A groundbreaking national research initiative, MAGNET, has been launched in Singapore to tackle sarcopenia, a condition characterised by the progressive loss of muscle mass and strength. Officially unveiled on 4 August 2025 at Duke-NUS Medical School, the $10 million project seeks to develop the world’s first precision therapies for sarcopenia, a condition affecting one in three Singaporeans aged 60 and above.
MAGNET, which stands for Mechanistic Investigation and Clinical Innovation for Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Therapy, is supported by the National Research Foundation under the National Medical Research Council’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Open Fund. The initiative aims to uncover the biological mechanisms behind sarcopenia and create targeted treatments. Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health at the Ministry of Health, was the guest of honour at the launch.
The initiative is particularly timely as Singapore celebrates its 60th year, with an increasing number of its population reaching the age where sarcopenia becomes prevalent. Beyond exercise and nutrition, there are currently no approved treatments for the condition, which can lead to physical frailty and loss of independence.
MAGNET is calling for patient participation to donate biological samples, such as muscle tissue or blood, to build a sarcopenia biobank. Additionally, researchers in related fields are invited to collaborate in this multi-institutional effort. The consortium includes leading academic and healthcare institutions such as Duke-NUS Medical School, A*STAR, and several major hospitals across Singapore.
This initiative marks a significant step in addressing age-related health challenges, with potential implications for improving the quality of life for seniors in Singapore and beyond.
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