Uncovering the effects of gender affirming hormone therapy on skeletal muscle and epigenetics: protocol for a prospective matched cohort study in transgender individuals (the GAME study)

PR Jones; S Voisin; BJ Nolan; S Landen; M Jacques; B Newell; S Zwickl; T Cook; A Wong; A Ginger; A Palmer; A Garnham; J Alvarez-Romero; N Mohandas; K Seale; A Cheung; N Eynon

Journal article

Uncovering the effects of gender affirming hormone therapy on skeletal muscle and epigenetics: protocol for a prospective matched cohort study in transgender individuals (the GAME study)

PR Jones, S Voisin, BJ Nolan, S Landen, M Jacques, B Newell, S Zwickl, T Cook, A Wong, A Ginger, A Palmer, A Garnham, J Alvarez-Romero, N Mohandas, K Seale, A Cheung, N Eynon

BMJ Open | Published : 2022

DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-060869

Download PDF

Abstract

Introduction Gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) is increasingly used by transgender individuals and leads to shifts in sex hormone levels. Skeletal muscle is highly responsive to hormone activity, with limited data on the effects of GAHT on different human tissues. Here, we present the protocol for the GAME study (the effects of Gender Affirming hormone therapy on skeletal Muscle training and Epigenetics), which aims to uncover the effects of GAHT on skeletal muscle 'omic' profiles (methylomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) and markers of skeletal muscle health and fitness. Methods and analysis This study is a prospective age-matched cohort study in transgender adults comm..

View full abstract

University of Melbourne Researchers

Brendan Nolan Author

Sav Zwickl Author

Ada Cheung Author

Related Projects (2)

EFFECTS OF TESTOSTERONE AND OESTROGEN ON BODY COMPOSITION

Masculinising and feminising hormones such as testosterone and oestrogen respectively are important hormones controlling the amount of muscl..

Safety and quality of life of peri-operative transdermal estradiol continuation during gender affirmation surgery in transgender women: a randomised placebo-controlled trial

Despite no clear evidence, transgender women are told to stop their feminising estrogen treatment several weeks before gender surgery, but t..

Grants

Awarded by University of Melbourne

Funding Acknowledgements

NE is supported by a National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Career Development Fellowship (#1140644), SV is supported by a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellowship (#11577321), AC is supported by a NHMRC Early Career Fellowship (#1143333) and Investigator Grant (#2008956) and BJN is supported by a NHMRC Postgraduate Research Scholarship (#2003939).