AI-designed drug reversed aging markers in trial, Insilico says

An experimental drug developed using artificial intelligence reduced biological age by as much as three to four years in patients with a chronic lung disease, according to a new study that marks a milestone in the convergence of AI-driven drug discovery and longevity research.

Insilico Medicine, a Hong Kong-listed biotech company, published the findings Monday in Nature Biotechnology Springer Nature Group, showing that its drug rentosertib lowered biological age indicators as measured by six independently developed proteomic aging clocks. Patients who received a placebo saw little change on those same measures. The peak effect was observed at week four in participants receiving 30 mg twice daily, with approximately three to four years of reversal in biological age and up to six years on one particular clock.bloomberg+2

From Lung Disease to Longevity

Rentosertib was originally developed as a treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive and often fatal lung scarring disease. The drug targets a protein called TNIK, which is linked to fibrotic pathways, chronic inflammation, and cellular aging. Its molecular structure was designed using Insilico's generative chemistry platform, which identified the target and created the drug candidate in roughly 18 months.respiratory-therapy+1

The aging clock analysis drew on blood samples from a Phase IIa trial of 71 patients. All six models, developed by different research groups including collaborators from Harvard Medical School, Stanford University, and the Broad Institute, consistently indicated a reduction in predicted biological age among treated patients. The study suggests that rentosertib's effect on aging biomarkers appears partially independent of its respiratory benefits.corpandwork+2

A Long Road Ahead

Despite the findings, the drug remains years from potential regulatory approval. Insilico initiated a Phase III clinical trial in July, a randomized, double-blind study expected to enroll 320 patients across 47 centers in China over 52 weeks. The company has not yet tested the drug's anti-aging effects in healthy individuals.nytimes+2

Researchers also caution that the field is still debating how much predictive value aging clocks actually provide. Alex Zhavoronkov, Insilico's founder and CEO, is set to present the results Tuesday at the Nature conference "Redefining Healthcare in the Age of AI" at Sorbonne University in Paris.capitalpress+1