SINGAPORE – Madam Chia Lu Ting, 71, was wheelchair-bound after being badly injured in a fall in July. But her weekly use of the Bixeps machine at the Care Corner Senior Care Centre in Toa Payoh East had her back on her feet within three months.

All she had to do was to put one leg into the machine for 10 minutes on a weekly basis.

“I’m very happy. I now have no problems with the 15- to 20-minute walk home from the centre,” said Madam Chia, who suffered severe bruising but no fractures from the fall.

She is one of the many seniors going to about 30 care centres here who have access to the Bixeps machine, which has been shown to improve muscle mass in older people who are too weak or frail to do vigorous exercise. Most of these centres do not charge clients for the use of the machine, which forms part of their caregiving.

The machine, which was developed in Singapore, uses low-energy magnetic fields to stimulate cells in the muscles, strengthening them.

Although only the leg is inserted into the machine, the benefit extends throughout the body, said Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregon of the National University of Singapore (NUS), the primary researcher behind the machine.

He started work on the machine at ETH Zurich, a Swiss university, and finished it at NUS. He and cardiac surgeon C.N. Lee – the man who got him to join NUS – are two of the owners of QuantumTx, the company hived off to commercialise the Bixeps machine. The patent belongs to the university.

Ms Mary Wee, who heads the centre that Madam Chia goes to, said most of the seniors at the centre are aged 75 to 95.

“I noticed their walking patterns were unsteady, and they were at high risk of falls. I wanted to do something to help them.”

She had heard of community studies of the machine and was impressed with the reported results – better mobility and balance, and less pain after 10 weeks. There have been several such studies, starting with 90 seniors in 2019.

So, Ms Wee wrote a paper to the Community Silver Trust and received its dollar-for-dollar donation matching grant from the Government to buy a Bixeps machine, which costs more than $42,000.

The trust, which comes under the Agency for Integrated Care, has sponsored such machines for care centres run by three organisations.

Besides Care Corner Singapore, the other two are St Andrew’s Mission Hospital and AWWA.

Bixeps simulates the effects of exercise by activating and stimulating mitochondria – the energy-making part of cells in the body – with the use of magnetic pulses.

The stimulated mitochondria produce energy that triggers a metabolic response in the cells, causing factors called myokines to be released into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body. Myokines aid the regeneration of muscles, as well as regulate the body’s organs.

There have been more than half a dozen community studies showing the benefits of the machine.

Prof Franco-Obregon said more than four in five people showed significant improvement after a couple of months, but a small number did not seem to benefit.

The latest verification of Bixeps’ claims came from a clinical trial by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong. The results of the study were published in the Frontiers in Medicine journal in October.

The double-blind eight-week clinical trial involved 60 patients suffering from end-stage knee osteoarthritis. All did a series of exercises and spent two 10-minute sessions on the machine.

For the control group of 30 participants, the machine did not emit any electromagnetic waves.

Both groups showed improvement after eight weeks, but the improvement in knee muscle strength and reduction of pain in the 30 who were treated with the Bixeps machine were significantly superior to the control group.

Their ability to function and the reduction in pain was 20 per cent to 30 per cent more than in the control group.

The researchers said Bixeps offers a new way to replicate some of the metabolic effects on the body that usually happen during endurance exercise.

They concluded: “Early improvements in strength and function can set the stage for better long-term outcomes, potentially delaying the need for surgical interventions, such as total knee replacement.”

For the past two years, Singapore General Hospital (SGH) orthopaedic surgeon Tay Boon Keng has been putting his patients who have osteoarthritis and sarcopaenia, which is age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, on the machine, which was offered by QuantumTX for trial.

With this non-invasive treatment, his patients appear to benefit with stronger muscles, as seen in the grip-strength test, he said.

“After surgery, if their muscles are weak, they might fall again, so it’s important to strengthen their muscles.”

He said more than 100 of his patients have used the machine and quite a few swear by it. At SGH, their treatment is only for four weeks. Those who want to continue need to pay for it at QuantumTX in Tiong Bahru, which charges $50 for a 10-minute session.

Earlier studies showed that the ideal treatment is 10 minutes, up to a maximum of three times a week. When done more frequently, the stimulation of the mitochondria weakens.

One of Professor Tay’s patients, Mrs Louisa Chen, 82, used to struggle to stand up. After trying out the machine at SGH two years ago, she continued her rehabilitation at AWWA, which also has the machine. Now, she has no difficulty getting up.

