Longevity & Aging

Network Science Reveals Which Existing Drugs May Target the Hallmarks of Aging

Scientists have developed a network-based method to identify existing approved drugs that may slow aging. Using a protein interaction map called the interactome, researchers from Northeastern University and Harvard linked 1,250 aging-related genes to the hallmarks of aging, then tested 6,442 known compounds for proximity to those gene clusters. Drugs whose protein targets sit close to hallmark gene modules are flagged as candidates for slowing aging processes. This approach sidesteps the decades-long wait needed for direct lifespan studies, using network proximity as a proxy signal. Published in Nature Aging, the study offers a systematic, data-driven shortcut for repurposing already-approved drugs as potential longevity therapeutics, dramatically narrowing the field of candidates worth testing in future trials.