AgingResearch.NewsJoin free

Emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

Emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate has been studied in 2 papers since 2025: 1 trial in people, 1 in animals; 2 in the past year. The newest story, Oct 20, 2026: “Immune gene variants linked to virus control in aged macaques”.

Intervention

2 papers study it7 more mention it3 findingsUpdated

PubChemPubChemChEBIChEBI

1 new paper in 30 daysSee all 9 papers on emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

At a glance

The findings reach people, from one lab or study. 2 independent labs in 1 country.

“Across the 12-week FTC/TDF exposure period, epigenetic aging measures showed no evidence of a coordinated deceleration or reduction.”
An FDA-Approved Tenofovir Alafenamide-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Biological Age in Healthy Adults: First Human Proof-of-Concept for Retrotransposon-Targeted GerotherapeuticsmedRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences2026doi:10.64898/2026.03.23.26349105

None of its findings points the other way.

Cells and humans: a single group. Worms or flies and mice: nothing yet.

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

  • 2 independent labs in 1 country
  • Funders: Gilead Sciences and others
  • 2 of 3 findings with company ties
  • Human trial1
  • Animals1

What did studies of emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate find?

3

Studies of emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate measured 3 outcomes; the most studied are epigenetic clock (1 study), biological age (1) and cellular senescence (1).

Epigenetic clock

no changein humans1

1 study

  1. Emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate showed no clear effect on epigenetic clock in humans (FTC/TDF study arm).

    “the FTC/TDF study (N=43) showed no significant changes across epigenetic clocks and proxies”

    Human trialFTC/TDF study arm200 mg/300 mg12 weeksn = 43

    An FDA-Approved Tenofovir Alafenamide-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Biological Age in Healthy Adults: First Human Proof-of-Concept for Retrotransposon-Targeted Gerotherapeutics

    medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciencesPreprint

More on Epigenetic clock

Biological age

no changein humans1

1 study

  1. Emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate showed no clear effect on biological age in humans.

    “Across the 12-week FTC/TDF exposure period, epigenetic aging measures showed no evidence of a coordinated deceleration or reduction.”

    Human trial12 weeksn = 43

    An FDA-Approved Tenofovir Alafenamide-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Biological Age in Healthy Adults: First Human Proof-of-Concept for Retrotransposon-Targeted Gerotherapeutics

    medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciencesPreprint

More on Biological age

Cellular senescence

upin human cells1

1 study

  1. Emtricitabine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate induces cellular senescence in primary human muscle cells.

    “cART treatment induced cellular senescence”

    Cellsin primary human muscle cellsskeletal muscle

    Antiretroviral Therapy Alters Skeletal Muscle DNA Methylation in HIV Mice and Promotes Cellular Senescence

    GSA 2025 abstract

More on Cellular senescence

Latest

Dec 2025: 1Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 1Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 0Jul 2026: 0Aug 2026: 0Sep 2026: 0Oct 2026: 1Nov 2026: 03 papers in 12 months
Journal of Immunology

Immune gene variants linked to virus control in aged macaques

In an infection experiment, rhesus macaques aged 17–23 with protective immune gene variants had lower blood virus levels through 70 days than those without.In an infection experiment, rhesus macaques aged 17–23 with protective immune gene variants had lower blood virus levels through 70 days than those without.

Animal study · 16 animalsBlood and immune system
Paper

Related