The Tobin Lab at Trent University
Welcome! The Tobin Lab studies how muscle and immune cells behave and communicate in various conditions associated with chronic inflammation, such as aging.
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A new area that we are working on is related to mitochondrial tRNA modification by an enzyme called TRIT1. Deficiency in TRIT1 causes an extremely rare disease called Combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency 35 (Coxpd35).
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Click here to find out more about projects in the lab.
​​NEWS​
March 2026: Congratulations to undergraduate thesis student Megan Tapajna for winning Best Presentation in Physiology & Biomechanics at Ontario Biology Day 2026!
The Tobin Lab has received a Research Development Grant from Trent University to further our understanding of the role of TRIT1 in muscle.
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Jan 2026: The Tobin Lab was recently awarded funding through the Canada Foundation for Innovation's John R. Evans Leaders Fund (CFI-JELF). This funding was awarded in partnership with Professor Holly Bates and will be used to purchase new equipment to study muscle strength and body composition in mouse models of disease. See a summary on Trent News.
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Nov 2025: New paper alert! The Monocrotaline Model of Hypertension Leads to Cachexia in Male but Not Female Mice Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, 2025; 16:e70129. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.70129
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Oct. 2025: New paper alert! Cytokinins Are Age- and Injury-Responsive Molecules That
Regulate Skeletal Myogenesis Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 10136. This study suggests important roles for i6A/iPR in muscle repair and aging. We’re now actively looking at the enzyme responsible for this modification, tRNA isopentenyltransferase 1 or TRIT1.
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See some research and life highlights below or check out the Archives
Contact
Students interested in joining the lab should send an email
of interest including a resume and unofficial transcript to stephanietobin@trentu.ca
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Students interested in doing an undergraduate thesis project should contact Stephanie early in the Fall of their 3rd year of study.
