We still don’t know whether ‘longevity’ is a real biotech target

Among the most tantalizing fields of life science is longevity research, the idea that tinkering with human biology can extend the amount of time people live free of pain and disease. The problem is that “longevity” is not among the FDA’s list of medical indications, and thus developing a drug for it is a fraught proposition.

That brings us to Unity Biotechnology, the first anti-aging drug developer to go public. Yesterday, the company disclosed some polarizing early data that, depending on whom you ask, either bolsters the promise of longevity science or underlines it’s serious challenges.

As STAT’s Matthew Herper explains, Unity believes its drug can dial back the symptoms of aging by killing the old, or senescent, cells that collect in the body. In a small clinical trial, Unity tested that on patients with osteoarthritis and saw only a small benefit that could have been random chance. But looking at patients’ knee fluid, Unity said it saw chemical changes that support its theory on senescent cells.

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