AgelessRx: XPRIZE Healthspan Finalist
Getting into the XPRIZE Healthspan Finals wasn’t about having the best pitch. It required pilot data, clinical readiness, and a protocol built on what that data revealed. This is what changed between our semifinalist design and the one heading into full enrollment.
Key takeaways:
- XPRIZE Healthspan is a $101 million competition challenging teams to restore 10-20 years of functional age in adults aged 50-90
- Our team advanced as 1 of 10 finalists from a field of 600+ teams across 58 countries
- The Finals protocol combines 9 agents with structured resistance training and 15 virtual coaching sessions, targeting multiple biological pathways at once
- Pilot data drove every protocol change: the Finals design features a larger sample size, a streamlined two-arm structure, locked-in protocols, and two new intervention agents not present in the pilot
- The full trial runs through 2029, with results submitted for judging in early 2030; no outcomes have been proven yet
What XPRIZE Healthspan Is and Why It Matters
XPRIZE Healthspan is a $101 million, seven-year global competition launched in November 2023. The goal is to develop treatments that restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in adults aged 50-90. The minimum target is 10 years of restoration, with a stretch goal of 20 years.
The Road From Semifinalist to Finalist
Over 600 teams from 58 countries entered XPRIZE Healthspan. The top 100 became semifinalists. From that group, 40 Milestone 1 winners each received $250,000 to fund early-stage clinical trials. AgelessRx was one of those 40 awardees.
In August 2026, XPRIZE announced 10 finalists. Each received a share of the $10 million Milestone 2 prize pool. They must now conduct full clinical trials through 2029, with final judging in 2030.
Reaching the Finals was not a nomination. Teams had to submit pilot data, de-identified enrollment reports, and proof of clinical readiness to an independent Judging Panel. Our team went well beyond the minimum. Across three arms of patient groups, we collected data spanning muscle, cognitive, and immune function, which is the full scope of what XPRIZE measures. The team collected and analyzed thousands of biomarkers. They compiled, reviewed, and packaged all of it for submission within a remarkably compressed window. That kind of execution doesn’t happen without a research infrastructure built for exactly this kind of work.
We were one of the 10 teams that cleared that bar.
The work done during the semifinalist phase made the difference: real pilot data across all three XPRIZE domains drove every design decision in the Finals protocol. Our pilot trial generated real data across muscle, cognitive, and immune function. That data drove what we changed, what we kept, and how we designed the full Finals protocol.
What the Semifinals Data Revealed
Pilot data doesn’t always confirm your starting hypothesis. Sometimes it shows you something better.
Our Semifinals trial was a 90-day study testing a multi-agent intervention across the three domains XPRIZE measures: muscle, cognitive, and immune function. We designed the pilot to generate signal, not proof. The signals it generated were meaningful.
Four findings stood out:
- The comprehensive intervention arm showed close to a two-year reduction in PhenoAge, a validated biological age metric calculated from standard blood biomarkers. That is the kind of signal a pilot study is designed to detect
- The intervention arms maintained muscle mass over the 90-day period, a meaningful result given that muscle loss is one of the primary functional targets XPRIZE measures.
- Self-reported quality of life improved substantially in the intervention groups, as measured by the SF-36. These participant-reported improvements across physical functioning, energy, and general wellbeing. These were among the strongest signals in the dataset
- No safety concerns emerged. Across the full pharmacological regimen, the Multi-Therapy group recorded zero clinically flagged changes across 39 blood biomarkers under clinical supervision over 90 days
The pilot data also pointed to where the design could go further. Exercise adherence varied without a structured program, the original regimen did not fully cover metabolic and growth-hormone pathways, and participants needed more hands-on guidance. Our Research Team treated each of those as a design signal, not a shortcoming. Every one of them shaped what became the Finals protocol.
What Changed in the Finals Protocol and Why
Each change from the pilot to the Finals protocol traces back to a specific finding. Nothing was added because it seemed like a good idea.
