The article includes details of the newly launched Global Leadership Initiative on Sarcopenia (GLIS). Sarcopenia is an age-related condition characterised by loss of muscle strength and mass. It can lead to serious health challenges such as impaired mobility, increased risk of falls and admission to hospital.
People living with sarcopenia can also experience loss of independence due to mobility disability, making it a concern for both the health and social care sector. Newcastle’s BRC is currently the only BRC in the country with a strategic focus on tackling ageing syndromes and the challenges these can bring to individuals and healthcare providers. Sarcopenia is a key example of an ageing syndrome and a focus of the BRC’s work.
Professor Avan Sayer said:
“Sarcopenia is an invaluable area of study to improve health and care outcomes as we age. The Newcastle BRC’s interdisciplinary approach studies sarcopenia from basic science through to clinical care, ensuring that our focus is not only on understanding mechanisms underlying the loss of skeletal muscle but also on the health burden experienced by patients in their day-to-day lives. Importantly we are also linked to the latest international developments in this area.”
Professor Sayer is recognised globally as one of the leading experts in sarcopenia and is a member of the GLIS Steering Committee. She and her team have made significant steps in setting a strategic focus for the future of sarcopenia research and in June last year, Newcastle University’s AGE Research Group together with the Newcastle BRC hosted the first International Sarcopenia Translational Research Conference (ISTRC) welcoming almost 200 delegates from 25 countries worldwide.