# In vivo medical imaging for assessing geroprotective interventions in humans

## TL;DR

This paper proposes using medical imaging to evaluate anti-aging drugs in humans by tracking early signs of aging before diseases develop.

## Contribution

Introduces an in vivo imaging battery to assess geroprotective interventions in early clinical trials.

## Key findings

- Medical imaging can detect age-related pathologies in multiple physiological systems.
- The proposed imaging protocols are already available in most modern hospitals.
- This approach allows for efficient screening of geroprotective compounds in early trials.

## Abstract

There is a growing interest in developing drugs with a general geroprotective effect, aimed at slowing down aging. Several compounds have been shown to increase the lifespan and reduce the incidence of age-related diseases in model organisms. Translating these results is challenging, due to the long lifespan of humans. To address this, we propose using a battery of medical imaging protocols that allow for assessments of age-related processes known to precede disease onset. These protocols, based on magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission-, computed-, and optical coherence tomography, are already in use in drug development and are available at most modern hospitals. Here, we outline how an informed use of these techniques allows for detecting changes in the accumulation of age-related pathologies in a diverse set of physiological systems. This in vivo imaging battery enables efficient screening of candidate geroprotective compounds in early phase clinical trials, within reasonable trial durations.