news & events
Latest Updates
Follow the latest achievements, research announcements, and scientific milestones from the Nutrition and Metabolism Research Group.
October 27, 2026 - Featured Story
Non-steady-state modelling reveals reduced skeletal muscle protein synthesis as the primary driver of disuse-atrophy in young, healthy females
We’re pleased to share a new paper led by Callum Pufahl and Jonathan Mcleod now published in The Journal of Physiology. When skeletal muscle loss occurs during a period of disuse, is it because less proteins are being built, or because more proteins are being degraded? In this work, Callum and Jon tackled this question by applying novel non-steady-state modelling approaches that account for changes in protein pool size. They combined magnetic resonance imaging-derived changes in skeletal muscle volume with the stable isotope tracer deuterium oxide, that let them determine the contribution of muscle protein synthesis and muscle protein breakdown to disuse-induced atrophy in healthy humans. Their primary finding was that declines in muscle protein synthesis, rather than increases in muscle protein breakdown, drive skeletal muscle loss during a period of disuse in healthy humans. This paper is also a milestone for our group. It’s the NMRG’s first stable isotope tracer publication, with all analyses completed in-house. Stay tuned for future publications that build on this work!
October 19, 2026
CSEP 2026 Recap
This past week, Dr. McGlory and six trainees from the NMRG attended the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Annual Conference in Edmonton, Alberta, from Oct 14-17. The conference, co-hosted by the University of Alberta, is the largest and oldest scientific meeting of its kind in Canada, and aims to provide students, trainees, and professionals with the opportunity for knowledge translation, mentoring, and networking. On Oct 14, Seb Camargos presented the preliminary results of the lab’s first bed rest trial in the Graduate Student Poster Awards. On Oct 15, Dr. Tom Tripp presented additional bedrest data with respect to participant orthostatic intolerance, in the Cardiac, Respiratory, and Neuromuscular Physiology poster session. Emily Ferguson and Dani Nyman both had short communication presentations in the Clinical Exercise, Nutrition, and Metabolic Health session. They each presented data from the ACL trial which examined the impact of combined nutrition (essential amino acids + omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) on skeletal muscle recovery after ACL reconstruction surgery. Finally, Dr. Jon Mcleod finished the day as a speaker in the symposium titled: Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in Clinical Populations: From Society to Cells and Back Again, moderated by Dr. McGlory. The final day of the conference (Oct 17) saw short communication presentations from Dr. Tom Tripp in the Neuromuscular and Respiratory Responses to Stress session, highlighting muscular strength and endurance results from the Bedrest trial, and Callum Pufahl in Muscle Adaptation, Protein Synthesis, and Contraction session, featuring highly advanced proteomic analyses from the 10-day single-leg immobilization and exercise trial in young females. Finally, at the CSEP Awards Gala on Oct. 16, two members of the NMRG were formally recognized for their contributions to evidence informed exercise science research and practice, demonstrating integrity, advocacy, innovation, and impact through their work. Seb Camargos was celebrated as a finalist for the Graduate Student Poster Award, and Dani Nyman was awarded the CSEP Travel Award in Honour of Dr. Roy Shephard. The NMRG looks forward to attending the 60th anniversary of CSEP in Halifax, NS in October 2027
October 14, 2026
NMRG at CSEP 2026
Members of the Nutrition and Metabolism Research Group (NMRG) will be presenting their work at the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) 2026 conference in Edmonton. Friday 10:15 – 11:45 AM MDT Dani and Emily will present in the Free Communications: Clinical Exercise, Nutrition and Metabolic Health Session Tom will present a poster in Poster Session 3: Cardiac, Respiratory, and Neuromuscular Physiology 3:40 – 5:10 PM MDT Jon will present at the Symposium: Exercise as a Countermeasure to Skeletal Muscle Dysfunction in Clinical Populations: From Society to Cells and Back Again Saturday 8:30 – 10:00 AM MDT Tom will present in the Free Communications: Neuromuscular and Respiratory Responses to Stress Session 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM MDT Callum will present in Free the Communications: Muscle Adaptation, Protein Synthesis, and Contraction session Attendees are invited to attend these sessions to learn more about the group's ongoing research.
September 7, 2026
Nyman presents ACLR trial findings at ESPEN 2026
PhD candidate Danielle Nyman presented findings from her pilot randomized controlled trial at the 48th ESPEN Congress in Berlin earlier this month. The trial examined whether increased essential amino acid and fish oil intake improves recovery following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. Dani used MRI and deuterated water to measure rates of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and breakdown in participants going about their normal lives, rather than during a short laboratory infusion. The ESPEN Congress is the largest annual meeting in clinical nutrition and metabolism, and this year's edition drew researchers and clinicians from more than 100 countries under the theme "Nutrition is the Mission." Dani presented in Hall Europa on Sunday 6 September. https://espencongress.com/main-programme/