Engineering of functionally active human myotubes and myobundles in vitro

Skeletal muscle mediates beneficial effects of exercise, thereby improving insulin sensitivity and reducing the risk for type 2 diabetes. Current skeletal-muscle-models in vitro are incapable of fully recapitulating its physiological functions, especially contraction. Supplementation of IGF-1, a growth factor secreted by myofibers in vivo, might help to overcome these limitations.