ICFSR Task Force Perspective on Biomarkers for Sarcopenia and Frailty

• Published in: The Journal of Frailty & Aging Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 4 - 8
• Main Authors: Rodriguez-Mañas, L., Araujo de Carvalho, I., Bhasin, S., Bischoff-Ferrari, H. A., Cesari, M., Evans, W., Hare, J. M., Pahor, M., Parini, A., Rolland, Y., Fielding, R. A., Walston, J., Vellas, B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.01.2020; Springer Nature B.V; Springer
• Subjects: Advisory Committees; Age; Aging; Biological markers; Biomarkers; Chronic illnesses; Clinical trials; Congresses as Topic; Creatinine; Cytokines; Etiology; Frailty; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Glucose; Hormones; Humans; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Inflammation; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factors; Internal Medicine; Life Sciences; Magnetic resonance imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Musculoskeletal system; Neutrophils; Proteins; Rheumatology; Santé publique et épidémiologie; Sarcopenia; Special Article; Task forces; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Urine; Australia; consensus; Frailty; biomarkers; sarcopenia; Frailty sarcopenia biomarkers consensus
• ISSN: 2260-1341; 2273-4309
• DOI: 10.14283/jfa.2019.32

Biomarkers of frailty and sarcopenia are essential to advance the understanding of these conditions of aging and develop new diagnostic tools and effective treatments. The International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research (ICFSR) Task Force - a group of academic and industry scientists from around the world — met in February 2019 to discuss the current state of biomarker development for frailty and sarcopenia. The D3Cr dilution method, which assesses creatinine excretion as a biochemical measure of muscle mass, was suggested as a more accurate measure of functional muscle mass than assessment by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Proposed biomarkers of frailty include markers of inflammation, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to stress, altered glucose insulin dynamics, endocrine dysregulation, aging, and others, acknowledging the complex multisystem etiology that contributes to frailty. Lack of clarity regarding a regulatory pathway for biomarker development has hindered progress; however, there are currently several international efforts to develop such biomarkers as tools to improve the treatment of individuals presenting these conditions.