Phase 2-ready drug can treat and reverse immune aging, BioAge claims.

BioAge Labs‘ in-licensed clinical-stage therapy has potential for treating immune aging in older patients hospitalised with COVID-19, tackling both morbidity and mortality, the biotech company claims.

Longevity.Technology: Back in May we covered BioAge Labs’ exclusive worldwide licence agreement with Taisho Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialise Taisho’s clinical-stage HIF-PH inhibitor to target multiple diseases of aging.

Not resting on their laurels at all, the company is responding to the global pandemic with a drug that has the potential to treat immune aging in older patients hospitalised with COVID-19. But the research has wider ramifications, as one of the key effects of aging is the dysregulation of the immune system caused by immunosenescence and inflammaging; being able to correct that dysregulation would significantly benefit both healthspan and lifespan.

BioAge’s compound, BGE-175, is an orally-administered inhibitor of the prostaglandin D2 DP1 signalling pathway associated with increased risk of mortality, and susceptibility to infections. The company recently generated preclinical data showing significant immune-modulating and anti-viral activity of BGE-175 which resulted in 100% survival in a preclinical model of the SARS 1 virus.

BioAge Labs revealed that in addition to fully-protecting infected mice from death and improving morbidity, treated mice showed a 10-fold decrease in virus in their lungs.

In a statement, BioAge Labs revealed that in addition to fully-protecting infected mice from death and improving morbidity, treated mice showed a 10-fold decrease in virus in their lungs. BGE-175 has demonstrated clinical activity and safety in a large number of subjects across multiple clinical trials for another indication.

“Aging is the largest risk factor for COVID-19 morbidity and mortality,” said Kristen Fortney, PhD, BioAge’s CEO. “BGE-175 has the potential to restore the function of several key immune mechanisms that become dysregulated with aging, and that are critical to mount an effective response to major immune challenges such as COVID-19, SARS, and pandemic influenza. We plan to advance BGE-175 into a Phase 2 clinical trial in COVID-19 patients to evaluate whether its unique mechanism can improve patient outcomes by directly targeting immune aging.”

“… the potential to address other diseases driven by immune aging … a growing pipeline of promising therapeutics that BioAge will bring forward to treat diseases of aging.”

Dr Fortney added: “Our AI-driven analysis of our proprietary human aging data maps out how the immune system is dysregulated during aging. Beyond COVID-19, BGE-175 has the potential to address other diseases driven by immune aging. BGE-175 is the second in a growing pipeline of promising therapeutics that BioAge will bring forward to treat diseases of aging.”

The pathways impacted by BGE-175 are linked to lifespan and healthspan in BioAge’s proprietary human aging data. The prostaglandin pathway, as well as several key components of the immune response to viral challenge, are significantly associated with Longevity and multiple functional measures. Inhibition of PGD2 DP1 receptor signaling impacts multiple immune mechanisms, and BioAge’s preclinical studies demonstrate that BGE-175 inhibits neutrophil migration and that DP1 inhibition boosts dendritic cell function, both of which counteract known aspects of immune aging, and are also therapeutically promising for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

We’ll be speaking to Dr Fortney next month to find out about the next steps for BGE-175 and what else is in the BioAge pipeline.