The present invention concerns
predictive methods and kits for non-medical uses, for example in an
athletic training, as well as for medical uses, e.g., in the
rehabilitation of a patient. In particular, the present invention concerns methods of predicting sports-associated injuries such as
muscle,
tendon and / or
ligament injuries. Therefore, the present invention relates to a method of predicting a
muscle,
tendon and / or
ligament injury in a subject, said method comprising measuring the level of at least one biomarker for mitochondrial resilience and / or functionality in a blood sample from the subject, (i) wherein (a) level(s) of said biomarker(s) below (a) respective threshold(s) is / are indicative of a
high likelihood that a
muscle,
tendon and / or
ligament injury will occur in the subject, and / or (ii) wherein (a) level(s) of said biomarker(s) equal to or above (a) respective threshold(s) is / are indicative of a low likelihood that a muscle, tendon and / or
ligament injury will occur in the subject. The invention also relates to a computer-implemented method of predicting a muscle, tendon and / or
ligament injury in a subject based on the level of at least one biomarker for mitochondrial resilience and / or functionality, and optionally of at least one
cytokine, in a blood sample from the subject. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a method of detecting an abnormal
stress level of a biomarker for mitochondrial resilience and / or functionality in a blood sample from a subject. The present invention also relates to methods for determining the performance and / or strength level of a subject, or for predicting the development of the performance and / or strength of a subject. Additionally, the present invention relates to a kit comprising at least one means for measuring the level(s) of at least one biomarker for mitochondrial resilience and / or functionality, preferably for use in the methods mentioned herein above. Furthermore, these methods may be used for preventing a muscle, tendon and / or
ligament injury in a subject, for optimizing the performance and / or training of an athlete, or for optimizing the
rehabilitation of a patient.