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More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from sarcopenia, an age-related condition that causes muscle loss, weakened strength, and reduced functionality, increasing the likelihood of falls and fractures, according to the World Health Organization. Currently, exercise is the only known treatment. However, researchers at the University of Florida, through a study sponsored by the ISS National by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 17, 2024
More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from sarcopenia, an age-related condition that causes muscle loss, weakened strength, and reduced functionality, increasing the likelihood of falls and fractures, according to the World Health Organization. Currently, exercise is the only known treatment. However, researchers at the University of Florida, through a study sponsored by the ISS National Lab, have successfully modeled age-related muscle deterioration using tissue chips in the microgravity environment of space. This model allows for the testing of new therapies and a deeper study of sarcopenia beyond what is possible on Earth.
The study is detailed in the latest issue of *Upward*, the ISS National Lab's official magazine. Siobhan Malany, the principal investigator and associate professor in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Florida, discussed the importance of space-based research, stating, "Through insight we gather from microgravity, we can understand not just the end result of [sarcopenia], but really look at the progressive change in young and old cells to see what happens as cells age."
On Earth, age-related muscle changes develop gradually over many years, making them challenging to study. In contrast, microgravity accelerates muscle deterioration, enabling researchers to examine muscle loss much more rapidly. Supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health, the research team developed a muscle tissue chip system and evaluated whether muscle loss in space reflects the muscle aging process on Earth. The tissue chips incorporated skeletal muscle cells from both young, active individuals and older, less active adults, with some chips equipped with electrodes to stimulate muscle contractions.
The experiments revealed that in microgravity, several genes linked to human muscle aging exhibited increased activity in tissue chips containing cells from young, active adults. These findings confirm that the muscle tissue chip system in space is an accurate model for age-related muscle loss, offering a valuable tool for understanding sarcopenia and testing new therapeutic approaches.
Further insights into Malany's team's research efforts can be found in Upward under the article titled The Beauty of Accelerated Aging.
Research Report:Human skeletal muscle tissue chip autonomous payload reveals changes in fiber type and metabolic gene expression due to spaceflight
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