Leader: Paola Costelli (UPO/UNITO); Other collaborator(s):
Sarcopenia is a major contributor of frailty, poor quality of life and hospitalization; thus, defining functional parameters and new markers able to early identify people at risk of frailty is relevant. Volunteers of the EPIC cohort (Task 3.3) and patients with comorbidities (Task 3.4) will be studied to: 1) assess circulating markers of muscle mass and function (GDF-15, FGF21, CAF, microRNAs); 2) monitor sarcopenia by body composition data, functional assessments and neuromuscular changes (surface electromyography); 3) elaborate data in 1 and 2 to obtain a model for stratification according to the risk of frailty; 4) based on risk stratification, design and test targeted interventions (exercise), also using technological tools (Task 3.2).
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results.
The activity of this task will start once the EPIC-Turin recall will start. However, researchers of this WP are helping in identifying through literature research possible biological markers of stratification of patients.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications.
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results.
The activity of this task will start once the EPIC-Turin recall will start.
Definition of a protocol for the literature research about possible biological markers of stratification of patients.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications.
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results.
The activity of this task will start once the EPIC-Turin recall will start. Starting of the literature research about possible biological markers of stratification of patients.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications.
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Definition of the protocol for the systematic review on the biological markers for the stratification of the patients for their risk of healthy ageing.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
Since several systematic reviews on the biological markers for the stratification of the patients for their risk of healthy ageing are already available in the literature, the protocol has been changed to an ‘umbrella review’, based on the analysis of the many systematic reviews. For this reason a string has been defined in the 2010-2025 period. Applying this search, 284 papers have been collected, which are now under assessment to provide an adequate sample, excluding non-pertinent or non biomarker-based studies.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
In February-June 2025 more than 400 volunteers from the EPIC-Turin cohort have been recruited by the partner leading the WP3 cascade call, providing plasma samples to be used in the assessment of the markers able to reflect the propensity to frailty (defined in the previous working period). In the April-June trimester, the most suitable methodology to perform such evaluations has been identified. Indeed, while no issues are foreseen in managing fresh samples, the possibility that not every technique can be used on the samples provided by the volunteers at the time of their first enrollment into the EPIC cohort cannot be discarded. Along this line, comparison has been made among ELISA, Luminex and ELLA methodology, revealing this latter as the most reliable one. The assessment on this tranche of new and old samples from the same volunteers is actually ongoing and the results will be available very soon, allowing to include these data as well among those used to stratify the sample population according to the risk of frailty.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Not available yet.
Brief description of the activities and of the intermediate results
During the July-September time window, markers able to reflect the propensity to frailty, namely, Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)-21, Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), and Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF), together with the cytokines Interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 were assessed by ELLA methodology on new and old plasma samples from the EPIC cohort. More specifically, plasma was obtained from the same volunteers about 30 years ago (old; available from the EPIC archive in Torino) and during the 2025 recall (new). The results show increased circulating levels of FGF-21, BDNF, and GDNF comparing old and new samples, likely reflecting the older age. This is particularly evident for FGF-21 levels, which are differentially modulated when volunteers are stratified as below or above 70 years old. By contrast, the same analysis shows significantly reduced BDNF levels. While both IL-13 and IL-4 concentrations were reduced between old and new samples, just the latter showed a significant decrease in volunteers aged more than 70 years old in comparison with younger subjects. On the whole, these observations suggest that the follow up of molecular biomarkers such as those assessed in the present study could be helpful to stratify the population according to the propensity to develop frailty.
Main policy, industrial and scientific implications
Not available yet.