James G. Tidball

James G. Tidball is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), College of Letters and Science. His research focuses on skeletal muscle wasting, regeneration, and the immunobiology of muscular dystrophy.

Dr. Tidball earned his B.S. in Zoology from Duke University (1975) and his Ph.D. from Dalhousie University (1981). His early work at Duke with Professor Steve Wainwright centered on organismal responses to mechanical environments, which evolved into groundbreaking research on myotendinous junctions during postdoctoral studies at Duke.

His laboratory investigates how the immune system regulates skeletal muscle injury and repair, with particular emphasis on macrophage phenotypes (M1/M2) in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Key discoveries include identifying immune-mediated muscle damage as central to DMD pathology and pioneering work on Klotho protein's role in muscle regeneration and aging. Current NIH-funded projects explore epigenetic mechanisms of Klotho in neonatal/aging muscle and pharmacological manipulation of macrophage-T cell interactions for DMD therapy.

Dr. Tidball's publication trends reveal consistent leadership in muscular dystrophy immunobiology, with recent work expanding into aging-related sarcopenia, Klotho-mediated epigenetic regulation, and novel therapeutic strategies targeting immune-muscle crosstalk. His most cited papers establish foundational concepts in immune modulation of muscle pathology.

As principal investigator, he directs an active research program supported by multiple NIH grants. His team includes postdoctoral fellows and collaborators focused on macrophage biology, Klotho signaling, and preclinical therapeutic development for muscular dystrophies. The lab maintains specialized facilities for muscle histology, flow cytometry, and transgenic mouse models including mdx (DMD) and aging cohorts.