Patient recruitment begins for muscle strength study

Recruitment begins for MET-PREVENT; a research trial to examine treatments for older people with muscle weakness.

MET-PREVENT is a Newcastle BRC-funded study. It will test whether the medicine metformin can improve physical function in older adults with muscle weakness and frailty.

Researchers have just begun to recruit patients to the study, which involves 80 volunteers aged 65 or over. Half of the recruits will take the drug metformin, and the other half will take a placebo (dummy) tablet.

Researchers will then assess volunteers for differences, such as in muscle strength and size, grip strength and quality of life.

Metformin is a drug commonly used to treat diabetes. However, this study will examine if it is also suitable for adults without diabetes, but living with muscle weakness and frailty.

The team will also collect a range of other samples. This additional data will help provide a better understanding of how metformin might work to improve muscle weakness and other health conditions associated with ageing.

Professor Miles Witham is Principal Investigator for the study, he comments:

I’m excited that recruitment has started for this trial. It’s a big step towards our goal to find out if metformin can improve muscle strength and physical function for older people with sarcopenia and frailty. The results will also tell us more about how metformin might act as an anti-ageing treatment. We are looking forward to seeing the results in just over a year’s time.

If you are aged 65 or over and have noticed problems walking, carrying shopping or climbing stairs, you may be eligible to take part in the MET-PREVENT study. Please contact miles.witham@nhs.net for further information.

The Newcastle BRC funds several strategic projects and MET-PREVENT is one of these. These projects aim to make advancements in the key research themes covered by us.