QuantumTX has applied to both the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) and the US Food and Drug Administration for approval for its next-generation machine, which allows for adjustment of signal strength so healthcare professionals can adjust it to suit the frailty of patients.

The current machine is sold as a wellness machine and does not require approval from health regulatory bodies.

Prof Tay said, once approved by the HSA, he would urge the hospital to acquire several Bixeps machines so patients undergoing physiotherapy can benefit from it.

However, the researchers are now finding that the benefits of using the machine extend beyond just increasing muscle strength.

Prof Tay said that aside from strengthening of muscle, his patients have also shown higher bone density, since the myokines generated by the mitochondria are spread throughout the body.

Prof Franco-Obregon said NUS has also initiated two clinical trials of Bixeps for patients suffering from breast cancer and leukaemia, to see if it can reduce the inflammation that exacerbates these diseases. They also hope it can slow the cancer progression. He said the preliminary results are promising.

資料參考：Clinical study in HK confirms Singapore’s Bixeps machine improves muscle strength

原文連結： https://bit.ly/4ilARMz

SINGAPORE – A Singapore-developed device to strengthen muscles and reduce pain has gained approval from health regulators in Singapore and the US – allowing it to be sold as a medical device in both countries.

Called Quantum Mitohormesis (QMT), the device uses magnetic pulses to stimulate and regenerate muscle cells, a process similar to what happens during exercise.

It is the next-generation version of the Bixeps device, which has been available here for some years as a fitness device. Unlike Bixeps, QMT is portable and can be used by bed-bound patients. It also has two levels of intensity to cater to the different needs of patients.

Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has approved the use of QMT for rehabilitation of patients to improve muscle strength, reduce pain, improve muscle energetics post-injury or surgery, and to increase mobility.

However, the approval is only for the lower intensity level, which is similar to that of the Bixeps device.

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved both intensity levels for prescription use to stimulate healthy limb muscles to improve performance, and to prevent retardation and atrophy of muscles.

As a medical device, QMT has to be operated by a healthcare professional such as a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist.

In Singapore, Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital will be among the first to get the device for its patients, likely in about four months’ time when the first batch of 30 machines are produced.

The hospital’s chief executive officer, Dr Mok Ying Jang, said about 900 of its 1,100 inpatients receive some form of rehabilitation. He hopes the QMT will help to slow down sarcopenia, a condition that occurs when older adults lose muscle mass, strength and function.

A clinical trial of Bixeps conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong found that, after two 10-minute sessions per week for eight weeks, patients’ ability to function improved by 20 per cent and their pain was reduced by 30 per cent.

Currently, about 30 senior centres in Singapore use Bixeps to help seniors regain or maintain their muscle strength.

Mr Ivan Goh, chief executive of QuantumTX, which owns the devices, said some users, especially those who are frail, gain about 250g to 500g of muscle mass after eight weeks of use.

The device has also been used at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for the past two years to help patients who have sarcopenia and osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease.

Orthopaedic surgeon Tay Boon Keng, who introduced the device to SGH, said his patients appear to benefit from stronger muscles, as seen in the grip-strength test. He also likes that the treatment is non-invasive.

Professor Tay said it is crucial to strengthen the muscles of patients after surgery to reduce the risk of them falling again.

Now that the QMT device has HSA certification, he said: “We look forward to using this more widely in the hospital for patients with sarcopenia. In addition, with the more portable design, we intend to use this for post-operative elderly patients, who would benefit from a quicker and more sustained recovery.”

Dr Mok said QMT is better suited than Bixeps for his patients as it can be lifted onto the bed for use by bed-bound patients.

One such patient who will benefit is Mr Michael Mahendran, 81, a retired school teacher who suffered a stroke seven years ago that left him unable to walk.

Mr Mahendran remains mentally alert and spends most of his days watching news programmes on a tablet provided to each patient for entertainment.

Dr Mok hopes the QMT can give Mr Mahendran more strength in his arms so that he can pull himself up.

With one machine, about 160 patients can each have a 10-minute session a week for 12 weeks. Another batch of 160 patients would then have their turn.

Dr Mok plans to start with those who are still mobile so that they can continue doing activities to keep themselves physically fit.

If the device proves useful to his patients, Dr Mok said the hospital will want to acquire more if it can get funding for them.

The primary developer of Bixeps is Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregon, who brought the semi-developed device from ETH Zurich, a Swiss university, when he joined NUS more than a decade ago.

The development of the machine was completed here.

