Sports medicine meets SuperPatch
Dr Mark Sakr, DO, is Head Team Physician for University of Arizona Football and is board-certified in family and sports medicine. The university confirms his training and work with college, professional and Olympic athletes. SuperPatch lists him on its scientific and performance advisory team. [1] [2]
POWER-UP: positive findings for VICTORY
Sakr co-authored the POWER-UP study published in March 2026. Seventy healthy college athletes aged 18–30 received VICTORY and a visually identical sham patch in a randomized, blinded crossover comparison. The authors report statistically significant improvements in knee extension and flexion compared with the sham patch, with the greatest improvements at 70–80 minutes. This provides a concrete positive research direction for VICTORY in athletic training. The findings concern short-term measurements in this participant group. [3]
Endurance: a promising research area
An EFSMA poster co-authored by Sakr reports preliminary positive signals in endurance and lactate stability in the first twelve participants. The ENDURE registry lists him as principal investigator and, as of 20 August 2026, describes a non-randomized, double-blind, four-week VICTORY pilot study. No registry results are posted. Design and participant figures differ from the earlier poster, so the sources are considered separately. The poster names Srysty Holdings as funder; the registry names SuperPatch Limited LLC as sponsor. [4] [5]
PIEZO: connecting with sensory research
With Jeffrey Gudin, Janet Fason and Peter Hurwitz, Sakr published a narrative review of PIEZO ion channels and haptic technology in 2025. It connects mechanical sensation research with potential haptic applications and discusses patches. As a literature review, it provides scientific context; it does not directly demonstrate experimental PIEZO activation by SuperPatch. [6]
Considering experience alongside research
The positive POWER-UP findings make VICTORY an interesting subject for further sports research. Personal reports add individual observations. Scientific assessment still depends on the comparison group, measurement methods and population studied. SuperPatch’s sponsor and advisory-team connections are disclosed and should inform interpretation. [2] [3] [7]
Original sources
- University of Arizona · Mark Sakr · education and sports medicine
- SuperPatch · Scientific and Performance Advisory Team
- POWER-UP · J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2026 · DOI 10.23736/S0022-4707.25.17301-5
- EFSMA · VICTORY endurance · preliminary poster (PDF)
- ClinicalTrials.gov · ENDURE · NCT07285252
- PIEZO narrative review · Cureus 2025 · DOI 10.7759/cureus.77433
- ClinicalTrials.gov · POWER-UP · NCT06430879