title: Biomarkers for physical frailty and sarcopenia: state of the science and future developments.
abstract: Physical frailty and sarcopenia are two common and largely overlapping geriatric conditions upstream of the disabling cascade. The lack of a unique operational definition for physical frailty and sarcopenia and the complex underlying pathophysiology make the development of biomarkers for these conditions extremely challenging. Indeed, the current definitional ambiguities of physical frailty and sarcopenia, together with their heterogeneous clinical manifestations, impact the accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of individual biomarkers proposed so far. In this review, the current state of the art in the development of biomarkers for physical frailty and sarcopenia is presented. A novel approach for biomarker identification and validation is also introduced that moves from the 'one fits all' paradigm to a multivariate methodology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Calvani
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, "Sapienza" University of Rome Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.affiliation: Gérontopôle, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse Toulouse, France ; Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (UMR1027), Université de Toulouse III Paul Sabatier Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cesari
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tosato
authors.affiliation: Department of Innovative Clinical Trials, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Anker
authors.affiliation: Department of Innovative Clinical Trials, University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: von Haehling
authors.affiliation: Muscle Metabolism Discovery Performance Unit, Metabolic Pathways and Cardiovascular Therapeutic Area, GlaxoSmithKline R&D Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Ram R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bernabei
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Landi
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marzetti
keywords: Ageing; Circulating markers; Disability; Imaging; Multivariate modelling; Physical performance