The device produces magnetic pulses that activate the energy-producing mitochondria in muscle cells.

This then triggers a metabolic response in the cells and releases myokines, which aid the regeneration of muscles. The same response occurs during exercise.

Prof Franco-Obregon said that while the magnetic pulses target the limbs, the therapy improves the metabolism of the entire body since the myokines are released into the bloodstream.

資料參考：
Singapore machine to strengthen muscles approved for clinical use locally and in the US
https://news.nus.edu.sg/boosting-chemotherapy-uptake-in-breast-cancer-treatment/

A recent study explained the mechanisms by which pulsed electromagnetic field therapy enhances doxorubicin uptake, paving the way for precision-driven cancer therapies with fewer side effects

Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a non-invasive method to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy while reducing its harmful side effects.

By applying brief, localised pulses of magnetic fields, the team demonstrated a significant increase in the uptake of doxorubicin (DOX), a widely used chemotherapy drug, into breast cancer cells, with minimal impact on healthy tissues. This selective uptake enables more precise targeting of cancer cells, potentially improving treatment outcomes and reducing the adverse effects often associated with chemotherapy.

The study, led by Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregón, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech) at NUS and faculty member of the Department of Surgery at NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), is the first to systematically show how pulsed magnetic fields enhance DOX uptake in cancer cells. The team also showed that this approach could suppress tumours at lower drug doses.

The team’s research was published in the journal Cancers on 18 November 2024. It builds on earlier work from 2022, which first revealed that certain cancer cells are more vulnerable to magnetic field therapy.

Targeted therapy for better chemotherapy outcomes and fewer side effects

DOX is a commonly used chemotherapy drug for breast cancer. It works by binding to DNA components and disrupting cell replication and respiration, which then kills off cancer cells. Despite its efficacy, it is a non-selective drug, which means it can also damage healthy tissues, leading to side effects ranging from mild to severe, including cardiomyopathy and muscle atrophy.

To address these challenges, the NUS researchers developed a novel approach that uses brief pulses of magnetic fields to selectively increase DOX uptake into breast cancer cells. Their study revealed the role of a calcium ion channel known as TRPC1, which is often found in aggressive cancers, including breast cancer. Magnetic field exposure activates TRPC1, enhancing its ability to facilitate the entry of DOX into cancer cells.

The researchers conducted experiments comparing the effects of the magnetic field therapy on human breast cancer cells and healthy muscle cells. They found that breast cancer cells took in significantly more DOX when exposed to magnetic pulses, while normal tissues were not targeted as much. A 10-minute magnetic field exposure reduced the drug concentration needed for similar amount of cancer killing by half, particularly at low doses of the drug.

In contrast, healthy muscle cells did not show an increase in cell death in response to the combination of DOX and magnetic pulses indicating greater protection for non-cancerous tissues.

The team also demonstrated that reducing TRPC1 expression or blocking its activity eliminated this effect, which confirms the crucial role of TRPC1 channels in the process. “Importantly, when we increased the amount of TRPC1, we observed an increase in DOX uptake — this means that TRPC1 can be used as a viable therapeutic target for aggressive cancers,” said Mr Viresh Krishnan Sukumar, the paper’s first author and a PhD candidate at NUS Centre for Cancer Research (N2CR) under NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

“What’s promising is that this mechanism works strongest at low drug concentrations, enabling us to target cancer cells more effectively while reducing the burden of chemotherapy on healthy tissues,” Assoc Prof Franco-Obregón added.

With breast cancer remaining the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide, the need for novel treatment strategies is urgent. “The majority of women who undergo chemotherapy experience side effects from treatment, and in some cases, doses of chemotherapy need to be reduced, or in severe cases, stopped prematurely,” said research team member Assistant Professor Joline Lim, Principal Investigator at N2CR and Senior Consultant, Department of Haematology-Oncology, National University Cancer Institute, Singapore. “Moreover, prolonged exposure to high-dose chemotherapy can also lead to drug resistance. This targeted approach represents an excellent opportunity to potentially improve treatment outcomes while preserving patients’ quality of life.”

Advancing the frontier of precision oncology

The team’s magnetic-assisted approach addresses one of the biggest challenges of chemotherapy, namely its toxic effects on healthy tissues. By selectively enhancing drug uptake into cancer cells, this method has the potential to drastically reduce the systemic side effects often experienced by breast cancer patients. This not only improves treatment outcomes and quality of life, but also encourages earlier treatment for those hesitant about treatment side effects. The study also underscores the role of biomarkers, such as elevated TRPC1 expression, in transforming cancer care by enabling precision-driven treatment options.

