Study
A cross-species drug-discovery platform to accelerate the identification of lifespan-extending interventions.
A five-species platform screened more than 400 compounds and used automated imaging to prioritize conserved lifespan and healthspan candidates for mammalian testing.
Kevin Perez and colleagues built a cross-species platform for prioritizing compounds that may extend lifespan. The system combined automated imaging, miniaturized assays, and deep-learning death detection across yeast, nematodes, fruit flies, killifish, and mice. More than 400 compounds were evaluated across thousands of conditions. The platform also incorporated longitudinal mouse lifespan and activity measurements. Compounds that produced signals in several species were used to identify conserved pathways and candidates for further testing. The approach addresses a practical bottleneck: many compounds fail when a lifespan signal in one model does not translate to another. Cross-species agreement may improve prioritization, but it is not proof of human benefit. The work is entirely preclinical. Screening conditions, doses, exposure duration, and species-specific metabolism can shape the ranking. The platform also risks favoring mechanisms that are easy to measure rather than those that matter for human healthspan. The paper is most relevant as a discovery and triage method. It does not support taking an identified compound, and it does not provide a validated human longevity intervention.
Our platform enables systematic cross-species evaluation of lifespan-extending interventions and provides a framework to accelerate the discovery of conserved geroprotective compounds.
No human participants were included. Cross-species activity is a prioritization signal, not clinical efficacy. Candidate compounds still need dose finding, toxicology, and controlled human trials.