Clinical trials, biomarker standardization and sustained investor engagement will be in focus as the field matures.
The International Senotherapeutics Summit is returning this September, with Rome set to host the event in collaboration with the International Cellular Senescence Association (ICSA). Two years on from the inaugural meeting in 2023, the field has moved from promise to clinical traction, with a cluster of early human trials beginning to demonstrate that senotherapeutics may be more than an academic curiosity.
Unity Biotechnology and Rubedo Life Sciences will be among the companies discussed in Rome, with recent trials highlighting both the promise and complexity of senotherapeutic approaches. The programme will also feature leading voices in the field, including Frederick Beddingfield, James Kirkland and Marissa Schafer, ensuring that both clinical advances and mechanistic insights are on the table. Against this backdrop, Rome 2025 is being positioned as both a scientific exchange and a translational engine, with ambitions to formalize biomarker frameworks, data-sharing platforms and translational pathways.”
Longevity.Technology: What is striking is not simply the clinical progress, but the willingness of competing groups to frame themselves as collaborators rather than rivals; senotherapeutics may yet be the test case for whether longevity biotech can avoid the silos that so often slow translation. If Rome succeeds in delivering a consortium that aligns biomarkers, harmonizes assays and fosters a pre-competitive data-sharing culture, the field could move with unusual speed. That said, no amount of collegiality can wish away the inherent challenges of targeting senescent cells – safety, tissue specificity and the risk of off-target effects remain central – but collaboration may help make those problems solvable rather than intractable. We sat down with the Summit’s organizers – Drs Marco Quarta and Marco Demaria – to find out more.
From academia to clinic
“The summit is designed as a translational engine,” says Dr Marco Quarta. “We want to align stakeholders across science, biotech and regulation to move senotherapeutics into late-stage development.”
Quarta stresses that the programme will balance first-generation agents, such as dasatinib and quercetin, with the next wave of precision-designed molecules. “There are multiple second-generation compounds now entering Phase 1–2 trials. We want to emphasize the transition from repurposed agents to novel modalities, while spotlighting partnerships, funding pipelines and regulatory engagement.”
Dr Marco Demaria agrees, noting that the Summit deliberately connects academia with the clinic and industry. “Our goal is to create an environment where scientists and funders are not just in the same room, but actively working to accelerate translation,” he says. “That means bridging the gaps between mechanistic insight, trial design and commercial viability.”
Towards a consortium
Both organizers highlight the collaborative ethos that has characterized the field so far. “A potential outcome of Rome will be the launch of a pre-competitive Senotherapeutics Consortium,” says Demaria. “This would formalize ongoing collaborations into structured platforms for data sharing, assay harmonisation and regulatory dialogue.”
Quarta adds that the model is deliberately inspired by oncology and Alzheimer’s consortia. “It’s about supporting biomarker cross-validation, SOP alignment and building statistical toolkits for trial design. Collaboration is the fastest route to impact – we cannot afford silos in this space.”
Investors take their seat
The Summit also recognizes that investor engagement is vital if senotherapeutics is to progress. “Rome will host a dedicated Investor and Industry Forum,” says Quarta. “We’ll have curated 1:1 meetings, clinical showcases and panels with leading longevity VCs, pharma investors and emerging biotech.”
For Demaria, the timing is right. “Investor confidence is growing thanks to positive clinical signals and the advent of AI-driven drug discovery platforms,” he explains. “We are also seeing diversified modalities – small molecules, peptides, gene therapy, vaccines, CAR-Ts – and strategic entry points across dermatology, ophthalmology, fibrosis and neurology. This breadth creates credible commercial pathways.”
Which approaches are closest
Asked about the most immediate translational prospects, Demaria points to the selective small molecules. “UBX1325, dasatinib and the next generation of senolytics such as GPX4 modulators are leading candidates,” he says. “We also see potential in natural compounds like fisetin and quercetin – they may not be particularly selective, but they are very safe.”
Quarta adds that senomorphics are attracting interest as context-aware modulators of the SASP, while immune-based approaches are beginning to show preclinical promise. “CAR-T cells, vaccines and gene therapies are advancing quickly – and importantly, combinatorial strategies are emerging, where senotherapeutics are paired with existing standards of care.”
Professor Marissa Schafer of Mayo Clinic, who will also speak in Rome, told us that early trials with first-generation senolytics are beginning to show encouraging safety and efficacy signals, while second-generation approaches may hold even greater translational potential.
“Thus far, first-generation senolytics are the furthest along in human testing and demonstrate reasonable safety with some positive outcomes,” she said. “For example, a recent trial led by Dr Sundeep Khosla in postmenopausal women treated with dasatinib and quercetin for 20 weeks showed modest improvements in bone formation markers and slight reductions in bone resorption markers, especially in those with high senescence levels at baseline. Translational potential is likely to be enhanced by second-generation senotherapeutics, including BCL-family inhibitors and combination approaches. By uniting researchers, clinicians and industry leaders, this summit creates a strategic platform to accelerate translation through collaborative innovation and optimized trial design.”
Biomarkers and endpoints
Perhaps the biggest technical challenge remains biomarkers and trial endpoints. “The Rome meeting will serve as a launchpad for standardisation,” says Quarta. “We’re forming a Senotherapeutics Biomarker Consortium and running workshops with FDA and EMA regulators to discuss surrogate endpoints and adaptive trial designs.”
Demaria emphasizes the urgency: “We need harmonized tools, from omics to histological and functional readouts, if we’re to power early trials, stratify patients and enable regulatory approval. Without this, biological insight will not translate into actionable therapies.”
The SenoTherapeutics Summit is hosted by The National Research Council (CNR) in Rome on 16 September 2025. To find out more CLICK HERE.
Main photograph: Jasmina_K/Envato
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