benefits of exercise training are substantial; however, how these effects are mediated are poorly appreciated to date. Although much is known about the molecular mechanistic responses to acute exercise, little is known about the chronic molecular mechanistic effects of exercise training mediating the maintenance of exercise-mediated health benefits. We are gaining greater understanding of upstream pathway effects on epigenetic mechanisms and understanding of detraining effects, dose-response effects, and the effects of different exercise modalities separately and in combination. We are expecting such information to provide much needed insight into the molecular responses to exercise training mediating its health benefits on physical fitness, body composition, insulin action, lipoprotein metabolism and metabolic syndrome—the core of cardiometabolic risk. Understanding the mechanisms whereby exercise training mediates its effects will have two major benefits. It will promote an understanding of methods for tailoring exercise training programs to an individual’s specific clinical needs — promoting personalized lifestyle medicine. Also, it will provide critical information for the development of new or repurposed therapeutics for the myriad of health conditions exercise treats so well. 

Additional Details

This is a free event hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine. The Timothy A. Johnson Medical Scholar Lecture Series hosts clinician scientists who are exploring frontiers of medicine. These lectures are principally intended for Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine students and Virginia Tech students in the Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health graduate program. Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic faculty, staff, and students may also attend.

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