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BioAge Unveils 'Tendendo', Aiming to Keep Older Adults Feeling Younger
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Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, December 4th 2025 at 9:28 GMT by Wales Online- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
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BioAge’s New Drug “Tendendo” Aims to Keep You Feeling Younger—Even as You Age
In a world where the phrase “you can’t turn back time” is often taken to mean “you can’t avoid the aches and pains that come with getting older,” a biotech start‑up is challenging that notion. BioAge, a company founded by a team of former pharmaceutical scientists and AI specialists, claims that its latest drug, informally dubbed “Tendendo,” could allow older adults to feel younger and remain active for longer. The story, which first appeared on WalesOnline, is a close look at the science behind the drug, its early clinical data, and the broader ambition that the company is pursuing.
The Company’s Mission: Turning Biology Into an Anti‑Age Blueprint
Founded in 2020 by Dr. Tim S., a former senior scientist at Eli Lilly, BioAge set out to tackle the root causes of ageing rather than just its symptoms. The firm has built an AI‑driven platform that combs through millions of data points—from genomics and proteomics to clinical trial databases—to identify genes and molecular pathways that drive age‑related decline. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, the team can pinpoint candidate drug targets with higher precision than traditional drug‑discovery methods.
“We’re not looking for a silver bullet,” says BioAge CEO Dr. Maya Gupta, who previously headed the drug‑discovery arm at Pfizer. “We’re looking for a toolbox of interventions that can delay the onset of age‑related diseases like sarcopenia, osteoporosis, and, now, tendinopathy.” The company’s pipeline includes drugs aimed at restoring muscle mass, improving bone density, and preventing joint damage—all key components of healthy ageing.
BioAge has raised over £80 million to date, with backing from a mix of venture capital firms and philanthropic foundations dedicated to longevity research. Its headquarters are in Cambridge, but the company’s AI platform is cloud‑based, allowing it to collaborate with researchers around the world.
“Tendendo”: A Novel Approach to Tendon Health
While most ageing news centres on weight‑bearing joints like knees and hips, tendons—the fibrous tissues that connect muscle to bone—also degrade with age. A decline in tendon quality can lead to painful tendinopathy, limiting mobility and independence. BioAge’s “Tendendo” is designed to address this under‑examined aspect of ageing.
The drug is an orally‑administered small molecule that modulates the activity of the TGF‑β signalling pathway, a key regulator of extracellular matrix production. In pre‑clinical models, the compound accelerated collagen repair and restored tensile strength in aged tendons. According to the company’s internal data, a single dose in mice increased tendon stiffness by 12 % after 8 weeks of treatment, a figure that, in animal models, translates to improved load‑bearing capacity.
Early human trials—Phase I in particular—have been encouraging. In a double‑blind, placebo‑controlled study involving 60 participants aged 60–80, the drug was found to be well‑tolerated with no serious adverse events. Importantly, the study reported a 15 % improvement in the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment–Achilles (VISA‑Achilles) score, a validated questionnaire that measures pain, function, and symptoms in Achilles tendinopathy patients. While the sample size is modest, the effect size is comparable to that of physiotherapy or platelet‑rich plasma injections, both of which are currently standard treatments.
How the Drug Works: The Science in Plain Terms
The article provides a concise but comprehensive explanation of how “Tendendo” operates. It starts by outlining the role of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in tendon health. As people age, the ECM becomes fragmented, leading to weaker, more fragile tendons that are prone to injury. The drug’s key mechanism is the enhancement of collagen type I synthesis while reducing the accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that stiffen tissue.
In a side‑by‑side comparison, the article quotes Dr. Gupta: “Think of it as a repair crew that not only fixes the broken parts but also improves the quality of the repair. That’s the difference between a bandage and a permanent fix.”
The paper behind the drug, published in Nature Aging last month, provided more detail on the target identification process. Using a machine‑learning model trained on >50,000 clinical trial outcomes, BioAge identified a subset of TGF‑β inhibitors that had high efficacy scores. The company then refined these molecules through high‑throughput screening, landing on a compound that showed low toxicity in vitro and high oral bioavailability.
What the Future Looks Like
BioAge plans to move “Tendendo” into Phase II trials later this year, recruiting a larger cohort of patients with clinically diagnosed Achilles tendinopathy and other tendon disorders. The Phase II study will focus on long‑term safety and efficacy, with endpoints including tendon strength measured by ultrasonography and functional mobility tests such as the Timed Up and Go.
Beyond tendons, the company is preparing to launch another candidate, “Sarcotape,” a drug designed to combat sarcopenia, the age‑related loss of muscle mass. The firm’s broader strategy is to create a portfolio of therapeutics that each target a specific facet of ageing, rather than a single “master” drug. The underlying principle, as Dr. Gupta frames it, is that ageing is a multifactorial process, and interventions must be similarly multifaceted.
Community Reactions and Expert Opinions
The article also includes reactions from external experts. Dr. Elena Martinez, a rheumatologist at the University of Cambridge, notes that tendinopathy is often under‑diagnosed in older adults and that effective pharmacologic interventions could revolutionise musculoskeletal health. “If BioAge’s findings hold up, we could see a paradigm shift in how we approach joint health in the elderly,” she says.
Social media buzz around the article is mixed, with some users expressing skepticism about the hype surrounding longevity startups, while others applaud the scientific rigor the company claims to employ. A link to a Reddit thread in the article showcases a discussion about the feasibility of using AI for drug discovery, with many users echoing the sentiment that “AI can help, but human expertise remains critical.”
A Wider Context: The Longevity Boom
While the focus here is on tendons, the article situates BioAge within a larger wave of longevity companies. It references other biotech firms such as Calico, Unity Biotechnology, and a nascent venture called “Elysian Labs” that is working on senolytics—drugs that clear senescent cells. Each of these companies, the article notes, shares a common goal: to extend not just lifespan but “healthspan,” the period of life spent free of chronic disease.
The article also links to a piece on the UK’s National Health Service’s upcoming “Healthy Ageing Strategy,” which aims to integrate new therapeutics into national care pathways. If “Tendendo” proves successful, it could become part of the NHS’s approach to fall prevention, a leading cause of morbidity in older adults.
Bottom Line
BioAge’s “Tendendo” drug represents an intriguing step forward in the fight against age‑related musculoskeletal decline. With a solid AI‑driven foundation, a promising Phase I safety profile, and a clear therapeutic niche, the company is positioning itself as a key player in the emerging longevity market. Whether or not the drug will live up to its promise remains to be seen, but the science—and the enthusiasm behind it—suggests that the age‑old adage “you can’t get young again” may be starting to look a bit outdated.
Read the Full Wales Online Article at:
[ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/bioage-feel-younger-old-tendendo-32998516 ]
