CHRONO:MEDICINE

In the second part with Prof. Satchidananda (Satchin) Panda (Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California), we continue talking about breakthrough discoveries from past years of him and other chronobiologists. First, we discuss how the timing of medication intake could help in optimizing its effects. Then, Satchin shares his perspective on ongo...

As the third spotlight for the European Biological Rhythms Society (EBRS) congress, taking place in Luebeck in Northern Germany from the 24th to 28th of August 2025, Prof. Satchidananda (Satchin) Panda (Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California) talks about several breakthrough discoveries from past years of him and other chronobiologists. I...

As the second spotlight for the European Biological Rhythms Society - EBRS - congress, taking place in Luebeck in Northern Germany from the 24th to 28th of August 2025, Prof. Henriette Uhlenhaut (Professor of Metabolic Programming at the Technical University of Munich, TUM, and Director of the Institute for Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Helmholtz Center in Munich) talks about glucocorticoids (...

In collaboration with the organizers of the 18th Congress of the European Biological Rhythms Society - EBRS - taking place in Luebeck in Northern Germany from the 24th to 28th of August 2025, three congress speakers are interviewed to talk about their research. As the first spotlight, Prof. Michael Hastings (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge) talks about his research journey from circ...

In this second part, Dr. Christian Benedict (Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Research and Pharmacology at Uppsala University, Sweden) explains how our sleep changes with aging and upon different challenges of adult life. We discuss the so-called gold-standard method for measuring sleep (Polysomnography, PSG) and how modern wearable technologies perform compared to PSG. In this context, C...

Dr. Christian Benedict (Senior Lecturer & Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Research and Pharmacology at Uppsala University, Sweden) talks about how to study sleep and its relevance for our overall health. In this first part, Christian introduces us to different definitions of sleep. Together, we try to decipher the concept of sleep quality or in other words...

In the second part with Prof. Christian Cajochen (Head of the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Basel in Switzerland), contributing to the Daylight Awareness Week (28th of October - 2nd of November 2024), we continue our discussion around the impact of daylight on our health, with a special focus on sleep. Christian summarizes the negative effects of bright electric light exposure on s...

As part of the Daylight Awareness Week (28th of October - 2nd of November 2024), Prof. Christian Cajochen (Head of the Centre for Chronobiology at the University of Basel in Switzerland) talks about the impact of daylight on our health, with a special focus on sleep. In the first part, we talk about the importance of light for the circadian timing system within our bodies, with melatonin playing a...

After discussing in the first part how caloric restriction can extend lifespan, Dr. Victoria Acosta-Rodriguez (Leader of the Circadian Biology of Aging Unit at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), USA) talks in the second part about her recent study showing that eating these reduced calories always at a certain time of day extends the lifespan of mice even further. Beyond longevity, her study re...

Dr. Victoria Acosta-Rodriguez (Leader of the Circadian Biology of Aging Unit at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), USA) talks about her research on longevity and caloric restriction. In this first part, Victoria introduces us to longevity research: what kind of interventions and drugs are known to promote longevity and why precise terminology separating life- and healthspan is important. We di...

From the 11th to the 13th of March 2024, the 247Muscle podcast has been invited to cover the ERATO UK - Japan Joint Symposium on Circadian rhythms & Sleep, which took place at the University of Oxford. The symposium aimed to promote research exchange and collaboration in the fields of sleep and circadian clocks between the UK and Japan. In this episode, your host Frieder summarizes scientific...

In this second part, Dr. John O'Neill (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge) provides deep insights from his recent study on how the timing of food intake mechanistically modifies circadian clocks in cells and animals. He explains the research journey of how his group identified systemic time cues associated with food intake. John highlights the indispensable role of the vital protei...

Dr. John O'Neill (MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge) discusses his research focusing on the fundamentals of cellular timekeeping. In this first part, John explains the advantages of cells as a model to study circadian rhythms. He provides evidence of why we might consider questioning the current paradigm of how cells keep time, since his group for example demonstrated that even ce...

In the second part with Prof. Russell Foster (Head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford), contributing to the Daylight Awareness Week (13-17th of November 2023), we continue our discussion around the differential impact of daylight and electric light on health. We provide a historical perspective abo...

As part of the Daylight Awareness Week (13-17th of November 2023), Prof. Russell Foster (Head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, and Director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford) talks about the differential impact of daylight and electric light on health. In the first part, we cover the basics of how daylight has shaped life on Earth and how it...

In the second part with Dr. Jorn Trommelen (Assistant Professor, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands), we talk about Jorn's recent study on pre-sleep protein ingestion after acute endurance exercise to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Jorn explains how these findings from acute studies relate to boosting long-term gains in strength, hypertrophy and endurance...

Dr. Jorn Trommelen (Assistant Professor, Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands) talks about his research on pre-sleep protein ingestion after exercise to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. In the first part, we discuss the different forms of proteins and how endurance vs. resistance training differ in their post-exercise protein demand. Jorn further explains why the...

In the second part with Prof. Frank Scheer (Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, USA), we discuss what a night-shift worker could consider doing acutely (preceding, during, and following a shift) and chronically (when working years of shift schedules) to minimize health risks. In this context, we consider concepts like "sleep b...

Prof. Frank Scheer (Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women's Hospital at Harvard Medical School, USA) introduces us to the topic of shift work and its adverse effects on many health aspects. We define the different forms of shift work with a particular focus on night shifts by painting a picture of what the everyday life of a typical nurse in the hospital looks like, and...

Dr. Cas Fuchs (Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands) talks about two of his studies in which he separately investigated the effect of cold- versus hot-water immersion after exercise on recovery. In this context, Cas explains the acute physiological response to cooling and heating. We question what athletes claim or hope to achieve by applying cooling and heating stra...

Prof. Alexandra Johnstone (The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, Scotland) talks about her recent study on the timing of calorie loading and its differential effects on weight loss and appetite control. Alex thereby investigated mechanisms behind the diet concept of "eating breakfast like a king". We further discuss the real-world implications of her findings and practical consid...

In the second part with Dr. Courtney Peterson (Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA), we discuss the most recent study published from her laboratory about "Effectiveness of Early Time-Restricted Eating for Weight Loss, Fat Loss, and Cardiometabolic Health in Adults With Obesity - A Randomized Clinical Trial". Subsequently, Courtney points out who should con...

Dr. Courtney Peterson (Associate Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA) talks about the timing of food intake and how it matters for metabolic and cardiovascular health. Courtney explains the terminology around intermittent fasting & time-restricted eating, complemented by a historical perspective on the scientific literature about how researchers became more and more inter...

In the second part with Dr. Samer Hattar (Chief of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms at the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA), we discuss: - the concept of extraocular phototransduction, meaning how the human body can sense and adjust to light beyond the eyes - how the eyes change upon aging and how this may affect circadian rhythms - how light at night possibly via...

Dr. Samer Hattar (Chief of the Section on Light and Circadian Rhythms at the National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) talks about tools to exploit natural daylight and avoid artificial light after sunset to optimize health. In this first part, Samer shares practical recommendations on how to integrate daylight better into our everyday life. We discuss physiological mechanisms at pla...