A lung disease drug also might slow aging. What researchers found

For consumers, the idea behind Insilico's latest drug research is enticing enough − take a new drug and reverse your biological clock a few years.

The artificial intelligence biotech company and academic researchers published a small study that suggests an experimental drug developed for a type of serious lung illness appeared to reverse aging in a small group of patients.

In a Sept. 7 study published in Nature Biotechnology, Insilico and academic researchers reported a drug, rentosertib, developed as a treatment for pulmonary fibrosis, shows anti-aging qualities.

Yet even the company's founder acknowledges there's a lot of study needed before an anti-aging pill is ready for prime time.

"There's no drug that we know of − that I know of − that can extend life of already optimized individuals," said Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and CEO of Insilico.

Insilico, which uses AI to develop potential new drugs, previously tested rentosertib in an early-stage trial on patients in China who had pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease in which tissue is damaged and scarred. The new study analyzed blood samples from the same group of patients to test longevity.

Specifically, researchers used six "aging clocks" to measure molecular proteins in the blood samples…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/money/