The Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute (ARMI) at Monash University suggests that muscle wasting, known as sarcopenia, may be reversed in late-life
The study utilized the African killifish as a model and found that muscles revert to an “early-life” state, slowing mortality.
This discovery could potentially lead to interventions that slow down or even reverse age-related muscle loss.
What is sarcopenia?
Sarcopenia refers to the age-related loss of muscle mass, which goes beyond the normal decline that occurs with aging.
This condition not only affects muscle mass but also impacts gait, balance, and daily task performance.
While it was once thought to be an inevitable deterioration, researchers are now exploring potential treatments to prevent or slow down this process.
Symptoms of sarcopenia
Individuals with sarcopenia commonly suffer from weakness and a decline in stamina, which can significantly impact their physical abilities.
The reduced ability to carry out physical activities often results in decreased overall activity levels, further exacerbating the loss of muscle mass.
The first study to use the killifish to explore sarcopenia
According to Dr Ruparelia, Monash University is the first to use the killifish to study sarcopenia.
‘We performed a thorough cellular and molecular characterization of skeletal muscle from early life.’
“In this study, we performed a thorough cellular and molecular characterization of skeletal muscle from early life, aged and extremely old late-life stages, revealing many similarities to sarcopenia in humans and other mammals,” she explained.
Sarcopenia is only set to become more common
Unfortunately, Sarcopenia is expected to increase in prevalence globally.
This emphasises the need to understand its mechanisms and develop suitable medical interventions for healthy muscle aging.
‘Researchers were able to reveal the metabolic hallmarks of aging.’
In conducting this study, researchers were able to reveal the metabolic hallmarks of aging that are reversed during the late-life stage, coinciding with a decline in mortality rates.
Lipid metabolism plays a key role
Lipid metabolism was found to play a critical role, and drugs regulating lipid formation could potentially rejuvenate aging muscles.
The findings open possibilities for treating muscle aging and have implications for the growing aging population worldwide.
Using the killifish model provides a unique opportunity to study aging processes and develop strategies for healthy aging.

News
A potential milestone in cancer therapy
Researchers from the University of Bern, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, and the University of Connecticut have made a significant breakthrough in the fight against cancer. They identified a previously unknown weak point of prostate [...]
Cardiovascular Crystal Ball: New Tool Predicts Future Heart Disease Risk
Faculty members at the UM School of Medicine have created a cutting-edge tool that enables the early identification and assessment of risks in vulnerable patients. Heart disease, being the leading cause of death globally, [...]
Scientists analyze a single atom with X-rays for the first time
In the most powerful X-ray facilities in the world, scientists can analyze samples so small they contain only 10,000 atoms. Smaller sizes have proved exceedingly difficult to achieve, but a multi-institutional team has scaled [...]
AI Demonstrates Superior Performance in Predicting Breast Cancer
AI algorithms outperformed traditional clinical risk models in a large-scale study, predicting five-year breast cancer risk more accurately. These models use mammograms as the single data source, offering potential advantages in individualizing patient care [...]
Stanford Medicine Reveals: Tiny DNA Circles Defying Genetic Laws Drive Cancer Formation
Tiny circles of DNA harbor cancer-associated oncogenes and immunomodulatory genes promoting cancer development. They arise during the transformation from pre-cancer to cancer, say Stanford Medicine-led team. Tiny circles of DNA that defy the accepted laws of [...]
Death to Blood Cancer Cells: New Drug Combination Could Revive the Power of Leading Treatment
Future clinical trials will be conducted to investigate whether the combination of chloroquine and venetoclax can prevent disease recurrence. Although new drugs have been developed to induce cancer cell death in individuals with acute [...]
Illuminating Science: X-Rays Visualize How One of Nature’s Strongest Bonds Breaks
Scientists have deciphered how an activated catalyst breaks down the strong carbon-hydrogen bonds in potent greenhouse gas methane, according to a study published in Science. Using advanced X-ray technology and quantum-chemical calculations, they tracked the [...]
Using magnetic nanoparticles as a rapid test for sepsis
Qun Ren, an Empa researcher, and her team are currently developing a diagnostic procedure that can rapidly detect life-threatening blood poisoning caused by staphylococcus bacteria. Staphylococcal sepsis is fatal in up to 40% of [...]
Team develops nanoparticles to deliver brain cancer treatment
University of Queensland researchers have developed a nanoparticle to take a chemotherapy drug into fast growing, aggressive brain tumors. Research team lead Dr. Taskeen Janjua from UQ's School of Pharmacy said the new silica [...]
Tumor Avatars – A New Approach to Personalized Cancer Treatment
A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has devised a novel method for customizing treatments by testing them on artificial tumors. Determining the optimal treatment for colon cancer can be challenging as each [...]
STING Like a Bee: MIT’s Revolutionary Approach to Cancer Immunotherapy
A cancer vaccine combining checkpoint blockade therapy and a STING-activating drug eliminates tumors and prevents recurrence in mice. MIT researchers have engineered a therapeutic cancer vaccine that targets the STING pathway, vital for immune response [...]
AI Battles Superbugs: Helps Find New Antibiotic Drug To Combat Drug-Resistant Infections
The machine-learning algorithm identified a compound that kills Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that lurks in many hospital settings. Using an artificial intelligence algorithm, researchers at MIT and McMaster University have identified a new antibiotic that can kill a [...]
Cancer and AI – Can ChatGPT Be Trusted?
A study published in the Journal of The National Cancer Institute Cancer Spectrum delved into the increasing use of chatbots and artificial intelligence (AI) in providing cancer-related information. The researchers discovered that these digital resources accurately [...]
Breathing New Life: Oxygen Therapy Improves Heart Function in Long COVID Patients
A small trial has found that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) may help restore proper heart function in patients with post-COVID syndrome, with participants in the HBOT group experiencing a significant increase in global longitudinal [...]
Wireless Brain-Spine Interface: A Leap Towards Reversing Paralysis
Summary: In a pioneering study, researchers designed a wireless brain-spine interface enabling a paralyzed man to walk naturally again. The ‘digital bridge’ comprises two electronic implants — one on the brain and another on the [...]
New study reveals a gel that promises to wipe out brain cancer for good
An anti-cancer gel promises to wipe out glioblastoma permanently, a feat that's never been accomplished by any drug or surgery. So what makes this gel so special? Scientists at Johns Hopkins University (JHU) have [...]