Ryan Kahn

Ryan Kahn studies how circadian rhythms, the body’s internal 24-hour biological clock, regulate skeletal muscle force production and repair. Specifically, his research focuses on circadian rhythms produced by muscle stem cells (MuSCs). MuSCs are responsible for facilitating muscle repair and adaptation following exercise/rehabilitation sessions and aligning these sessions to specific times of day when MuSCs repair-capacity may be enhanced holds great promise for improving musculoskeletal rehab outcomes. Using preclinical models, Kahn has shown that muscle force production and susceptibility to damage vary by time of day, driven by molecular “clocks” within muscle stem cells. These findings suggest that rehabilitation effectiveness may depend not only on how therapy is delivered, but when it is delivered. As a Brinson Stroke Research Fellow at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Kahn is translating these discoveries toward human studies, with the goal of identifying optimal times of day for rehabilitation that could enhance rehab outcomes for stroke patients.