SISTEM

The SISTEM project – Sarcopenic syndrome with multimorbidity: prevention and management of chronic disease with synergistically acting bioactive molecules of natural origin – funded by MiSE,  aims to develop a mixture of natural-derived bioactive molecules with synergistic activity in counteracting the effects of sarcopenic muscle decay even in the presence of comorbidities.

Sarcopenia is now recognized as a multifactorial disease, linked to the interaction of multiple mechanisms, including muscle pathophysiological changes related to the aging process, lifestyle, exposure to anthropogenic pollutants, and the presence of concomitant chronic and acute pathological conditions.

Considering that to date there is no effective treatment for this pathology, the project tasks involve the isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from natural sources using extraction, and purification technologies that are not only ecologically sustainable, but also capable of limiting the presence in the final product of contaminants and/or pollutants, and preserving the integrity of the extracted molecules. Moreover, the synergy of the identified molecules will be evaluated on specific in vitro and/or ex-vivo models of the disease.

The project involves close collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and clinical centers so as to enable proper technological transfer and create a synergy between academia and industry that can satisfy.