Our work is particularly urgent because:
The number of people over 65 years is set to increase by 40% within 20 years but many spend the last decades of their lives in poor health.
Lifestyle changes to improve muscle health are likely to be more effective if they’re started earlier, so we need to help people take steps in their youth which last throughout their lives.
Reduced muscle resilience can lead to a range of other problems – such as diabetes, heart conditions, isolation, and poor mental health.
“Poor musculoskeletal health is a leading cause of adults leaving the workforce early and of ill health in later life. MyAge Research Network is rightly focused on identifying how we can overcome this important health challenge.”
Professor Janet Lord, CBE, Director of the MRC Versus Arthritis Centre for Musculoskeletal Ageing Research at Birmingham University is pictured below – right with Professor Carolyn Greig, MyAge co-chair – left.
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We’re addressing these challenges by:
Developing a national network of researchers with international links, across a wide range of scientific disciplines and career stages, focused on muscle resilience and ageing through the life course to increase understanding of the mechanisms leading to muscle ageing and individual variability.
Providing a network secondments and training across disciplines for early career researchers (ECRs) – including technicians and PhD students – to facilitate the application of interdisciplinary approaches to muscle ageing.
Generating novel hypotheses for future grant applications, with a focus on supporting ECRs and the application of new technology through pilot projects, and network events, linking multiple hubs of information.
Working with policy makers, funders, health care influencers, health inequality experts and patient groups through public engagement, leading to the publication of a ROADMAP document for improved muscle health and mobility in old age (due early 2024). This will seek to inform policy and funding calls.
Exploring the deployment of new assays in vitro and in silico for pharmacological and nutraceutical testing, as well as in vivo for behavioural and societal interventions.
Engaging with stakeholders and industry partners, we will explore interventions as well as therapeutic and lifestyle modifications that impact on the progression of muscle development and decline from a cellular and functional perspective.
Investing in our muscle research future
“Since its launch, MyAge has gone from strength to strength. We have an enthusiastic and talented membership, including a large proportion Early Career Researchers (ECRs) willing to work together to address the challenge of improving muscle resilience. This network is key to building the continuity necessary to sustain our research endeavor.”
Professor Carolyn Greig, MyAge Co-Director
MyAge discussion on interdisciplinary collaboration on muscle research