$10m grant for study to address rise in muscle-wasting disease sarcopenia

Researchers here have secured a $10 million grant for a nationwide programme dedicated to addressing the rising problem of sarcopenia, an age-related disease characterised by the progressive loss of muscle mass, strength and function.

- Joyce Teo

Led by SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre, this initiative is Singapore's first large-scale study on sarcopenia, which contributes to frailty and a lower quality of life as one ages.

The disease leads to increased risks of falls, lower immunity and poorer recovery after surgery, among other adverse effects, but there are no effective treatments at the moment.

If sarcopenia is picked up at all, it is only when people are showing severe symptoms such as loss of muscle mass and strength, said Professor Wang Yibin, director of the cardiovascular and metabolic disorders programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, at a media briefing.

"There's not much of a treatment. We don't have drugs, we can only provide them with dietary management and exercise advice. So still, there's a big mystery behind it and that's the main challenge of our project."

Called Mechanistic Investigation and Clinical Innovation for Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Therapy, or Magnet in short, this research project was awarded the $10 million Open Fund-Large Collaborative Grant by the National Medical Research Council on May 28.