Scientists have analysed more than 6,400 approved and experimental drugs and developed a system to predict their effects on biological ageing. The analysis identified 21 compounds with potential geroprotective activity, along with 23 drugs that may accelerate age‑related changes. The work is published in Nature Aging.
The researchers developed the SHARP platform and validated it against drugs with established anti-ageing effects, confirming the method’s reliability. The authors combined data on 2,358 ageing-related genes with information on drug molecular targets from the DrugBank database. The system not only assesses the likelihood of a drug affecting one of the key ageing mechanisms but also evaluates the direction of that effect using a new metric called pAGE. A positive pAGE value indicates potential geroprotective activity, while a negative value suggests possible acceleration of ageing processes.
In total, the algorithm identified 370 drugs capable of targeting at least one hallmark of ageing. However, only 60 compounds had the necessary gene expression data available. Of these, 21 showed a positive pAGE profile and were classified as candidates for further research, while 23 compounds showed a potentially pro‑ageing effect, and 16 yielded inconclusive results.
Among the most interesting candidates, the authors highlighted oxymetazoline, used for nasal congestion and rosacea, which may affect intercellular communication, as well as linsitinib, which showed potential in addressing nutrient sensing dysregulation.
Terazosin, tetrizoline, sirosoline, synephrine, doconexent, fenoprofen, clinofibrate, tivozanib, guanadrel, guanethidine, olopatadine, epirubicin, nisoxetine, clorgiline, amineptine, acemetacin, amlexanox, marimastat and captopril were also identified as promising. The system also successfully identified well‑known geroprotector candidates, including rapamycin, metformin, aspirin and dasatinib, confirming the validity of the approach.
The method’s effectiveness was further validated against drugs already known for geroprotective activity. SHARP demonstrated high sensitivity for compounds that extend lifespan in mice (in the ITP programme) as well as for clinically tested molecules, confirming the platform’s suitability for early-stage candidate screening.
However, the authors stress that SHARP does not prove these drugs’ ability to slow ageing and does not recommend using them for that purpose. The platform is designed for early-stage screening of the most promising molecules before preclinical and clinical trials. The researchers believe this approach could accelerate the search for drugs targeting specific ageing mechanisms and reduce the number of costly experiments.
As an example, the authors examined oxymetazoline – a drug used for nasal congestion and rosacea – in detail. According to the model’s calculations, it may attenuate age-related changes in genes associated with chronic inflammation and impaired intercellular communication. However, the researchers emphasise that this finding is currently based solely on computational analysis and requires confirmation in laboratory and clinical studies.
Other approaches to extending healthy lifespan are also being actively developed worldwide, including stem cell therapy, tissue regeneration and gene editing (CRISPR). As GxP News reported earlier, Japan and South Korea are developing social and medical robots for elderly care.
Quantum technologies are also seen as promising. In May 2025, IBM and Google unveiled developments that could accelerate molecular modelling and protein interaction analysis, paving the way for new treatments for age-related diseases. In the next 10–20 years, scientists expect a shift towards personalised medicine leveraging quantum computing.