• Machine learning can speed up drug discovery and reduce costs.
  • Senolytics are drugs that slow down aging and prevent age-related diseases.
  • Aging cells secrete inflammatory proteins that can cause disease.
  • Eliminating senescent cells may ease the course of diseases including diabetes, COVID, pulmonary fibrosis and cancer.
  • About 80 senolytics are known, but only two have been tested in humans.
  • Machine learning models can identify new candidate senolytic drugs.
  • The best AI model identified 21 molecules with a high probability of being senolytics.
  • Three of these drugs (periplocin, oleandrin, ginkgetin) are able to destroy senescent cells.
  • Oleandrin proved to be more effective than the most effective senolytic drug.
  • An interdisciplinary approach can accelerate the search for treatments for diseases.
  • 🐱TheCat
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    1 year ago

    So do I understand correctly that small amounts of - essentially poison - from oleander plants is an anti-aging compound? That doesnt sound right. Is Oleandrin prepared in a way that negates the poison? Or is it dosed in incredibly small amounts?

    • anthromusicnote
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      1 year ago

      Everything can be a poison depending on the quantity and method of interaction, at least that’s what I heard. Maybe it’s poison in your digestive system, but won’t actually kill you if you apply it. Kinda like if you drink shampoo versus using it as intended.

      • 🐱TheCat
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        1 year ago

        haha, your example made me laugh. I had heard ‘everything can be poison’ before but the example usually given is that even drinking too much water can kill you. The idea of just guzzling the shampoo one day caught me off gaurd.

        • anthromusicnote
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          1 year ago

          Well that would just be quite unshenanigans of me if I went with a boring example, now would it? :)

    • Zeppo
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      1 year ago

      Most therapeutic drugs are toxic to some extent. The idea is to keep it as a dosage that has the intended effects and not harmful ones. Since these drugs are intended to kill certain cells, it makes sense that at larger doses they would be generally toxic.

    • baked_tea
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      1 year ago

      AFAIK, as an example Aloe Vera is supposed to be toxic if ingested straight from plant. But has hydrating and healing properties on skin when burned / sunburned