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Adipose Tissue_Appetite_and Obesity

MON-706 - A Secreted Protein Therapeutic, JUV-161, Improves Muscle Structure and Function in Age-Related Sarcopenia

Monday, June 15, 2026
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM CT
Location: ENDOExpo; Poster Floor
Disclosure(s):
Vengadeshprabhu Karuppagounder, Ph.D: No financial relationships to disclose
Sarcopenia is an age-associated condition marked by progressive skeletal muscle loss, reductions in fiber size, and declining strength, ultimately contributing to impaired mobility and increased frailty in older adults. Despite its growing clinical impact, therapeutic options capable of both preserving muscle mass and restoring function remain limited. At Juvena Therapeutics, we have established a biologics-based discovery platform designed to identify stem cell–derived secreted proteins that restore tissue health during aging. From this platform, we identified JUV-161, a novel secreted protein engineered to enhance muscle regeneration, repair, and functional recovery.

We evaluated the therapeutic potential of JUV-161 in a preclinical model of sarcopenia by treating aged C57BL/6 male mice (23–25 months old) with daily subcutaneous injections of JUV-161 (12 mg/kg) or vehicle for three weeks, followed by comprehensive assessments of body composition, muscle function, and skeletal muscle histopathology.

JUV-161 treatment resulted in a significant improvement in overall body composition, with treated animals exhibiting an increase in lean mass relative to baseline, compared to a decline in vehicle-treated controls (+1.12% vs. −3.23%). Muscle histological analyses demonstrated that JUV-161 reversed age-associated alterations in fiber type distribution, increasing the proportion of fast-twitch fibers (p < 0.01) while reducing that of slow-twitch fibers (p < 0.01). These structural and compositional improvements were accompanied by meaningful functional gains. JUV-161 significantly enhanced specific forelimb grip strength (25.51 mN/g vs. 23.20 mN/g; p< 0.05) and all-limb grip strength (46.73 mN/g vs. 41.21 mN/g; p< 0.01) relative to vehicle-treated controls. Together, these findings demonstrate that JUV-161 effectively mitigates age-related muscle wasting, improves muscle composition, and restores functional performance in a model of sarcopenia. By concurrently addressing structural, cellular, and functional deficits in aging muscle, JUV-161 emerges as a promising therapeutic candidate for sarcopenia, supporting continued translational development aimed at improving mobility, reducing frailty, and enhancing quality of life in aging populations.

*Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO must not be released to the press or the public until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.*