Biogerontologist Matt Kaeberlein Criticized Genflow's Press Release Claiming to 'Reverse Aging' in Dogs
Biogerontologist Matt Kaeberlein Criticized Genflow's Press Release Claiming to 'Reverse Aging' in Dogs
On September 8, Genflow announced that its trial in 24 beagles over ten years of age had met its prespecified primary endpoint. The company stated that biological age, as measured by the GRIM DNA clock, decreased in treated dogs compared to the saline control group, and promised to present detailed results on October 1 and 2. On September 12, biogerontologist Matt Kaeberlein raised the question of why a claim about the outcome was released before the detailed data.
In its regulatory announcement, biotech company Genflow described a study in 24 beagles over ten years of age. The dogs were randomly assigned to four groups, and outcome assessors were blinded to treatment allocation. Three groups received variants of gene therapy (interventions delivering genetic material), while the control group received saline. The company designated GRIM, a measure of biological age based on chemical marks on DNA, as the primary endpoint.
The company scheduled full data disclosure for the Animal Longevity Summit in Toronto on October 1 and 2. It plans to present the DNA clock results and muscle histology on October 2.
In an August review of biological clocks, Kaeberlein discussed whether a shift in such a measure can serve as evidence that an intervention works. In his dispute with Genflow, he raises the question of what data would be needed to verify the claim of "reduced biological age."
On September 12, Kaeberlein cited in a post on X a Longevity.Technology headline: "Genflow gene therapy reverses aging in dogs."
"A public company puts out a press release about impressive gene therapy results before the conference presentation and before peer-reviewed publication."
He specified what materials he was looking for in order to evaluate the claims:
"As far as I can see, there is no preprint and no data anywhere that would allow one to assess these claims."
On October 2, Genflow has promised to disclose the DNA clock results and muscle histology. At that point, the claim that the primary endpoint was met can be compared against the measurements on which it rests.