A new repository at the Indiana University Indianapolis School of Health & Human Sciences is significantly advancing research on bone and muscle health. Known as the Function, Imaging and Testing (FIT) Core, this initiative provides critical data for both healthy individuals and those with various diseases. Launched in 2017, the FIT Core is part of the Indiana Center for Musculoskeletal Health, which is recognized nationally for its contributions to medical research.
Since its inception, the FIT Core has successfully recruited and tested over 5,000 individuals. Volunteers participate by undergoing simple physical assessments, which can include walking tests, balance evaluations, and grip strength measurements. Additionally, participants can provide a blood sample and undergo body composition and bone health scans. This inclusive approach allows researchers to gather data from individuals aged 5 to 100, regardless of their health status.
Dr. Stuart Warden, Director of the FIT Core and Chancellor’s Professor in the IU Physical Therapy program, emphasizes the importance of the data collected. “We’ve used the FIT Core population to create normative data that has resulted in the publication of five reference databases,” he explained. Notably, this year, the team published groundbreaking normative data on muscle density, measured using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography, or HR-pQCT, in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
Researchers across various medical disciplines utilize the FIT Core’s reference databases to compare their study subjects with established normative populations. “This expedites the research process and reduces costs,” Dr. Warden noted. By leveraging data from the FIT Core, researchers can avoid the need to recruit and test their own control groups.
The data collected from FIT Core participants are linked to their electronic medical records, facilitating targeted research. This allows researchers to access specific datasets related to certain diseases, conditions, or medications. Blood samples collected from participants are stored in the Indiana Biobank, ensuring that all data provided to researchers is de-identified to protect participant privacy.
Currently, around 50 researchers in the United States and internationally are utilizing the FIT Core for their studies. This includes both IU researchers and those from other institutions, who send their participants for testing through the FIT Core. The Core is contributing to research in a variety of conditions, such as breast cancer, cystic fibrosis, chronic kidney and liver diseases, osteoporosis, and rare bone diseases, among others.
Dr. Warden highlighted a significant shift in the research landscape: “Before the FIT Core, many researchers wouldn’t have considered including physical function and bone health outcomes in their studies because such collective data didn’t exist or wasn’t widely available.” This resource encourages researchers to investigate the impact of diseases on physical capabilities and daily functioning.
As a vital component of musculoskeletal research at Indiana University, the FIT Core enhances the visibility and significance of physical therapy within the medical research community. “The FIT Core elevates the reputation of physical therapy on our campus and contributes valuable outcomes for medical research,” Dr. Warden concluded.
For more detailed findings, refer to the publication by Stuart J. Warden et al., titled “Reference Data and Predictors of HR‐pQCT‐Derived Muscle Density and Its Prediction of Physical Performance,” in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle (2025). DOI: 10.1002/jcsm.70029.