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The Humane Research Trust is funding a research project to support the discovery of new treatments for sarcopenia. The researchers at Nottingham Trent University will use innovative cell culture models in their pursuit of new treatments for age-related muscle loss.
Sarcopenia is an age-related disease, in which patients experience gradual loss of their muscle mass and strength. If left untreated, patients affected by the disease are two to three times more prone to develop physical disabilities. Generally, medical practitioners prescribe patients with lifestyle changes, including exercise and a diet rich in protein. However, no treatment exists for patients who do not respond to exercise or nutrition, or who are unable to adhere to lifestyle changes because they are too frail or bedridden.
Experts estimate that sarcopenia affects 5.3% of the UK’s population and costs the NHS more than £2.5 billion per year. It is a progressive disease, meaning its impact on both patients and the NHS will only increase over time. At present, research into potential therapies for sarcopenia relies heavily on the use of animal models. However, these studies are not yielding the insights required to develop effective treatments.
Dr Livia Rocha de Santos and her team of researchers believe that animal models for sarcopenia research are inadequate. “Sarcopenia requires a personalised medicine approach,” says Dr Santos. “The most promising models for the development of new treatments appear to be those derived from human cells or tissues. This is because they reflect the human genetic makeup and metabolism, which play a key role in the disease.”
The Humane Research Trust is funding Dr Santos to oversee a research project at Nottingham Trent University. The university’s lab recently patented an innovative new technology which supports researchers in developing high-throughput human muscle models. This invention consists of a cell culture insert, which is a disc that sits on the bottom of a 'petri dish.' This allows researchers to grow tissue-engineered muscle (TEM) in suspension.
Culturing TEM in suspension provides developmental-like cues and facilitates nutrient and gas exchange. This makes it an ideal technology for use in sarcopenia research. In addition, this technology will enable Dr Santos’ research team to generate up to ten times more tissues than any other available methods.
In addition to accelerating treatment discovery, Dr Santos hopes that the project will provide proof of concept for the development of tissue models. As a result, scientists would be able to use this model to emulate other conditions like diabetes and heart disease. If pharmaceutical companies and academics took up this technology, it could replace 41% of the animals used in age-related disease research worldwide.
