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Molecular Optimization Via Exercise (MOVE)

An Observational Study of Aging Biomarkers in Older Elite Athletes Compared to Non-exercising Healthy Older Adults.

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06540287
Enrollment
80
Registered
2024-08-06
Start date
2024-09-19
Completion date
2027-05-31
Last updated
2024-10-08

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aging

Keywords

Biomarkers, Healthy older adults, Older elite athletes

Brief summary

This study is to investigate characteristics of muscle, blood, and urine samples from older adults (ages 65-80) who are either sedentary or athletes performing at an elite level for their age. This observational study will include bio-specimen collection, as well as physical and cognitive function testing and body composition.

Detailed description

The study will enroll a total of 80 subjects-20 of each gender for each cohort. Participation in the study involves 3 visits that must take place within 12 weeks. Optional l follow up visits may be completed at 12- and 24- months after completion of the main study. The first visit is a screening and enrollment visit. At this visit, informed consent will be obtained and a detailed medical history, screening blood sample collected, and physical assessment will be performed (including, but not limited to vital signs, resting ECG, body composition). Additionally, an exercise history interview will be performed to assess for cohort eligibility. Participants will be familiarized with testing equipment during the screening visit and will perform the Astrand-Rhyming submaximal bicycle test. A short physical function testing battery will be performed, including the short physical performance battery, 6 minute walk test, grip strength, 1 rep max leg press, and leg press fatigue testing. The second visit will include maximal exercise testing, quality of life assessment, and cognitive function testing. Participants will be allocated into their cohort at this visit. The third visit will include thigh muscle sample collection via needle biopsy and blood sample collection.

Interventions

OTHERObservational

No intervention

Sponsors

Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

1. Willing and able to provide consent to take part in the MOVE-1 Main Study. 2. Willing and able to attend study visits and comply with all procedures of study data collection visits. 3. Able to read and speak English well enough to provide informed consent and understand instructions. 4. Healthy adults between the age of 65 - 80 y. 5. BMI \>19 to \< 35 kg/m2 6. No personal plans (i.e., vacations or medical procedures) during the expected study period (Screening, Test Visit 1, 2 and Sample Collection Visit). 7. Older Elite Athletes (OEA): • Evidence of current physical activity at an elite level for their age, as well as a consistent history of high activity level. This is assessed by interview, review of training data and/or competition results, and by review of the VO2 max data obtained during Testing Visit 1. 8. Healthy Older Adults (HOA): * Sedentary, defined as self-reporting no more than 1 day per week, lasting no more than 60 minutes, of regular (structured) endurance exercise \[e.g., brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, elliptical, or swimming activity that results in feelings of increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and/or sweating\] or resistance exercise (resulting in muscular fatigue) in the past year. * Persons bicycling as a mode of transportation to and from work \>1 day/week etc. are not considered sedentary. * Leisure walkers are included unless they meet the heart rate, breathing, and sweating criteria noted above. * Does not have a physically active job, no history of physically active job (i.e., postal worker, fire officer * No history of consistent high activity level (meeting above criteria) in the last 25 y. 3.2.2. Main Study

