Pharmacological Interventions That Target Biological Aging

There is a high level of interest in drugs that may delay or even reverse the functional declines and disease risks that accompany biological aging. Several interventions have been shown to improve age-related outcomes and increase lifespan in laboratory animals by targeting the hallmarks of aging. A number of these small molecules are being clinically evaluated for age-related indications, including mTOR inhibitors such as rapamycin, the anti-diabetic drug metformin, and senescent-cell clearing senolytics. Others are being marketed to consumers outside of the federal regulatory process as “anti-aging” natural products with little information about safety or efficacy. Here I will provide an overview of the current state of “anti-aging drugs” with an emphasis on potential mechanisms of action and evaluation of the existing pre-clinical and clinical data.