Future work will focus on translating these findings into clinical practice by localising magnetic field exposure specifically to tumours in patients. This would further validate the potential to reduce systemic DOX doses while maximising localised drug delivery in cancer cells.

“Our approach will be patented and form the foundation for a startup specialising in breast cancer treatment. We are currently in discussions with potential investors in Southeast Asia and the United States to translate this technology from bench to bedside,” shared Assoc Prof Franco-Obregón.

資料參考：
NUS researchers boost chemotherapy uptake in breast cancer treatment with localised magnetic fields
https://news.nus.edu.sg/boosting-chemotherapy-uptake-in-breast-cancer-treatment/

我們知道適量運動有助增強肌肉活力，促進新陳代謝及改善身體機能，惟行動不便的長者及康復中的病患者則較難直接透過運動得到鍛煉。新加坡初創QuantumTX研發的儀器BIXEPS，通過磁場線粒體調節系統，能在不造成身體負擔或勞損的情況下，安全溫和地激活肌肉及其線粒體（mitochondria，可理解為「肌肉裏的電池」），為細胞提供能量，幫助復原。今年該初創更入選由阿里巴巴創業者基金主辦的「JUMPSTARTER 2022」環球創業比賽十強，目前產品已引入香港市場。

QuantumTX由新加坡國立大學楊潞齡醫學院外科醫學副教授Alfredo Franco-Obregon

以及致力幫助大學科研成果商業化的Ivan Goh於2019年創辦，BIXEPS的核心科技源自Alfredo於90年代開始潛心鑽研的成果。

「當時臨床醫學上已有一個極待解決的問題——有些行動不便的病患者無法透過運動鍛煉身體，因恐傷害其身上較脆弱的組織。」Alfredo從那時開始，就研究如何在不施加任何機械壓力（mechanical stress）的條件下激活肌肉的方法。他最初在肌肉萎縮症領域研究，漸漸延伸至長者保健、代謝疾病和運動康復方面。

無需用力　儀器治療仿運動效果

BIXEPS發出的低頻磁場（magnetic fields）無需通過物理接觸就能滲透肌肉組織，即使穿著衣服亦不會阻礙磁場信號，從而刺激肌肉產生能量，達到有如運動般的效果。經過每周10分鐘、連續16周的療程後，驗血結果證實肌肉復原得更快，新陳代謝亦顯著改善。雖然這種方法並不能完全代替運動，但對較孱弱或已出現肌肉流失的人士，亦不失為一個激活肌肉的方法。

Alfredo說：「我們的使命是幫助人們變得更健康、更長壽。現時人的壽命在延長，卻未必能一直維持健康，我們希望幫助改善人們的身體機能，提高生活質素，令人活得更有尊嚴。」Ivan指，這項技術可廣泛應用於創傷康復、慢性病管理等方面，目前QuantumTX已與臨床醫生、康復專家、健身房以及長者護理供應商等合作，為有需要人士，特別是長者提供服務。

兩人最有成就感的時刻，莫過於見證原本行路都有困難的用家，在使用其儀器後身體情況顯著改善；有些擅長體育、「不認老」的人士亦在使用後有了更出色的運動表現。Alfredo欣慰從90年代開始的夢想已漸漸實現——透過人體運作的基本原理去「治本（根治疾病）」，而不是只用藥物去「治標（紓緩症狀）」；「（開公司創業）利潤固然重要，但我認為這才是真正能令我們繼續前進的原因，並追求下一個目標，」Ivan補充。

創業應帶來改變　造福他人是背後真義

對於創業，Ivan認為是以科技和可持續商業模式配對，回應市場的需求。Alfredo則認爲創業者是能夠帶來改變的人，「最成功的企業家通常有高於個人成敗的理想。若只著眼於自我，當有其他路徑出現時，或容易左顧右盼；而造福別人則是更有意義的抱負（a greater sense of purpose），使你更專注、目標更清晰，亦更有滿足感、更有韌勁，不易被困難打倒。」

學者與技術轉移專才合作　助科研商業化

QuantumTX團隊現有6名成員，均常駐新加坡。Ivan指，未來計劃加大擴展香港及大灣區市場，現時在香港已與物理治療及健身領域專業經驗的分銷商合作，並與香港中文大學及威爾斯親王醫院合作，展開骨關節炎及運動康復等研究。

