Abstract
Identifying novel therapeutic targets for diseases and health conditions represents an important step towards new therapies. Functional genomics and proteomics represent promising tools in identifying such pharmacological targets. Within this context, numerous biomolecules have been characterized as exercise-induced (exerkines) in muscles (myokines). In this article, we present illustrative examples of why secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) would be a "leading candidate" myokine/exerkine for exploring exercise-induced genes/proteins to develop therapies, clarify mechanisms, and improve various aspects of biomedical research, including population health.