Tyesha Burks
Education
BS University of Maryland Eastern Shore 2006
PhD Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 2011
Post-doc Johns Hopkins School of Medicine 2016
Courses
FRSE 101: Freshman Seminar for Biology Majors
BIOL 102: Introductory Biology
BIOL 209: General Genetics
BIOL 301: Human Hereditary (in the near future?)
Research Interests
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function. On average, humans begin to lose muscle mass around the age of 50 and it will continue throughout their lifespan. Sarcopenia affects everyone from former elite athletes to people with sedentary lifestyles, albeit to varying degrees and can increase the risks of falls, disabilities, frailty, and death.
The molecular mechanisms underlying sarcopenia are largely unknown, although researchers have identified some pathways associated with it. I am interested in identifying the key signaling pathway modulation(s) that precede the phenotypic findings of sarcopenia. Additionally, I am interested in identifying compounds that will affect the onset and/or progression of sarcopenia.
Awards & Honors
2016 Diverse Issues in higher Education 2017 Emerging Scholars Recognition
2015 The Gerontological Society of America 68th Annual Scientific Meeting Biological Sciences Section Minority Investigator Travel Award
2014 The Gerontological Society of America 67th Annual Scientific Meeting Emerging Scholars and Professional Organization/Biological Sciences Symposium Travel Award
2013 National Institutes on Aging Butler-Williams Scholar
2013 42nd Annual Meeting of the American Aging Association Travel Award
2012 The Gerontological Society of America 65th Annual Scientific Meeting Austin Bloch Post-Doctoral Fellow Award
2012 17th International Congress of the World Muscle Society Student Travel Fellowship Award
2012 Center on Aging and Health 5th Annual Research on Aging Showcase 1st place award Post-doctoral/Junior Faculty Poster
2011 The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting George Sacher Student Award
2011 The Gerontological Society of America 64th Annual Scientific Meeting Biological Sciences Section Trainee Travel Grant Award
2010 15th International Congress of the World Muscle Society Student Travel Fellowship Award
2010 15th International Congress of the World Muscle Society Honorable Mention for Poster Award
Professional Memberships
Council on Undergraduate Research
American Aging Association
Gerontology Society of America
Patents & Publications
Burks TN, Andres-Mateos E, Marx R, Mejias R, Van Erp C, Simmers JL, Walston JD, Ward CW, Cohn RD. “Losartan restores skeletal muscle remodeling and protects against disuse atrophy in sarcopenia.” Sci Transl Med. 2011; 3:82ra37.
Burks TN, Cohn RD. “Role of TGF-β signaling in inherited and acquired myopathies.” Skelet Muscle. 2011;1:19.
Abadir PM, Foster DB, Crow M, Cooke CA, Rucker JJ, Jain A, Smith BJ, Burks TN, Cohn RD, Fedarko NS, Carey RM, O’Rourke B, Walston JD. “Identification and characterization of a functional mitochondrial angiotensin system.” Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2011;108:14849-54.
Burks TN, Cohn RD. “One size may not fit all: anti-aging therapies and sarcopenia.” Aging. 2011; 3:12.
Andres-Mateos E, Brinkmeier H, Burks TN, Mejias R, Files DC, Steinberger M, Soleimani A, Marx R, Simmers JL, Lin B, Finanger Hedderick E, Marr TG, Lin BM, Hourde C, Leinwand LA, Kuhl D, Foller M, Vogelsand S, Hernandez-Diaz I, Vaughn DK, Alvarez de la Rosa D, Lang F, Cohn RD. “Activation of serum/glucocorticoid-induced kinase 1 (SGK1) is important to maintain skeletal muscle homeostasis and prevent atrophy.” EMBO Mol Med. 2012 Nov 19
Andres-Mateos E*, Mejias R*, Soleimani A, Lin BM, Burks TN, Marx R, Lin B, Zellars RC, Zhang Y. Huso DL, Marr TG, Leinwand LA, Merriman, Cohn RD. “Impaired skeletal muscle regeneration in the absence of fibrosis during hibernation in 13-lined ground squirrels.” PLoS One. 2012;7(11).
Burks TN, Marx R, Powell L, Rucker J, Bedja D, Heacock E, Smith BJ, Foster DB, Kass D, O’Rourke B, Walston JD, Abadir PM. “Combined effects of aging and inflammation on renin-angiotensin system mediate mitochondrial dysfunction and phenotypic changes in cardiomyopathies. Oncotarget. 2015 6(14):11979-93.
Xue, Q, Yang H, Li H, Abadir PA, Burks TN, Koch LG, Britton SL, Carlson J, Chen L, Walston JD, Leng SX. “Rapamycin increases grip strength and attenuates age-related decline in maximal running distance in old low capacity runner rats.” Aging. 2016; 8:4.