該初創一路獲得不少策略夥伴的支持，例如Enterprise Singapore（新加坡企業發展局）協助其拓展環球市場，更是投資者之一；另一夥伴raiSE Singapore則重視為社會帶來改變的初創公司。QuantumTX亦夥拍企業，透過其現有的客戶基礎，探索可帶來盈利的商業模式。

作為一對由負責科研的學者與主力市場拓展的專才組成的拍檔，Alfredo和Ivan合作無間，一個發現需求，鑽研出可以應用的方法；另一個則幫助技術在現實世界落地，變成對大眾有價值的產品。Alfredo建議其他科研人員，應及早與技術轉移專才建立聯繫，並充分了解商業世界衡量成功及生存的標準，否則或因錯配而影響商業上的成功。「科學世界與商業世界對於成功有不同的定義。科學範疇廣博並持續不斷發展，商業領域則需要精益求精兼快速推進。」

對於Alfredo的建議，筆者也非常認同，往後阿里巴巴香港創業者基金也會投入更多資源夥拍大學知識轉移辦公室，推動本地科研成果商業化。

作者_周駱美琪（Cindy）簡介：

周駱美琪(Cindy)自2015年起擔任阿里巴巴香港創業者基金執行董事。自2007年加入阿里巴巴集團，Cindy曾擔任阿里巴巴國際高級財務董事，主要負責集團財務管理和企業規劃。阿里巴巴香港創業者基金創立不同項目，致力幫助香港的創業家和青年人於充滿活力的城市中實踐他們的夢想。通過這個欄目Cindy希望與大家分享不同的創業故事及經驗，也為創業者帶來小貼士，幫助他們了解初創市場的最新形勢。

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香港新聞網1月30日電　全球人口老化問題持續上升，香港人口老化問題亦受政府及社會關注。大部分長者隨著年齡增長，因身體老化、肌肉流失而引致活動能力變差，容易跌倒，Health Advisor於2023年中引入BIXEPS脈衝電磁場肌肉線粒體激活專利技術，經國際及香港本地大學研究證實，能有效改善長者肌肉力量、增加肌肉量及舒緩痛症。

根據統計處推算，65歲及以上人口佔總人口的比例，將由2021年20.5%增至2046年36%。 換言之，65歲及以上人口，將由現時整體人口每5人中有1個，增加至每3人中有1個。 人口老化帶來社區各種問題，包括醫療體制、長者身心健康及照顧者壓力等。大部分長者隨著年齡增長，因身體老化、肌肉流失而引致活動能力變差，容易跌倒，受傷後康復需要人照顧，帶來很多日後影響。大部分有跌到經驗的長者，會經常擔心再次跌倒，心理壓力非常大。

新加坡國立大學聯同瑞士蘇黎世聯邦理工學院共同研發BIXEPS，採用專利脈衝電磁場技術，模擬人體的運動狀態，激活細胞內線粒體，促進合成三磷酸腺苷(ATP, Adenosine Triphosphate)為肌肉提供能量，同時讓肌肉分泌肌肉激素(Myokine)，增加肌肉量及改善足部痛症等問題，促進患者下肢血液循環和新陳代謝，逐漸改善他們的腳部健康。

在使用儀器八個星期後，研究對象中有72%的人骨骼肌肉量獲得改善，身體總脂肪和內臟脂肪也減少；85%參與者的運動能力有所提高。新加坡國立大學醫療健康創新與科技研究院Alfredo Franco-Obregon副教授表示，這項社區試驗的積極結果給了他們很大鼓舞。他指出，年長者改善幅度最為顯著。脈衝電磁場治療能有效地幫助長者，擺脫“越虛弱越不鍛練，越不鍛練越虛弱”的惡性循環。

SINGAPORE – Mrs Yvette Cheak, 73, could not stand for long periods of time after suffering four or five falls in a few years which left her right leg weak and knee swollen.

In 2021, a friend with similar leg issues recommended that she try a painless therapy: two years earlier, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) had invented a medical device that sends magnetic pulses through the leg to strengthen muscles without the need for her to exercise.

Every week over three months, Mrs Cheak had a session with the Bixeps device, placing her leg inside it for 10 minutes each time.

After just six weeks of therapy, Mrs Cheak noticed that the swelling had gone down and the pain in her leg had subsided.

“I could stand up for longer periods and walk better. I can now do daily morning walks for 45 minutes and also have the strength to carry my grandson,” said the retired compliance officer. She has completed three cycles of the three-month therapy to maintain her limb strength, and is now on her fourth cycle.

