Research Unveils Body's Energy Response to Exercise

Virginia Tech scientists identify key mechanism regulating energy production during physical activity.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

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Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech have discovered a critical cellular signaling site that enables the AMPK enzyme to respond to increased energy demands during exercise. By using gene-editing technology to switch off this signaling site, the scientists found that mice showed a dramatically diminished ability to exercise, running only about a third of the distance of typical mice. The study provides a more detailed understanding of how the AMPK mechanism works and suggests it could play a role in diabetes.

Why it matters

This research deepens our understanding of how exercise influences metabolic health and opens new directions for future studies on potential drug interventions to help diabetic patients by targeting the AMPK enzyme.

The details

The study, published in Science Advances, confirmed the role of AMPK phosphorylation at a single amino acid in regulating the quantity and activity of mitochondria, the organelles that generate power in cells. The researchers also found an unexpected wider range of AMPK regulation, including muscle contraction and breaking down sugar for energy.

  • The study was published on February 25, 2026.

The players

Zhen Yan

A professor at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and the paper's lead author. Yan is the director of FBRI's Center for Exercise Medicine Research.

Ryan Montalvo

A postdoctoral associate in the Yan Lab and the paper's first author.

Virginia Tech

The university where the research was conducted at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute.

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What they’re saying

“The data suggest that AMPK is not only important for maintaining the quantity of mitochondria but also regulating other processes leading to mitochondrial metabolism and regulation of protein function for muscle contraction.”

— Zhen Yan, Professor and lead author (Mirage News)

“These findings not only deepen our understanding of how exercise influences metabolic health, but also open new directions for future studies that our lab is already beginning to pursue.”

— Ryan Montalvo, Postdoctoral associate and first author (Mirage News)

What’s next

Yan aims to further investigate AMPK by examining its role in exercise adaptation — how muscle changes in response to exercise to become more fit and make exercise easier in the future.

The takeaway

This study provides a more detailed understanding of how the AMPK mechanism works in regulating energy production during exercise, and suggests it could be a potential target for drug interventions to help manage diabetes.