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MAGNET officially launched by Director-General of Health to tackle sarcopenia in Singapore

Marking a bold step in that direction, MAGNET—short for Mechanistic Investigation and Clinical Innovation for Sarcopenia Diagnosis and Therapy–-was officially launched on 4 August 2025 by Guest-of-Honour Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health at the Ministry of Health.

This S$10 million national research initiative, supported by the National Research Foundation, Singapore, under the National Medical Research Council or NMRC Open Fund - Large Collaborative Grant (OF-LCG) programme, aims to transform how sarcopenia is understood, diagnosed and treated.

Beyond the elderly, sarcopenia also affects 1 in 14 younger adults with chronic conditions such as cancer or diabetes[2]. Despite its impact on independence, mobility and health outcomes, no approved treatment exists today beyond exercise and nutrition.

“Sarcopenia robs people of strength, mobility and independence—yet there’s still no approved treatment anywhere in the world,” said Professor Wang Yibin, MAGNET’s Corresponding Principal Investigator and Director of the Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School. Read more>>

(seated, from left) Professor Thomas Coffman, Professor Kenneth Mak, Director-General of Health (Guest-of-Honour), Professor Wang Yibin, healthcare leaders and the MAGNET theme Principal Investigators at the official launch of MAGNET // Credit: Duke-NUS Medical School 

 

Source: Duke-NUS

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