AI-Designed Drug Makes Patients’ Blood Look Biologically Younger, Study Shows
Six aging clocks all said the same thing.
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Artificial intelligence has helped design a drug that appears to make patients’ blood biologically younger, according to new research published in Nature Biotechnology. The medication, called rentosertib, was originally developed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung condition characterized by scarring and inflammation that typically affects older adults. Researchers discovered that the drug may also influence biological processes associated with aging.
In their analysis, scientists examined blood samples from 42 participants with an average age of 67 who had participated in an earlier clinical trial. They measured nearly 3,000 proteins in each sample and analyzed the results using six independent biological aging clocks—computer models that estimate a person’s biological age by examining protein patterns. Remarkably, all six models detected a shift toward younger-looking protein profiles in patients who received rentosertib, while the placebo group showed little change. The most significant effects appeared after four weeks of treatment.
Despite the promising findings, researchers caution that the results have important limitations. The study involved only 42 participants over 12 weeks and could not definitively separate improvements in lung disease from changes in biological aging. Additionally, the apparent rejuvenation effect plateaued after week four, and scientists remain uncertain why. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to determine whether rentosertib truly reverses aging processes or simply reflects disease improvement.
The research suggests that drugs designed to treat age-related diseases might influence broader biological aging mechanisms. However, rentosertib cannot yet be classified as an anti-aging medication, and further investigation is required before drawing conclusions about its effects on human longevity.
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Originally reported by Sciencealert →
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