Results of Sarcopenia Clinical Study in Brazil Presented at International Conference

Human Life Cord Inc. (President: Masamitsu Harada; Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter 'the Company'), which aims to commercialize and popularize umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hereinafter 'UC-MSCs') as regenerative medicine products ahead of the rest of the world, announces that the results of a clinical study on sarcopenia, conducted as a joint research project with the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, were presented by Professor Renato Bandeira de Mello of the university at the international conference 'The Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Conference for Healthy Longevity' held in the United States.

This study was a clinical research project jointly conducted by the Company and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul starting in January 2025, aimed at understanding the pathology of sarcopenia and exploring related biomarkers.

Background Sarcopenia is a disease that causes physical decline due to the loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging, and is considered one of the most important health issues in an aging society. However, the mechanisms forming its pathology are not fully understood, and there is a need to establish objective diagnostic indicators and biomarkers to evaluate treatment efficacy.

Methods This study was a prospective, exploratory study conducted on 70 elderly people living in local areas of Brazil. Subjects with both grip strength and appendicular skeletal muscle mass index lower than the standard values were classified as the sarcopenia group (23 cases), and other subjects were classified as the non-sarcopenia group (47 cases), followed by a comprehensive analysis of blood metabolites.

Results Comprehensive data analysis of blood metabolites identified multiple metabolites that showed different behaviors between the sarcopenia group and the non-sarcopenia group. These metabolite panels showed excellent discriminative ability for sarcopenia. The metabolites discovered 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. Note that these results are based on an exploratory study for hypothesis generation, and further verification is required for application as clinical predictors.

Professor Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and a co-researcher, stated: 'Due to the rapid global aging, sarcopenia is pointed out as a major risk factor contrary to healthy longevity. In this situation where the decline in QOL and the increase in medical and nursing care burdens due to sarcopenia are of concern, this research has enabled the identification of biomarkers that can contribute to the diagnosis of sarcopenia and also help evaluate and verify the effectiveness of UC-MSCs developed by Human Life Cord. As a Japanese person and a doctor, I am proud to have been involved in this innovative joint research while contributing in Brazil. I believe this project is a big step that will be useful to people all over the world to open up new paths for the diagnosis and treatment of sarcopenia.'

Conference Presentation Overview - Conference Name: The Intrinsic Capacity, Frailty and Sarcopenia Research Conference for Healthy Longevity - Dates: March 10–March 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 Metabolomic–Derived Plasma Biologic Signature of Sarcopenia Using Untargeted Metabolomics in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Future Outlook Based on the findings obtained in this study, the Company will promote the development of new treatments for sarcopenia utilizing UC-MSCs. In addition, through collaboration with the New York Blood Center in the United States, we are promoting the standardization of manufacturing and quality between Japan and the U.S., and building a system that can stably supply cells of the same quality globally. By doing so, we will accelerate the practical application of cell therapy for sarcopenia and contribute to the extension of healthy life expectancy and the improvement of QOL in the global aging society.