Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition,
Center for Muscle Biology
Christopher Fry is an Associate Professor and member of the faculty in the Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition. Chris completed a B.S. in Biology at Baylor University (2006), Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB, 2011) and postdoctoral training in muscle physiology at the University of Kentucky (2014).
He established his research lab at UTMB in 2014. In 2019, Chris relocated his lab to the College of Health Sciences at the University of Kentucky, where he is a senior member of the Center for Muscle Biology. Chris’s research focuses on elucidating the mechanisms that regulate skeletal muscle plasticity to establish interventions to maintain skeletal muscle strength and mass during conditions of muscle wasting. His current and prior work has involved studying the contribution of different progenitor cells to muscle adaptation, and his lab seeks to identify novel therapeutic approaches to enhance functional recovery following injury. Dr. Fry's lab utilizes several different experimental models, including transgenic rodent models, primary cell culture, as well as clinical subject research. His work is funded by the National Institutes of Health among others. He has competed as an amateur bodybuilder and enjoys working out, traveling, cooking and spending time with his wife and son.
Aging differentially affects human skeletal muscle microRNA expression at rest and after an anabolic stimulus of resistance exercise and essential amino acids.
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism Dec, 2008 | Pubmed ID: 18827171
Satellite cell depletion does not inhibit adult skeletal muscle regrowth following unloading-induced atrophy.
American journal of physiology. Cell physiology Oct, 2012 | Pubmed ID: 22895262
Automated fiber-type-specific cross-sectional area assessment and myonuclei counting in skeletal muscle.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) Dec, 2013 | Pubmed ID: 24092696
Regulation of the muscle fiber microenvironment by activated satellite cells during hypertrophy.
FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Apr, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24376025
Tiny transporters: how exosomes and calcineurin signaling regulate miR-23a levels during muscle atrophy. Focus on "miR-23a is decreased during muscle atrophy by a mechanism that includes calcineurin signaling and exosome-mediated export".
American journal of physiology. Cell physiology Mar, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24452375
Fibre type-specific satellite cell response to aerobic training in sedentary adults.
The Journal of physiology Jun, 2014 | Pubmed ID: 24687582
Inducible depletion of satellite cells in adult, sedentary mice impairs muscle regenerative capacity without affecting sarcopenia.
Nature medicine Jan, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 25501907
Aged Muscle Demonstrates Fiber-Type Adaptations in Response to Mechanical Overload, in the Absence of Myofiber Hypertrophy, Independent of Satellite Cell Abundance.
The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Apr, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 25878030
Insulin-resistant subjects have normal angiogenic response to aerobic exercise training in skeletal muscle, but not in adipose tissue.
Physiological reports Jun, 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26038468
Reduced voluntary running performance is associated with impaired coordination as a result of muscle satellite cell depletion in adult mice.
Skeletal muscle , 2015 | Pubmed ID: 26579218
Synergist Ablation as a Rodent Model to Study Satellite Cell Dynamics in Adult Skeletal Muscle.
Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) , 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27492164
Cycle training modulates satellite cell and transcriptional responses to a bout of resistance exercise.
Physiological reports 09, 2016 | Pubmed ID: 27650251
Myogenic Progenitor Cells Control Extracellular Matrix Production by Fibroblasts during Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy.
Cell stem cell 01, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 27840022
ACL injury reduces satellite cell abundance and promotes fibrogenic cell expansion within skeletal muscle.
Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society 09, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 27935172
Methodological issues limit interpretation of negative effects of satellite cell depletion on adult muscle hypertrophy.
Development (Cambridge, England) 04, 2017 | Pubmed ID: 28400431
MyoVision: software for automated high-content analysis of skeletal muscle immunohistochemistry.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) 01, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 28982947
Starring or Supporting Role? Satellite Cells and Skeletal Muscle Fiber Size Regulation.
Physiology (Bethesda, Md.) Jan, 2018 | Pubmed ID: 29212890
Human skeletal muscle macrophages increase following cycle training and are associated with adaptations that may facilitate growth.
Scientific reports 01, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30700754
Effect of Blood Flow Restriction Training on Quadriceps Muscle Strength, Morphology, Physiology, and Knee Biomechanics Before and After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Physical therapy 08, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30951598
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear Promotes Skeletal Muscle Myostatin Expression, Fibrogenic Cell Expansion, and a Decline in Muscle Quality.
The American journal of sports medicine 05, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 30995070
Low skeletal muscle capillarization limits muscle adaptation to resistance exercise training in older adults.
Experimental gerontology 11, 2019 | Pubmed ID: 31518665
Resistance exercise training promotes fiber type-specific myonuclear adaptations in older adults.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) 04, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32134710
Thermal injury initiates pervasive fibrogenesis in skeletal muscle.
American journal of physiology. Cell physiology 08, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32432932
Measuring Exercise Capacity and Physical Function in Adult and Older Mice.
The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences Aug, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32822475
Fusion-Independent Satellite Cell Communication to Muscle Fibers During Load-Induced Hypertrophy.
Function (Oxford, England) , 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32864621
An obesogenic maternal environment impairs mouse growth patterns, satellite cell activation, and markers of postnatal myogenesis.
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism 12, 2020 | Pubmed ID: 32954829
Camille R. Brightwell1,2,
Ted G. Graber3,
Benjamin D. Brightwell4,5,
Matthew Borkowski6,
Brian Noehren5,7,
Christopher S. Fry1,2
1Department of Athletic Training and Clinical Nutrition, University of Kentucky,
2Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky,
3Department of Physical Therapy, East Carolina University,
4Kinesiology and Health Promotion Graduate Program, University of Kentucky,
5Biomotion Lab, College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky,
6, Aurora Scientific,
7Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Sciences, University of Kentucky