Clinical Trials
53
4 active
Approvals
0
Total approvals
Agencies
0
Regulatory bodies
Founded
1898
Active, not recruiting
2
3.8%
Completed
26
49.1%
Enrolling By Invitation
1
1.9%
Not yet recruiting
1
1.9%
Recruiting
17
32.1%
Terminated
1
1.9%
Unknown
3
5.7%
Withdrawn
2
3.8%
No approval data available
- A study published in Nature Aging on August 2, 2026, identified the common nasal decongestant oxymetazoline as a surprising candidate for enhancing longevity. - Researchers from Northeastern University and Harvard Medical School screened 6,442 existing drugs and found oxymetazoline may improve cell-to-cell communication, a fundamental process that declines with age. - The findings remain preclinical, and experts caution against off-label use, emphasizing that human clinical trials are needed to confirm safety and efficacy. - The discovery highlights the potential of drug repurposing to accelerate and reduce the cost of developing anti-aging therapies.
- Northeastern and Harvard researchers published a network medicine framework in Nature Aging that maps 1,250 aging-related genes onto the human interactome, revealing distinct "hallmark modules" for 9 of 11 hallmarks of aging. - The team introduced a novel metric called pAGE to determine whether drug-induced gene expression changes counteract or reinforce age-related transcriptional shifts, distinguishing pro-longevity from age-accelerating compounds. - The SHARP pipeline identified 370 drugs with significant proximity to aging hallmark modules; 21 showed positive pAGE as pro-longevity candidates, while 23 were flagged as potentially age-accelerating. - Validation against 11 lifespan-extending drugs in mice achieved 100% sensitivity, and 8 of 9 clinically tested longevity compounds were correctly identified, including aspirin and sirolimus.
- A 20-year randomized controlled trial of 2,021 participants found that speed-of-processing brain training exercises reduced dementia risk by 25% compared to control groups. - Only speed training showed protective effects, while memory and reasoning exercises provided no significant reduction in Alzheimer's disease or dementia diagnoses. - The protective effect required just 10-24 hours of training spread over three years, with booster sessions enhancing the long-term benefits. - Results suggest speed training may upregulate acetylcholine production, a neurotransmitter critical for attention and brain plasticity that declines with age.
- Northeastern University researchers have formally petitioned the FDA to revoke approval of Humacyte's artificial blood vessel Symvess, citing deficient clinical trial data and safety concerns. - The FDA approved Symvess in December despite internal objections from agency scientists, including a vascular surgeon who retired in protest, raising questions about regulatory oversight. - Clinical trial data showed concerning outcomes among 54 study participants, including four deaths and four amputations, while Humacyte reported an 84% success rate compared to the FDA's finding of 67%.
