A drug developed with the help of generative artificial intelligence has shown an unexpected effect during clinical trials. Patients experienced changes in their blood biomarkers, while some algorithms estimated a reduction in their biological age of up to six years, El.kz reports.
The drug in question is rentosertib, which was developed to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Therefore, it is still too early to call the drug a ready-made “youth pill.”
The Drug Was Developed for a Different Purpose
Rentosertib was developed by the biotechnology company Insilico Medicine. Artificial intelligence helped researchers identify a potential therapeutic target - the protein TNIK, which is associated with the formation of scar tissue and then select the molecular structure of the future drug.
During clinical trials, researchers analyzed blood samples from 42 patients. The scientists examined the levels of nearly 3,000 proteins, after which the data were processed using several so-called biological aging clocks.
This is where the researchers discovered an additional effect. The algorithms showed that after treatment, the patients’ blood protein profiles, according to certain parameters, corresponded to a younger biological age.
