Nutrition and supplements company has partnered up with biotech from Insilico Medicine Inc. to implement artificial intelligence to make discoveries for its line of supplemental products, reported Nutritional Outlook.
Life Extension seeks to create nutritional supplements aimed at the longevity and healthy ageing of consumers. This company is one step closer to this goal with the help of Insilico’s deep learning AI. The GeroPRotect line is a result of this collaboration.
In an interview with Nutritional Outlook. Life Extension Director of Education and Spokesperson Michael A. Smith, MD explained the role of AI in its research and development.
Smith explained that the system is fed with previously known information and knowledge, which it uses to make predictions. The system then put out results that their experts did not know before.
They then take such information to their laboratory and verifies it. In many ways, artificial intelligence minimizes the time needed to explore possibilities.
Smith said, “What these AI computers or algorithms are allowing us to do – helping us predict new pathways, predicting how those pathways might work clinically in people – is speeding up the longevity research time frame.”
According to him, the time frame was cut from decades to mere months, significantly speeding up the process.
Aside from the company’s longevity research, it is also being used for health supplement product development. Some of the on-going research at the Life Extension lab includes arthritis and joint health.
One of the main focuses of the company is its GeroProtect line, which was developed with the help of Insilico Medicine.
For this line, Smith said, “Right now for us it’s about identifying and validating geroprotectors. That’s just a fancy word for protecting age – basically, helping us age better.” The firm’s experts are exploring different ageing pathways that can influence human longevity and ageing.
While Smith is positive about the help offered by artificial intelligence, he noted that the scientists at the company still validate anything. He clarified that the application of AI, while it speeds up the process, is more about increasing their knowledge.
He also acknowledged that the use of AI in the nutrition and supplements industry is not a new thing. What’s new is Life Extension’s use of it in developing products. He also noted that the technology was expensive when they first used it but the cost is expected to go down over time.
