Neuromuscular Division

Neuromuscular diseases are common, many of which are debilitating. Research is critically important to the understanding of disease pathogenesis and the development of effective therapies. The Neuromuscular Division at the Boston Medical Center is dedicated to providing excellent clinical care to patients with neuromuscular diseases and conducting clinical and basic research. The division chief Dr. Peter Siao studies electrophysiological features of neuromuscular diseases to improve disease diagnosis. Drs. Ariel Marks and Deandrea King collaborate with investigators in the nationally renowned Boston University Amyloidosis Center to study genotype-phenotype correlation and to test novel therapies for hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloid polyneuropathy. Dr. Lan Zhou and Dr. Xingyu Wang have conducting NIH R01-supported basic research to study muscle inflammation, muscular dystrophy, and muscle injury repair. Dr. Zhou and Dr. Sachiko Homma also have NIH funding to study mechanisms underlying muscle pain and fatigue in long COVID.

Faculty:

Peter Siao, MD, Division Chief
Deandrea King, MD
Ariel Marks, MD
Sachiko Homma, PhD
Xingyu Wang, PhD
Lan Zhou, MD, PhD

Current Studies and Grants:
  • Origins and Functions of Intramuscular Macrophages in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 1R01AR074428 (PI: Lan Zhou; Co-I: Xingyu Wang) NIH/NIAMS, 8/2019 – 6/2024
  • Pathogenesis of myalgia and fatigue after SARS-CoV-2 infection 1R21AR081655-01 (MPI: Lan Zhou and Sachiko Homma) NIH/NIAMS 09/23/2022 – 08/31/2024
  • A Phase 3 Global, Open-Label, Randomized Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of ION-682884 in Patients with Hereditary Transthyretin-Mediated Amyloid Polyneuropathy (Investigator: Ariel Marks)
  • Rhabdomyolysis in Inpatients (Investigators: Lan Zhou, Ava Bakhtyari, and Pria Anand)
  • Small Fiber Neuropathy in Amyloidosis (Investigators: Lan Zhou, Khadar Haroun, and Deandrea King)
Recent Publications:

Abrams RMC, Zhou L, Shin SC. Persistent post-COVID-19 neuromuscular symptoms. Muscle Nerve. 2023 Jul 19. PMID: 37466117; DOI: 10.1002/mus.27940

Wang X, Chen J, Homma ST, Wang Y, Smith GR, Ruf-Zamojski F, Sealfon SC, Zhou L. Diverse effector and regulatory functions of fibro/adipogenic progenitors during skeletal muscle fibrosis in muscular dystrophy. iScience. 2023 Jan 20; 26(1):105775. PMID: 36594034; PMCID: PMC9804115; DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105775

Wang X, Zhou L. The Many Roles of Macrophages in Skeletal Muscle Injury and Repair. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2022; 10:952249. PMID: 35898401; PMCID: PMC9309511; DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.952249

Abrams RMC, Simpson DM, Navis A, Jette N, Zhou L, Shin SC. Comment on small fiber neuropathy associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection: Author response. Muscle Nerve. 2022 Jun; 65(6):E32-E33. PMID: 35385186; PMCID: PMC9088413; DOI: 10.1002/mus.27555

Rodríguez-Moreno J, Zhou L, Arkun K, Bali D, Reed D, Kalish R, Vullaganti M, Bali T, Soto Ó. Tarui Disease Caused by a Novel PFKM Genetic Variant in a Sub-Saharan African Patient. J Clin Neuromuscul Dis. 2022 Mar 01; 23(3):162-164. PMID: 35188917; DOI: 10.1097/CND.0000000000000349

Bhadola S, Tang C, Marks A, Kaku MC, Zhou L, Siao P, Lau KHV. Disparate healthcare access and telehealth-based hybrid consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work. 2022; 73(2):377-382.View Related Profiles. PMID: 35938279; DOI: 10.3233/WOR-211463

Abrams RMC, Simpson DM, Navis A, Jette N, Zhou L, Shin SC. Small fiber neuropathy associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Muscle Nerve. 2022 04; 65(4):440-443. PMID: 34766365; PMCID: PMC8661991; DOI: 10.1002/mus.27458

Lau KHV, Kaku MC, Marks A, Tang C, Zhou L, Siao P. Optimizing the operation of an electrodiagnostic laboratory during the COVID-19 pandemic: A 6-month single-center experience. Muscle Nerve. 2021 09; 64(3):361-364.View Related Profiles. PMID: 34131929; PMCID: PMC8441863; DOI: 10.1002/mus.27352

Anand P, Zhou L, Bhadelia N, Hamer DH, Greer DM, Cervantes-Arslanian AM. (2021) Neurologic Findings Among Inpatients With COVID-19 at a Safety-net US Hospital. Neurol Clin Pract. 11(2):e83-e91. PMID: 33842075

Zhou L. Small Fiber Neuropathy in the Elderly. (2021) Clin Geriatr Med. 37(2):279-288. PMID: 33858610

Zhou L, Siao P. (2021) Lateral femoral cutaneous neuropathy caused by prone positioning to treat COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. Muscle Nerve. 2021 Feb 12. PMID: 33577110

Rubenstein AB, Smith GR, Raue U, Begue G, Minchev K, Ruf-Zamojski F, Nair VD, Wang X, Zhou L, Zaslavsky E, Trappe TA, Trappe S, Sealfon SC (2020). Single-cell transcriptional profiles in human skeletal muscle. Sci Rep. 10(1):229. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-57110-6. PMID: 31937892

Anand P, Slama MCC, Kaku M, Ong C, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Zhou L, David WS, Guidon AC. (2020) COVID-19 in patients with myasthenia gravis. Muscle Nerve. 62(2):254-258. PMID: 32392389

Wang X, Sathe AA, Smith GR, Ruf-Zamojski F, Nair V, Lavine KJ, Xing C, Sealfon SC, Zhou L. (2020) Heterogeneous origins and functions of mouse skeletal muscle-resident macrophages. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 117(34):20729-20740. PMID: 32796104

Anand P, Slama MCC, Kaku M, Ong C, Cervantes-Arslanian AM, Zhou L, David WS, Guidon AC. (2020) Comment on COVID-19 in patients with myasthenia gravis: Author response. Muscle Nerve. 12; 62(6):E87-E88. PMID: 32954519

Zhou L (2019) Small Fiber Neuropathy. Semin Neurol. 39(5):570-577. PMID: 31639840

Siao P, Kaku M. A Clinician’s Approach to Peripheral Neuropathy (2019). Semin Neurol. 39(5):519-530.

Kaku M, Siao P. Peripheral Neuropathies. Semin Neurol. 2019 Oct; 39(5):517-518. PMID: 31639834.