AI discovers anti-aging drugs: Combination could stave off declines in eye sight, Alzheimer’s 

Artificial intelligence technology helped researchers identify a trio of chemicals that target defective cells linked to age-related health problems, including certain cancers and Alzheimer’s disease.

The algorithm combed through a library of more than 4,300 chemical compounds and identified 21 drug candidates that could cause cell aging.

This is a phenomenon in which faulty cells stop multiplying but do not die as they should and continue to release chemicals that can cause inflammation.

Of those 21 candidates, the scientists focused on three compounds — ginkgetin, oleandrin and periplocin — that could clear defective cells without harming healthy cells when tested on human cells.

Increasingly a fixture in medical and scientific research, AI is able to sift through mountains of dense data much faster than any human could ever help the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

The team, led by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, said their machine learning technology has led to a hundredfold reduction in the cost of screening for effective ‘senolytic’ drugs.

‘Senolytic’ drugs lead to the death of senescent cells and improve human health.

Dr. Diego Oyarzún, a co-author of the study, said: ‘This study shows that AI can be incredibly effective in identifying new drug candidates, especially in the early stages of drug discovery and for diseases with complex biology or little known molecular targets. .’

Cellular senescence occurs in a wide variety of health problems associated with aging, including vision decline, osteoarthritis, a chronic lung disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, certain cancers, Alzheimer’s disease, and atherosclerosis, a cardiovascular disease that develops when sticky plaques build up. in the arteries.

Cell aging is a hallmark of an aging immune system.

It refers to a state of the cell cycle in which cells cannot grow and replicate but also do not die as part of a natural process known as apoptosis.

Instead, the senescent cells remain active in the body and release harmful substances that can cause inflammation and damage to nearby healthy cells, similar to how a moldy piece of melon would contaminate the entire fruit salad.

Because cell aging involves a cessation of cell replication, the process is believed to have a suppressive effect on tumors.

At the same time, senescence may promote cancer development by altering the environment around the cell.

The researchers said: “In addition to their role in cancer and aging, the senescence program has been associated with adverse effects in a wide range of conditions, including osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, pulmonary fibrosis, SARS-CoV-2 infection, fatty liver and neurodegeneration. ‘

Only one therapy, a combination of dasatinib plus quercetin, has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the volume of senescent cells in mice.

Of the three compounds the researchers identified as able to eliminate senescent cells, oleandrin was found to be more potent than cardiac glycosides, the best-performing family of senolytic drugs.

The three compounds identified in the study, published in the journal Nature communicationare natural products found in traditional herbal medicines.

Dr. Vanessa Smer-Barreto, a co-author, said: ‘This work grew out of intensive collaboration between data scientists, chemists and biologists.

‘By leveraging the strengths of this interdisciplinary mix, we were able to build robust models and save on screening costs by using only published data for model training. I hope this work will open up new opportunities to accelerate the adoption of this exciting technology.”