Results of Sarcopenia Clinical Research Conducted in Brazil Presented at International Conference
Human Life Code Inc. announced the presentation of results from its collaborative clinical research on sarcopenia with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil at an international conference in the United States. This research aimed to understand sarcopenia pathology and explore related biomarkers, discovering a new metabolite panel with excellent discriminatory ability for sarcopenia.
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- 📰 Published: March 31, 2026 at 19:00
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Human Life Code Inc. (Representative Director and President: Masamitsu Harada, Location: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, hereinafter referred to as "the Company"), a pioneer aiming for the practical application and widespread use of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hereinafter referred to as "UC-MSCs") as regenerative medicine products, is pleased to announce that the results of clinical research on sarcopenia, conducted in collaboration with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, were presented by Professor Renato Bandeira de Mello of the same university at "The Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Conference for Healthy Longevity" held in the United States.
This research was a clinical study jointly conducted by the Company and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul starting in January 2025, with the aim of understanding the pathology of sarcopenia and exploring related biomarkers.
## Background
Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by a decrease in muscle mass and strength with aging, leading to a decline in physical function, and is considered one of the important health challenges in an aging society. However, the mechanisms forming its pathology are not fully understood, and there is a demand for the establishment of objective diagnostic indicators and biomarkers to evaluate treatment efficacy.
## Methods
This study was a prospective, exploratory study conducted on 70 elderly residents in rural areas of Brazil. Subjects with both grip strength and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index below the reference values were classified into the sarcopenia group (23 cases), and other subjects were classified into the non-sarcopenia group (47 cases), followed by comprehensive analysis of metabolites in the blood.
## Results
As a result of comprehensive data analysis of blood metabolites, multiple metabolites showing different behaviors between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group were identified. These metabolite panels showed excellent discriminatory ability for sarcopenia.
The metabolites found in this study appear in multiple metabolic pathways related to the pathophysiology of sarcopenia, suggesting the existence of a structural and measurable metabolic framework that characterizes sarcopenia. It should be noted that these results are from an exploratory study for hypothesis generation, and further validation is required for their application as clinical predictors.
Professor Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and a collaborative researcher, stated the following:
"Due to the rapid global aging, the increase in sarcopenia (decline in physical function due to muscle weakness), which is a major cause of reduced QOL in the elderly due to chronic diseases, is pointed out as a globally important risk factor against healthy longevity. In this situation, where concerns about reduced QOL due to sarcopenia and increased medical and nursing care burdens are rising, this research has enabled the identification of biomarkers that can newly contribute to the diagnosis of sarcopenia, and also be useful for evaluating and verifying the effectiveness of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells developed by Human Life Code Inc. against sarcopenia. As a Japanese person and a doctor contributing in Brazil, I am proud to be involved in this innovative collaborative research. I believe this project is a significant step that will benefit people worldwide in opening new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia."
## Conference Presentation Overview
- Conference Name: The Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Conference for Healthy Longevity
- Period: March 10-12, 2026
- Venue: The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (Washington D.C., USA)
- Presentation Format: Poster Presentation
- Presenter: Renato Bandeira de Mello (Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
- Presentation Title: SarcMet Study: A Metabolom
This research was a clinical study jointly conducted by the Company and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul starting in January 2025, with the aim of understanding the pathology of sarcopenia and exploring related biomarkers.
## Background
Sarcopenia is a disease characterized by a decrease in muscle mass and strength with aging, leading to a decline in physical function, and is considered one of the important health challenges in an aging society. However, the mechanisms forming its pathology are not fully understood, and there is a demand for the establishment of objective diagnostic indicators and biomarkers to evaluate treatment efficacy.
## Methods
This study was a prospective, exploratory study conducted on 70 elderly residents in rural areas of Brazil. Subjects with both grip strength and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index below the reference values were classified into the sarcopenia group (23 cases), and other subjects were classified into the non-sarcopenia group (47 cases), followed by comprehensive analysis of metabolites in the blood.
## Results
As a result of comprehensive data analysis of blood metabolites, multiple metabolites showing different behaviors between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group were identified. These metabolite panels showed excellent discriminatory ability for sarcopenia.
The metabolites found in this study appear in multiple metabolic pathways related to the pathophysiology of sarcopenia, suggesting the existence of a structural and measurable metabolic framework that characterizes sarcopenia. It should be noted that these results are from an exploratory study for hypothesis generation, and further validation is required for their application as clinical predictors.
Professor Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and a collaborative researcher, stated the following:
"Due to the rapid global aging, the increase in sarcopenia (decline in physical function due to muscle weakness), which is a major cause of reduced QOL in the elderly due to chronic diseases, is pointed out as a globally important risk factor against healthy longevity. In this situation, where concerns about reduced QOL due to sarcopenia and increased medical and nursing care burdens are rising, this research has enabled the identification of biomarkers that can newly contribute to the diagnosis of sarcopenia, and also be useful for evaluating and verifying the effectiveness of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells developed by Human Life Code Inc. against sarcopenia. As a Japanese person and a doctor contributing in Brazil, I am proud to be involved in this innovative collaborative research. I believe this project is a significant step that will benefit people worldwide in opening new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia."
## Conference Presentation Overview
- Conference Name: The Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Conference for Healthy Longevity
- Period: March 10-12, 2026
- Venue: The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center (Washington D.C., USA)
- Presentation Format: Poster Presentation
- Presenter: Renato Bandeira de Mello (Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul)
- Presentation Title: SarcMet Study: A Metabolom