Extending Human Lifespans: Using Artificial Intelligence To Find Anti-Aging Chemical Compounds

Artificial Intelligence Artist's Concept

Researchers developed a machine learning model to predict if a compound can extend lifespan.

The University of Surrey has built an artificial intelligence (AI) model that identifies chemical compounds that promote healthy aging — paving the way towards pharmaceutical innovations that extend a person’s lifespan.

In a paper published by Nature Communication’s Scientific Reports, a team of chemists from Surrey built a machine learning model based on the information from the DrugAge database to predict whether a compound can extend the life of Caenorhabditis elegans — a translucent worm that shares a similar metabolism to humans. The worm’s shorter lifespan gave the researchers the opportunity to see the impact of the chemical compounds.

The AI singled out three compounds that have an 80 percent chance of increasing the lifespan of elegans:

  • flavonoids (anti-oxidant pigments found in plants that promote cardiovascular health),
  • fatty acids (such as omega 3), and
  • Organooxygens (compounds that contain carbon to oxygen bonds, such as alcohol).

Sofia Kapsiani, co-author of the study and final year undergraduate student at the University of Surrey, said:

“Ageing is increasingly being recognized as a set of diseases in modern medicine, and we can apply the tools of the digital world, such as AI, to help slow down or protect against aging and age-related diseases. Our study demonstrates the revolutionary ability of AI to aid the identification of compounds with anti-aging properties.”

Dr. Brendan Howlin, lead author of the study and Senior Lecturer in Computational Chemistry at the University of Surrey, said:

“This research shows the power and potential of AI, which is a specialty of the University of Surrey, to drive significant benefits in human health.”

Reference: “Random forest classification for predicting lifespan-extending chemical compounds” by Sofia Kapsiani and Brendan J. Howlin, 5 July 2021, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93070-6

22 Comments on "Extending Human Lifespans: Using Artificial Intelligence To Find Anti-Aging Chemical Compounds"

  1. Missouri astronomer | July 24, 2021 at 2:44 pm | Reply

    Is it just me, or can we please stop calling this artificial intelligence.
    True artificial intelligence you build once, then let it learn from there. If you build a program to learn, that is not AI. If this same program was able to then create a piano song or write a play after helping with this aging situation, then it would be artificial intelligence. All this really is would be advanced algorithms that where made by a human. That is like the universe building one person who could only juggle and talk about juggling. Nothing else, no food, water, just designed to juggle. That’s not intelligence, that’s design.

    • I believe what you’re referring to is artificial GENERAL intelligence, where the intelligence can perform in any given scope. Sort of like squares and rectangles. All AGIs are AIs but not all AIs are AGIs.

    • You’re right. It’s just machine learning. It is no way actually what artificial intelligence was originally meant to describe.

  2. From this pov, you re right, but I guess you don’t know what process is behind these results. It is in fact a self learning AI and does is works in finding fitting molecular structure pieces, besides knowing a few groups from the start and its effects to have reliable facts, all by itself and even creates new ones. But only in this topic, cause I guess we do not have computers that could cover an general AI yet, that you are talking about.

  3. Queen: No one lives forever …
    And who will have enough mony for this?
    Certainly not honest people …

  4. Totally agree. And The Cloud is just the internet.

  5. @ Missouri Astronomer: The term artificial denoted a desired implication of fake-ness. If a software were written to have produced this very comment, but could not do much else, it would be displaying an artificial intelligence. If trillions of chips, each behaving like a neuron had done the same, that is, able to learn anything a brain can, that would be synthetic intelligence.

  6. It only knows what the man told it

  7. So drinking alcohol has the potential to extend a human’s lifespan?
    I’ll drink to that!

  8. Marcus Magdalena | July 28, 2021 at 5:19 am | Reply

    Ageing is not a disease.

  9. While the connotation of “Artificial Intelligence” in the public consciousness has come to mean “Artificial Consciousness”, I believe the term “artificial intelligence” is perfectly accurate in describing this application of machine learning. It is best if the public catch up with science and in it’s attempts to name things accurately, rather than science name things inaccurately because Sci-Fi has skewed the meaning in folks imaginations.

  10. Who wants to live forever stuck in sin ? I certainly don’t and this technology won’t solve anything for us humans. We have a heart problem and that can only be changed by God Himself and God Himself has immorality and is everlasting. Life is found only in Jesus Christ our LORD not man.

    • Randy Johnson | August 1, 2021 at 2:24 pm | Reply

      Oh, give me a break. Believe whatever you want, but until there is proof, I’m not going back to church.

  11. Just what we need rich greed living longer,why spend all this money on living longer in an already over populated world,most of the people that would be able to afford this should have already had a good life,if they haven’t extra time isn’t going to change it

  12. Ageing was not a disease. Now it is. Death too! AI should just be made to kill death.

  13. Ageing is a disease in many countries. The UK classified ageing as a disease so governmental grants can be given for aging research. The US should classify aging as a disease so we can find research so we don’t fall behind. Treating the symptoms of ageing does not resolve the issue that ageing causes. Ageing has a 100% death rate so why not stop that and save many lives.

  14. They should create an AI that mimics Martin Luther and then make it President.

  15. Affirmative answer | July 30, 2021 at 8:48 pm | Reply

    Maybe everyone should recognize that the human is the only disease. Just like the bacteria or viruses that replicate fast and take over the host are considered threats. No one is after the bacteria that aids the host or body. Why can’t human society just learn to work for common goals instead try to fake out some AI crap that will give the answer. We already know omega 3 and flavonoids help. Thats not new information.
    This is not AI results, it is some fake study.
    I want to find the AI that will tell us how many ppl are allowed to live on earth and which ones we need to terminate.

  16. Everybody wants to got to Nirvana but nobody wants to die

  17. For the consumer | July 31, 2021 at 9:43 pm | Reply

    If I can stay the way I am now I’ll take a forever pill

  18. Speak for yourselves!!!!!
    All of you sound horrible. Ive died twice already and I cannot wait for when my Father calls me home. Jesus is the ONLY way to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. I can see the majority of you know nothing about Scripture or Prophecy for that matter… With what little time is left I urge you to think about your Eternal Life: yes ETERNITY..
    I promise you all this is TRUTH I speak to you . If you think this life is hard you have another thing coming. Without Jesus Christ and staying in Obedience to Gods Commandments….
    You absolutely will wake up in HELL for ETERNITY.
    If anyone one of you have been insulted by my testimony , truly ask yourself why your upset.
    It’s your choice
    Eternal
    Salvation
    Or
    Damnation….
    Better repent now while you still have breath in your lungs. God bless you all 🙏🙏🙏

  19. Fatih SARIKOÇ | August 29, 2021 at 1:59 pm | Reply

    A few hundreds years ago, avarage lifespan of humans were around 40. Today it is close to 75-80. Why not feeling young at 80s and having a lifespan more than 120 after a century. I do not think God will be upset fir such an improvement.

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