Explaining how Bixeps (pronounced “biceps”) works, Associate Professor Alfredo Franco-Obregon, principal investigator with the NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), said the magnetic pulses activate a structure in the muscle cells, called the mitochondria, which produces energy. This then triggers a metabolic response in the cells and releases factors called myokines that appear during exercise, he added. Myokines aid the regeneration of muscles.

Mrs Cheak was among more than 100 patients aged between 38 and 91 who participated in a clinical trial between 2020 and 2022. The trial results showed that the machine helped to prevent frailty and make muscles stronger, especially for the elderly. The average age of the participants was 68.

More than 70 per cent of the participants saw healthy changes in their bodies. Their skeletal muscle mass rose by an average of 1.2 per cent.

“(Bixeps showed) very positive effects in the elderly, and they are the ones who need this technology the most. They are the ones who are less likely to exercise… and they tend to enter this vicious circle of losing more muscle and becoming more frail,” said Prof Franco-Obregon.

People over the age of 40 usually start to lose skeletal muscle mass by 0.8 per cent each year.

In addition to gaining skeletal muscle mass, the 2020-2022 trial participants also lost about 4 per cent of both total body fat and visceral fat, an insidious type of fat that wraps around the abdominal organs deep inside the body, and raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

While the magnetic pulses target the limbs, the therapy improves the metabolism of the entire body since the factors are released into the bloodstream, noted Prof Franco-Obregon.

About 85 per cent of the participants reported improvements in their mobility.

The trial was led by Prof Franco-Obregon and was carried out jointly by researchers from iHealthtech, the NUS spin-off QuantumTX, and the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

Each session currently costs about $50. The session is limited to 10 minutes to avoid over-stimulating the mitochondria, said Prof Franco-Obregon. A doctor’s referral is not needed for the therapy sessions, which are held at QuantumTX’s office in Alexandra Hospital and 10 partner centres islandwide. More information about the therapy can be found on www.bixeps.com

Mrs Cheak said she was initially sceptical of the therapy.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m putting my leg in there and I don’t feel a thing.’ But after a few sessions, the pain wasn’t bad and my muscles felt more relaxed.”

The Bixeps machine is used on alternate legs each week. Between every three-month cycle, participants do not need to take a break.

Pregnant women and those who have active implants such as pacemakers and internal defibrillators are not eligible for the therapy.

In previous trials, Bixeps was tested on younger participants with sports injuries and patients who underwent knee surgery. The therapy helped to quicken the athletes’ rehabilitation and they could return to training sooner. One athlete estimated that he saved about 20 per cent of recovery time with the therapy.

But Prof Franco-Obregon reiterated that using the Bixeps machine is not a substitute for exercise. Rather, it is more of a solution for those who are unable to exercise and are losing muscle.

Studies have shown that people in South-east Asia develop diabetes at a lower body mass index than other demographics. They hold on to visceral fat more stubbornly than people in other parts of the world despite exercise.

Preliminary studies by the NUS team found that the therapy helped to control the average blood sugar level of some patients.

The research team is now conducting a clinical trial with the Singapore General Hospital to investigate how magnetic field therapies can manage the progression of diabetes.

A decline in functional mobility, loss of muscle strength and an increase in body fats are often associated with ageing. This trend could potentially be reversed by way of an innovative magnetic muscle therapy pioneered by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

In a recent community study conducted in Singapore involving 101 participants aged between 38 to 91 years old, weekly exposure to very low levels of proprietary pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF), using the BIXEPS device invented by NUS researchers in 2019, is associated with significant improvements in mobility and body composition after 12 weeks, particularly in older persons. Participants also reported reduced perception of pain after 3 months of magnetic muscle therapy.

The community trial was carried out jointly by researchers from the NUS Institute for Health Innovation & Technology (iHealthtech), NUS startup QuantumTX, and Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine.

The BIXEPS device targets the muscles in a user’s leg with a specific magnetic signature and creates metabolic activity in the cells similar to when a person exercises.

Real-world pilot data from existing community programmes have also shown promise of better controlled HbA1c – the prevalent marker for diabetes progression – after starting on weekly BIXEPS sessions. The research team is currently working with the Singapore General Hospital to conduct a clinical trial to further investigate the possible therapeutic possibility for PEMF-based therapies to manage diabetes progression.

URL: https://www.agelessonline.net/improving-fitness-with-biceps/