An experimental drug developed with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) has shown early signs that it could reduce markers of biological ageing while treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a serious lung disease.
The drug, rentosertib, was developed by biotechnology company Insilico Medicine using AI to identify its target and design the molecule. It was initially developed as a treatment for IPF, a progressive disease that causes scarring of the lungs and a decline in lung function.
New findings from a Phase IIa clinical trial, published in Nature Biotechnology, suggest that rentosertib may also influence biological-age markers.
Researchers analysed blood-protein data from 42 patients who participated in the trial and assessed their biological age using six independently developed proteomic ageing clocks. All six models showed a reduction in predicted biological age among patients treated with rentosertib.
The findings have generated interest because rentosertib is not simply an existing drug being repurposed for ageing. Its target, TNIK, was identified using AI-driven research into ageing and disease biology, while the drug molecule itself was designed using Insilico’s generative AI platform.
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Researchers say the results point to the possibility of developing medicines that could address both age-related diseases and aspects of the ageing process.
However, the findings do not mean that a drug capable of slowing or reversing human ageing has been developed.
The biological-age results were based on ageing clocks that estimate biological age from patterns in proteins in the blood. Such measurements are different from chronological age and do not yet establish that a person will live longer, remain healthier for longer or have their ageing process permanently reversed.
The study was also small, with only 42 participants included in the ageing-clock analysis, and the researchers say further work is needed to determine the clinical significance of the findings.
Rentosertib’s development has so far focused primarily on IPF. In the Phase IIa trial, published in Nature Medicine, 43 patients were evaluated across different doses of the drug and a placebo group over 12 weeks. The study reported dose-related improvements in forced vital capacity, a key measure of lung function.
The drug works by targeting TNIK, a protein that Insilico researchers identified as being involved in fibrosis and ageing-related biological processes. By inhibiting TNIK, researchers hope to reduce the processes that contribute to lung scarring.
Insilico has now moved rentosertib into Phase III clinical development for IPF. The company announced the start of the late-stage trial in July 2026 after reporting encouraging Phase IIa results and manageable safety and tolerability.
The latest findings have also highlighted a broader role for AI in drug discovery.
Rather than relying entirely on conventional trial-and-error approaches to identify potential drug molecules, researchers can use AI systems to analyse biological data, identify potential drug targets and generate molecules designed to interact with those targets.
Insilico said its rentosertib programme moved from target identification to preclinical candidate nomination in about 18 months, illustrating how AI could accelerate parts of the drug-development process.
Experts caution, however, that AI remains a tool rather than a replacement for clinical research. Drugs still have to pass through laboratory studies and increasingly rigorous human trials to establish their safety and effectiveness.
For now, the rentosertib findings represent an early but potentially important development in longevity research. The immediate question is whether the reduction in predicted biological age observed in a small group of IPF patients will translate into meaningful improvements in health and longevity in larger, longer-term studies.
With Phase III testing now underway for its lung-disease indication, researchers will have an opportunity to gather more evidence about the drug’s safety and effectiveness. Whether its apparent effects on biological ageing can ultimately be confirmed remains an open scientific question.
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