Researchers Develop First-of-Its-Kind In Vitro Model for an Age-Related Muscle Loss Condition

Study in a Sentence: Researchers at Hesperos and the University of Central Florida have developed a first-of-its-kind, human-based model of sarcopenia, an age-related and inflammatory condition marked by progressive loss of muscle mass and function, that can be used to evaluate treatments.

Healthy for Humans: After the age of 30, the body naturally begins to lose muscle mass, but approximately 10-20% of individuals experience muscle and strength loss beyond the average rate, resulting in sarcopenia. This condition can impact everyday life, making tasks like walking, standing, or carrying groceries more difficult. To better understand sarcopenia, researchers developed an in vitro model that replicates the loss of muscle mass and function and measures muscle force.

Redefining Research: This new sarcopenia model uses human skeletal muscle cells to successfully induce key physiological features of the condition, including reduced formation of muscle tissue and thinner tissue where formed, and employs a microcantilever to “exercise” the muscle and measure the force of contraction. Future studies can incorporate cells from other organs to understand cross-organ interactions in sarcopenia and screen new drugs for safety and efficacy.