Context:

A team of researchers from the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT-Delhi) have developed an AI-based platform named AgeXtend to discover molecules that promote healthy ageing. expedite the discovery of geroprotectors.

More on the News

• AgeXtend cut down the time taken through conventional research to identify viable molecules with geroprotectors, or age-defying properties.
• The research findings were published in the prestigious Nature Aging journal, highlighting the potential of AI in revolutionizing the discovery of health-promoting molecules.
• AgeXtend is free (Open Source) for academic institutions but for commercial utilization a commercial license key is required.  

About AgeXtend

AgeXtend is a multimodal geroprotector prediction platform that leverages bioactivity data from known geroprotectors to identify new molecules with the potential to slow ageing. 

Unlike other platforms, AgeXtend not only predicts if a compound might have anti-ageing properties but also explains how and why it works.

• This feature helps researchers understand why certain compounds were chosen and guides further validation and research.

AgeXtend serves as a GPS for identifying promising molecules, predicting the biological effects of compounds, and pointing researchers in the right direction.

Key Highlights of the Study

Over two years, the platform scanned more than 1.1 billion compounds making it the largest study to date in the field of anti-aging research. 

The study also explored natural metabolites from the human microbiome and their role in regulating cellular ageing. 

The compounds screened included those from commercial drugs, Chinese medicines, Ayurvedic treatments, and FDA-approved (USA) molecules.

The AgeXtend platform successfully identified several promising anti-ageing compounds. 

• These compounds were validated through experiments on model organisms such as yeast, worms (C. elegans), and human cell models. 
• Less than 1% of these compounds exhibited anti-aging properties.

The team has actively reached out to pharmaceutical companies for further investigation and validation of the promising anti-ageing molecules identified through AgeXtend.

Significance 

• It emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary innovations in solving complex global challenges such as ageing, offering significant potential for future advancements in healthcare. 
• This breakthrough demonstrates the growing role of AI and computational biology in biomedical research.