Six proteomic aging clocks compared in a 12-week phase 2a trial of rentosertib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
In serum from a published 12-week phase 2a trial of rentosertib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, all six proteomic clocks consistently predicted lower biological age in treated arms; pathway analyses suggested possible anti-aging shifts, but clocks alone cannot separate aging from disease effects. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
Six proteomic clocks were compared on serum proteomes from a published 12-week phase 2a trial of rentosertib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. [1]
All six clocks consistently predicted lower biological age in treated arms. [1]
Pathway analyses identified potential anti-aging shifts in senescence and metabolic processes alongside rentosertib's anti-fibrotic activity. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Abstract of a secondary analysis comparing six proteomic clocks in a phase 2a trial
- Population / context
- Serum proteomes from a published 12-week phase 2a trial of rentosertib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 7, 2026
Proteomic clocks tested on trial serum proteomes
The authors note that standard clinical trial designs cannot detect whether drugs for aging-related diseases also modulate aging itself, and that epigenetic clocks often give inconsistent, hard-to-interpret results. They therefore compared six proteomic clocks (ProtAge, OrganAge mortality, OrganAge chrono, PAC, ipfP3GPT and PAOPAC) on serum proteomes from a published 12-week phase 2a trial of the candidate anti-fibrotic drug rentosertib in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Proteomic clocks track what the source calls the immediate effectors of biological change.
Supporting source [1]
All six clocks predicted lower biological age in treated arms
The authors measured the variance between the clocks and report that all six consistently predicted lower biological age in the treated arms. Because proteomic clocks alone cannot separate aging-specific from disease-specific effects, they addressed this indirectly through pathway analyses. These identified potential anti-aging shifts in senescence and metabolic processes alongside the anti-fibrotic activity of rentosertib. The work is presented as support for dual-purpose trial designs that integrate aging endpoints into studies for specific disease indications.
Supporting source [1]
Abstract-only scope of the clock comparison
This explainer is based on the abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract does not report the number of participants, the comparator arms in detail, the direction of the pathway shifts beyond "potential", or effect sizes and uncertainty for the clock predictions. The pathway findings are described as indirect and potential, not as established anti-aging effects. The authors themselves state that proteomic clocks alone cannot deconvolute aging- and disease-specific effects.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
Abstract only; the full text was not reviewed. Participant numbers, detailed comparator arms, effect sizes and uncertainty for the clock predictions are not reported in the abstract. Pathway findings are described as indirect and potential, and the authors state that proteomic clocks alone cannot separate aging- from disease-specific effects.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Zhavoronkov A, Galkin F, Chen S, Ren F, Aliper A, Durymanov M, Sidorenko D, Cui H, Han JJ, Xu H, Liu X, Xu Z, Kuppe C, Austin Argentieri M, Ying K, Goeminne LJE, Moqri M, Tyshkovskiy A, Gladyshev VN. · europepmc.org · September 7, 2026