"Sarcopenia is a disease in which there is a loss of skeletal muscle and strength with ageing. Today millions of old people are suffering from this. They can't even do exercise on their own" says Jose Bianco Moriera, a researcher at NTNU.
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology restored the muscle loss in old mice using gene therapy techniques. They are expecting the same in humans to prevent the severe loss of muscle with age.
The most effective way to provide the same result of physical exercise you get to elderly people is gene therapy.
They found a crucial RNA strand hidden in the least understood part of genetic material.
They used the gene therapy method to trigger the genes to create more muscle-building RNA strands. It had impressive results in both mice and earthworms.
Gene therapy with CRISPR.
According to the study, the researchers used the Nobel Prize-winning method CRISPR-Cas9 to edit the genes.
According to this method, the body is provided with the enzyme Cas9, which finds its way to a specific gene and introduces changes in them, editing them by itself.
Moriera says " CRISPR has limitless potential. Once a disease is treated, patients don't need to take medicines every day"
But the path for this treatment is not smooth sailing. The main difficulty is to determine the correct gene for the desired health.
Our DNA contains all information for making the protein that our cells need.
The first step involved in generating protein is the copying of DNA sequence into RNA strands which is known as transcription. After transcription translation occurs which involves RNA into protein.
But 99% of DNA doesn't code for protein. This part is called dark DNA.
Discovery of important gene
Researchers discovered the most important gene in the RNA strand which is the CYTOR gene. This helps the body to maintain or gain more muscle mass.
As we grow older this CYTOR level drops. So overall finding gives a good clue to study more about CYTOR genes and how it affects age-related muscle loss.
Muscle fibres in our body
An 80-year-old man already lost 30% of his muscle. Without exercising to counteract the loss of muscle humans start to lose at age of 30.
In our body, there are two types of muscle fibre
(a) slow-twitch(type I)
(b) fast-twitch (type ll)
Type l muscles fibre focused on smaller movement and posture control while type ll muscle fibre focuses on quick and powerful movements.
With advancing age, humans start to lose type ll.
In the study of muscle, it is found that CYTOR contributes to developing type ll precisely.
Increased level of muscle loss.
The next step of researchers was to see what happens when gene therapy is used for CYTOR increments.
Using CRISPR-Cas9 they increased the CYTOR production in live animals and muscle cells of older humans. The result was favourable
In human cells, CYTOR production increased while using gene therapy which ultimately promotes fast-twitch type II muscle fibres.
They concluded that the CYTOR gene is necessary for normal human muscles.
Now researchers have laid down the groundwork for the new treatment methods in elders for muscle loss. Of course, it will take time in humans for common practice.
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