Muscle Ageing and Sarcopenia Study (MASS) Lifecourse: a valuable resource for understanding skeletal muscle ageing

Advances in our understanding of the biology of skeletal muscle ageing are being made at pace, with great potential for these findings to inform the identification of novel treatments for sarcopenia. However, translation of findings from animal models to humans has been hampered by limitations of existing human muscle biopsy studies. Devised to directly address this challenge, the Muscle Ageing and Sarcopenia Study (MASS) Lifecourse is a novel resource for the study of human muscle ageing. This deep-phenotyped observational study of 260 community-dwelling men and women aged 18 to 85 years living in North East England includes muscle biopsy samples and detailed characterisation of physical function, health status and sociodemographic and behavioural risk factors. Few human observational studies, with muscle tissue sample collection, have the breadth and depth of data on such a wide range of other relevant characteristics across the full adult age range as MASS Lifecourse. This study therefore presents new opportunities to catalyse translational research on ageing muscle across the life course, identify novel treatment targets and deliver benefits for patients and the public.