Exclusion criteria

1. Subject requires assistance with any activity of daily living, excluding continence. 2. Subject lives in an institutional setting (skilled nursing facility or residential care facility for the elderly). 3. Abnormal bleeding or coagulopathy (self-report): History of a bleeding disorder, wound healing disorder or clotting abnormality. 4. Female participants must be post-menopause. 5. Musculoskeletal conditions that would prevent completion of any required exercise testing. 6. Elevated blood pressure readings (screening test): Resting Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) ≥150 mmHg or resting Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg 7. Diabetes (self-report and screening tests): Treatment with any hypoglycemic agents (self-report), fasting glucose \>125 mg/dL (screening test; may reassess once), use of hypoglycemic drugs for non-diabetic reasons (self-report). 8. Pulmonary (self-report): Clinical diagnosis of any chronic pulmonary disease that limits exercise capacity. 9. Cardiovascular (self-report, screening test, and clinician judgement): Congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, significant valvular disease, congenital heart disease, serious arrhythmia, pulmonary embolism, stroke, or symptomatic peripheral artery disease (self-report, screening test). Specific criteria used to determine whether a volunteer can undergo the screening CPET follow the American Heart Association (AHA) Criteria \[6\]. Inability to complete the CPET. Reassessment of the CPET may be allowed under some circumstances (e.g., test was not a maximal effort) 10. Abnormal blood lipid profile (screening test): Fasting triglycerides \>500 mg/dL. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) \>190 mg/dL 11. Cancer (self-report): History of cancer treatment (other than non-melanoma skin cancer, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia) and not cancer-free for at least 2 years. Anti-hormonal therapy (e.g., for breast or prostate cancer) within the last 6 months. 12. Chronic active or latent infection (self-report): Active or latent infections requiring chronic antibiotic or anti-viral treatment, excluding herpes simplex virus. Chronic active infection whether on chronic antimicrobials or not. Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Active hepatitis B or C undergoing antiviral therapy. Individuals successfully treated for hepatitis C and virologically negative for at least 6 months are not excluded. 13. Liver enzyme tests (alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase) (screening test): \>2 times the laboratory upper limit of normal. Reassessment during screening may be allowed under some conditions (e.g., recent use of acetaminophen). Individuals may be referred to their PCP for evaluation; any medication change must be stable for ≥3 months prior to retesting. 14. Chronic renal insufficiency (screening test): Estimated glomerular filtration rate \<60 mL/min/1.73 m2 from serum creatinine (mg/dL) by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Subjects must be able to produce urine. Reassessment may be allowed under some conditions (e.g., questionable hydration status or other acute renal insult) 15. Hematocrit (screening test): Hematocrit \>3 points outside of the local normal laboratory ranges for women and men. Reassessment may be allowed under certain conditions. Individuals may be referred to their PCP for evaluation; any medication change must be stable for ≥3 months prior to retesting. 16. Blood donation (self-report): Whole blood donation in the last 3 months or plans for blood donation during the entire protocol period. Platelet or plasma donation in the last week or plans for platelet or plasma donation during the entire protocol period. 17. Autoimmune disorders (self-report): Individuals receiving any active systemic treatment (including immunosuppressants and/or monoclonal antibodies) within the last 6 months. 18. Alcohol consumption (self-report): Current consumption of more than 7 drinks per week for women More than 14 drinks per week for men. History of binge drinking in the past five years (≥5 drinks for males or ≥4 drinks for females in a 2-hour period more than once per month) 19. Tobacco (self-report): Current smokers: any tobacco or e-cigarette/e-nicotine products. Former smokers: Stopped smoking \<10 years at time of screening for those with a ≥20 pack-year smoking history. Stopped smoking \<5 years at time screening for those with a \<20 pack-year smoking history. 20. Recreational drug use (self-report): Self-reported use ≥3 days/week in any form 21. Shift workers (self-report): Night shift work in the last 6 months. Planning night shift work during the study period. 22. Cognitive status (screening): Unable to give consent to participate in and safely complete the protocol, as based on the judgement of the investigators. 23. Psychiatric illness (self-report and screening test): Hospitalization for any psychiatric condition within one year (self-report). 24. Weight change (self-report): Weight change (intentional or not) over the last 2 months of \>5% of body weight. Plan to lose or gain weight during the study 25. Lidocaine or other local anesthetic allergy (self-report): Known allergy to lidocaine or other local anesthetic 26. COVID-19 infection: Individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 but were not hospitalized must be symptom free, at least 14 days (without a negative antigen test) or symptom-free at least 7 days with a negative antigen test on the day of the study visit. A PCR test can be used if antigen tests are not available. 27. Other (clinician judgement): Genetic metabolic disorders that could affect metabolomic results (e.g., phenylketonuria). Any other cardiovascular, pulmonary, orthopedic, neurologic, psychiatric, metabolic, or other conditions that, in the opinion of the local clinician, would preclude participation and successful completion of the protocol. Any other illnesses that, in the opinion of the local clinician, would negatively impact or mitigate participation in and completion of the protocol.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Muscle cellular aging - spatial transcriptomicsDay 2Differences between athletes and sedentary in muscle spatial transcriptomic between OEA and HOA groups
Muscle cellular aging - single cell transcriptomicsDay 2Differences between athletes and sedentary in muscle single cell transcriptomic between OEA and HOA groups

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Blood metabolitesDay 2Metabolic analysis: differences between athletes and sedentary in blood metabolites
Blood cell immune functionDay 2Differences between athletes and sedentary in blood cell immune function
Blood cell gene expressionDay 2Differences between athletes and sedentary in blood cell gene expression
Urine metabolitesDay 2Differences between athletes and sedentary in urine metabolites
Physical function - VO2 maxDay 1Oxygen uptake measured during a ramp test on a bicycle ergometer
Physical function - grip strengthDay 1Measured in both hands using a dynamometer
Physical function - 6 minute walk testDay 1Measure distance covered in 6 minutes on an indoor walk track
Physical function - short physical performance batteryDay 1SPBB includes balance, gait speed and chair sit tests, consolidated to one score
Physical function - leg strengthDay 1Maximal leg press weight will be determined on a gym machine via progressive increases in weight
Physical function - leg press fatigueDay 170% of the maximal leg press weight will be used. Subjects will complete as many repetitions as possible of the 70% weight and number of repetitions will be recorded.
Differences between concentration of proteins in the muscleDay 2Proteomic analysis to measure differences in protein abundance in EOA vs HOA
Differences between concentration of metabolites in the muscleDay 2Metabolomic analysis to measure differences in metabolite abundance in EOA vs HOA
Differences between function of muscle mitochondriaDay 2Analysis of respiratory function of isolated mitochondria
Blood proteinsDay 2Proteomic analysis: differences between athletes and sedentary in blood protein concentration

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cognitive function - digit symbol substitutionDay 1Paper based test that involves matching symbols and numbers in a set time.
Cognitive function - trails A and BDay 1Paper based test that involves joining numbers or numbers and letters in series, as fast as possible.
Social determinants of healthDay 1Assessed by Upstream Risks paper based self-complete questionnaire
Sleep quality questionnaireDay 1Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index assessed by paper based self-complete questionnaire
Overal function perceptionDay 1SF-36 (Short Form 36) validated questionnaire (paper based, self complete) that determines ease of completion of different life activities.
DepressionDay 1Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) validated questionnaire (paper based, self complete) that assesses presence of depression symptoms
Body composition - BIADay 1Body composition measured by bioelectrical impedance
Cognitive function - Montreal Cognitive AssessmentDay 1Paper and interview based test that measures multiple domains of function
Body composition - muscle massDay 2Total muscle mass measured by D3 creatine supplement followed by urine collection

Countries

United States

Contacts

Primary ContactBriannaa Stubbs, DPhil
bstubbs@buckinstitute.org4152092000
Backup ContactJohn C Newman, MD PhD

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026