- Compounded Tirzepatide (new addition): Pilot data pointed to a gap in metabolic and body composition pathway coverage. Aging disrupts both GIP and GLP-1 receptor signaling. Tirzepatide is a dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist added as a compounded product in an off-label longevity research context, not for weight loss. Metformin remains in the stack for its proposed AMPK and mTOR mechanisms, which are the subject of ongoing longevity research
- Sermorelin Nasal Spray (new addition): Growth-hormone signaling was an uncovered pathway in the pilot. Sermorelin is a peptide that signals the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. The nasal spray format was chosen for its delivery profile and tolerability in older adults
- Progressive resistance training (formalized): The pilot included some exercise, but without a formal structure or progression scheme. The Finals protocol formalizes this into a periodized progressive resistance training program, giving the team the ability to truly advance the training stimulus in a controlled, measurable way over the 12-month intervention
- 15 virtual health-coaching sessions (new addition): Pilot adherence patterns showed participants needed more structured guidance than written instructions provide. Fifteen sessions over 12 months were added to meet that need
- Broadened eligibility (adjusted): Age range widened to 50-90 and BMI eligibility adjusted to 25-30, aligning with XPRIZE criteria while keeping the study population clinically relevant
The Full Finals Intervention Regimen
The Finals protocol is a combination regimen. No single agent is the intervention here. The research question is whether this full stack, taken together, can restore function across muscle, cognitive, and immune domains in adults aged 50 to 90.
The nine agents being studied are:
- Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)
- Low-dose Rapamycin
- Metformin
- NAD+ Nasal Spray
- Glutathione patch
- Sermorelin Nasal Spray
- Compounded low-dose Tirzepatide
- B12
- Infinite Longevity Support supplement
Three lifestyle components are also built into the protocol alongside the pharmaceutical regimen:
- Periodized progressive resistance training
- A 10-minute daily app-based guided meditation practice
- 15 virtual health-coaching sessions over 12 months
Each of these is a study intervention, not a proven treatment. Researchers have not yet tested a combination like this against XPRIZE’s threshold for functional age restoration, and that is exactly the point. Science moves forward by asking questions that do not yet have answers. This trial is one of those questions.
How the XPRIZE Finals Trial Is Designed
The trial is randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. Half of the 186 participants analyzed will receive the active intervention; the other half will receive a matched placebo. Enrollment targets 235 to account for expected dropouts. Researchers grouped participants by age band (50-69 and 70-90) and sex, because both factors influence how aging shows up in the data.
The active intervention runs for 12 months, within a 14-month total monitoring window. The team conducts the fully decentralized study across the U.S. via telemedicine. Participants never need to visit a clinic.
XPRIZE requires measurement across muscle, cognitive, and immune domains. Each instrument maps directly to one or more of those categories. Anchoring the power calculation in actual pilot responder rates means the sample size reflects what the intervention produced, not a theoretical estimate.
Finals Trial Timeline and What Comes Next
The trial is now entering its setup phase. Here’s what the next few years actually look like.
|
Milestone |
Date |
Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Rolling Enrollment |
Through August 2028 |
235 participants enrolled across the U.S. via telemedicine |
|
Last Participant Completes |
October 2029 |
Active 12-month intervention period ends for final enrollee |
|
Data Submission to XPRIZE |
January 2030 |
Outcomes submitted for independent judging |
|
Grand Prize Winner Announced |
Later in 2030 |
Independent Judging Panel and University of Utah Data Coordinating Center review results |
How This Trial Reflects Our Research Mission
Our in-house Research Team has run 10+ longevity trials and produced peer-reviewed publications from that work. The Semifinals generated a signal that the team rigorously analyzed, resulting in a Finals design that is meaningfully different from where we started. Longevity research advances by building on what real data reveals, not by repeating prior assumptions.
That external accountability is part of what makes this competition meaningful. XPRIZE set the bar: an independent Judging Panel, a Data Coordinating Center at the University of Utah, and prize tiers tied to objectively measured functional outcomes. To reach the Finals, teams had to submit real pilot data and proof of clinical readiness for review. We cleared that bar. The trial now runs through 2030, and we are ready.
Note: The above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.