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Aging

Metformin and monkeys: what can we learn about delaying aging?

A new study reveals that metformin, a widely prescribed diabetes medication, can significantly improve health parameters in aged male cynomolgus monkeys — possibly by slowing the aging process. The findings represent an important step toward understanding how pharmaceutical interventions might, in the future, extend the healthspan and delay age-related diseases in humans.

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Fig. 1: Metformin as a potential geroprotector in monkeys.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Alexander Tyshkovskiy (Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School) for critical discussions about the work and its implications.

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Correspondence to José Pedro Castro.

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The author declares no competing interests.

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Castro, J.P. Metformin and monkeys: what can we learn about delaying aging?. Lab Anim 54, 7–8 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-024-01492-2

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