You can’t change age written on your ID. But what about age of your body? Drug designed with help of artificial intelligence made blood profiles of people with lung disease look biologically younger, new research reveals. Result came from six computer models that estimate biological age by examining proteins in blood. Scientists call them biological aging clocks. Each clock produced different estimates depending on dose and stage of treatment.
Remarkably, however, all six detected shift in same direction toward younger profile. Drug examined in study published in Nature Biotechnology is called rentosertib. It was designed to treat condition that scars lungs and makes breathing increasingly difficult, while also targeting biological processes associated with aging.
Rentosertib Tested In Lung Disease Patients Shows Younger Blood Profile
Condition, known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF, usually affects older adults. It involves inflammation, cell damage, and problems with tissue repair, changes that overlap with some of those seen during aging. That connection raised question: Could drug developed for lung disease also affect biological processes linked to aging? Researchers from Insilico Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and other institutions decided to investigate.
They returned to blood samples collected during earlier clinical trial of rentosertib. Original trial involved 71 people with IPF. Participants received one of three doses of rentosertib or placebo.
For new analysis, researchers examined samples from 42 participants with average age of 67. They measured nearly 3,000 proteins in blood. Inflammation, disease, energy use, tissue damage, and aging can all leave recognizable traces in these molecules.
Researchers then analyzed patterns using six biological aging clocks. Some had been developed to estimate person’s age, while others were designed to predict health and mortality risks.
Why Six Different Aging Clocks Matter For Result
There is no perfect way to measure biological aging. Result from one clock could be influenced by proteins it examines or way its calculations work. But when several independently developed models detect similar change, it becomes less likely result is simply quirk of one model. In new analysis, all six clocks detected shift toward lower predicted biological age among people treated with rentosertib.
Placebo group showed little change, with some clocks suggesting increase in biological age. Clearest results emerged after four weeks.
In 60-milligram once-daily group, clocks designed to estimate chronological age showed reductions ranging from 2.71 to 3.46 years. Other clocks and dosing groups produced different figures, including much larger estimates from some exploratory models. These exploratory models were designed to examine individual organs. Researchers therefore did not identify one number as overall amount by which rentosertib reduced biological age. Important finding was direction of change. Despite being built in different ways, all six clocks detected younger-looking protein patterns in people who received drug.
326 Proteins Altered, But Rejuvenation Plateaued After 4 Weeks
Rentosertib also altered levels of 326 proteins, compared with only two in placebo group. Some were linked to lung scarring and tissue repair. Others were involved in inflammation, energy use, cellular stress, and behavior of old or damaged cells. Many protein changes continued through 12-week study. However, apparent movement toward younger biological age stopped increasing after week four and reached plateau.
Different dosing schedule may be needed, or aging clocks may have reached limit of what they could detect during such short study. Therefore, longer studies will be needed to see if effect continues.
Analysis: Limitations – Is It Anti-Aging Or Just Better Lungs?
Results are intriguing, but they come with important limitations that prevent calling rentosertib anti-aging drug yet.
Every participant had serious lung disease. If rentosertib reduced fibrosis or otherwise improved lung disease, that improvement alone could have made blood look biologically younger. Clocks may therefore have detected improvement in disease rather than change in aging itself. Study could not fully separate those two possibilities.
Analysis also included only 42 people and lasted 12 weeks. It did not demonstrate participants had become younger, would remain healthier for longer, or would live longer. It’s also worth noting several authors work for Insilico Medicine, company developing rentosertib. Lead author Alex Zhavoronkov is company’s founder and co-CEO.
For now, at least, rentosertib cannot yet be described as anti-aging drug. Findings will need to be tested in larger and longer studies, including trials involving people who do not have IPF. But six different clocks pointing in same direction is difficult to ignore. Research points to future where drugs developed to treat diseases of old age might do more than target single condition.
Such drugs could help scientists discover whether wider biological processes linked to aging can be changed as well. Study was published in Nature Biotechnology.
Q&A
Q: What AI drug makes blood look biologically younger?
A: Rentosertib, AI-designed drug from Insilico Medicine for IPF lung disease, made blood profiles look 2.71 to 3.46 years younger across six aging clocks.
Q: How was biological age measured in rentosertib study?
A: Researchers measured nearly 3,000 proteins in blood from 42 patients average age 67 and analyzed them with six independent biological aging clocks.
Q: Is rentosertib an anti-aging drug now?
A: No, study of 71 IPF patients over 12 weeks cannot prove anti-aging; improvement may reflect better lung disease, not aging reversal, needs larger trials.
FAQ
1. Where was AI drug biological age study published?
Study published in Nature Biotechnology by Insilico Medicine, Harvard Medical School and others, analyzing blood samples from earlier rentosertib clinical trial.
2. How many people and what dose showed biggest effect?
42 participants analyzed from 71-person trial; clearest result after 4 weeks in 60-mg once-daily group showing 2.71 to 3.46 years reduction on age-estimating clocks.
3. What is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis IPF?
IPF is scarring lung disease affecting older adults, involving inflammation, cell damage, and tissue repair problems overlapping with aging processes.
4. How many proteins did rentosertib change?
Rentosertib altered 326 proteins linked to lung scarring, inflammation, energy use, cellular stress, vs only 2 proteins changed in placebo group.
5. Why did biological age improvement plateau after 4 weeks?
Researchers suggest different dosing may be needed or aging clocks reached detection limit in short 12-week study; longer trials needed.
Disclaimer; This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals before considering any treatment. Do not seek or use experimental drugs based on this article.
