HES Fall 2021 Seminar Series Tom LaRocca, Ph.D.
Novel Transcriptomic Predictors of the VO2max Response to Training
September 10, 2021 @ 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the HES Teaching Facility
Please join the department in welcoming our Seminar Series speaker, Tom LaRocca, Ph.D.
Tom LaRocca is an assistant professor in Health and Exercise Science and a member of the Center for Healthy Aging at CSU. His lab studies the biology of healthspan (the period of life during which we are healthy and disease-free) using various translational methods, including “omics” and bioinformatics. In this presentation, Dr. LaRocca will discuss new data his lab has generated on transcriptomic (RNA) predictors of improvements in maximal aerobic capacity in response to exercise.
Maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max) is one of the strongest predictors of healthspan, and aerobic exercise training is universally recommended for increasing VO2 max. However, improvements in VO2 max in response to exercise training vary widely among individuals. The mechanisms of this inter-individual variability are largely unknown, but identifying biological predictors and pathways linked with exercise training-induced VO2 max improvements could: 1) increase our ability to prescribe effective, individualized exercise programs; and 2) provide insight on important biological underpinnings of fitness and healthspan.
