GEROSCIENCE-GUIDED REPURPOSING OF FDA-APPROVED DRUGS TO TARGET AGING - A 2025 UPDATE - Abstract

Sep 28, 2026

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Common chronic diseases drive rising healthcare costs and worsen function, independence, and quality of life. Geroscience-guided approaches aim to delay multiple conditions by targeting core biological pathways of aging, offering a broader benefit than treating single diseases. The translation of FDA-approved and newly discovered interventions from bench to clinic has remained slow. A standardized evaluation process was proposed to assess geroscience potential, prioritize efforts, and enable next-generation TAME-like studies. Updates emphasize off-target gerotherapeutic benefits of newer diabetes drugs and a Cochrane-like method for judging observational and causal inference evidence.

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Abstract citation ID

GEROSCIENCE-guided repurposing approach

Translation challenges and standardized evaluation process

Updates on off-target benefits and evidence appraisal

462 Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.1580 GEROSCIENCE-GUIDED REPURPOSING OF FDA-APPROVED DRUGS TO TARGET AGING: A 2025 UPDATE George Kuchel, UConn Health, Farmington, Connecticut, United States Common chronic diseases represent the greatest driver of rising healthcare costs, as well as declining function, independence, and quality of life. Geroscience-guided approaches seek to delay the onset and progression of multiple chronic conditions by targeting fundamental biological pathways of aging. This approach is more likely to improve overall health and function in old age than treating individual diseases, by addressing aging the largest and mostly ignored risk factor for the leading causes of morbidity in older adults. Nevertheless, challenges in repurposing existing and moving newly discovered interventions from the bench to clinical care have impeded the progress of this potentially transformational paradigm shift. In a 2002 Aging Cell article, we proposed the creation of a standardized process for evaluating FDA-approved medications for their geroscience potential. Criteria for systematically evaluating the existing literature that spans from animal models to human studies will permit the prioritization of efforts and financial investments for translating geroscience and allow immediate progress on the design of the next Targeting Aging with MEtformin (TAME)-like study involving such candidate gerotherapeutics. This talk will provide an update on scientific developments which have taken place over the last 3 years with a particular emphasis on potential“off-target” gerotherapeutic benefits of more recent diabetes drugs such as SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP1R agonists on conditions as varied as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, frailty, and vulnerability to severe COVID-19 . Moreover, a novel Cochrane-like approach to evaluating the quality of varied observational and causal inference studies will also be discussed.

FAQs

What does geroscience-guided repurposing aim to achieve for older adults?

It seeks to delay the onset and progression of multiple chronic conditions by targeting fundamental biological pathways of aging, improving overall health and function.

What challenge has hindered progress in bringing geroscience interventions to clinical care?

Repurposing existing interventions and translating newly discovered ones from bench research into clinical practice has been difficult.

What will the 2025 update focus on regarding diabetes drugs and evidence evaluation?

It highlights potential off-target gerotherapeutic benefits of newer diabetes drugs, and discusses a Cochrane-like approach to assessing the quality of observational and causal inference studies.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ezra