Advancing Sarcopenia Research: CUHK Lab Unveils Early NMJ Deficits in Aging with Aurora Scientific's 1200A

https://youtu.be/VW-6ElHCu8o

What is your academic background and journey to CUHK?

Professor Louis Cheung, Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory at CUHK, began his academic career by focusing on osteoporotic fracture healing. However, his work with aging patients revealed another significant, under-explored problem. As he noted,

"After more than a decade of work in this area, I recognize that sarcopenia is another critical but under-explored geriatric issue among the hip fracture patients."

This insight prompted a strategic shift, and his research now primarily targets sarcopeniathe age-related loss of muscle mass and strength affecting up to 40% of older adults. Utilizing advanced technology, his team is investigating the condition's pathogenesis by zeroing in on the degeneration of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), aiming to develop new interventions to preserve and regenerate NMJs and combat muscle aging. https://insidescientific.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Louis-Cheung_400sq-150x150.jpg

Louis Cheung, PhD

Professor and Director Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology Prince of Wales Hospital The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Define your research goals in the area of neuromuscular junctions

Professor Louis Cheungs team's major focus is a non-pharmacological approach: low-magnitude, high-frequency vibration therapy. In mouse models, this therapy significantly mitigates NMJ degeneration both morphologically and functionally by enhancing acetylcholine receptor clustering and regulating mitochondrial quality. The success of this approach is already being recognized:

"Our vibration therapy has been validated in a randomized control trial involving 710 older adults and was recently recognized by the US CDC...as an effective intervention for fall prevention in the elderly."

Beyond non-pharmacological approach, the lab is also making promising strides in pharmacological strategies, including drug repurposing and nanoparticle-based delivery systems. Preliminary results using the ex-vivo muscle testing machine show these agents effectively attenuate NMJ degeneration and improve muscle function, fueling optimism for near-future clinical translation. [fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="2_3" align_self="auto" content_layout="column" align_content="flex-start" valign_content="flex-start" content_wrap="wrap" spacing="" center_content="no" column_tag="div" link="" target="_self" link_description="" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" type_medium="" type_small="" flex_grow_medium="" flex_grow_small="" flex_grow="" flex_shrink_medium="" flex_shrink_small="" flex_shrink="" order_medium="0" order_small="0" dimension_spacing_medium="" dimension_spacing_small="" dimension_spacing="" dimension_margin_medium="" dimension_margin_small="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_medium="" padding_small="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" hover_type="none" border_sizes="" border_color_hover="" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" z_index_hover="" z_index="" overflow="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center center" linear_angle="180" background_color_medium="" backgr