Can two old drugs turn back the clock on aging in mental illness?
NCT ID NCT05838560
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a combination of dasatinib and quercetin, two drugs that clear out aging cells, can safely slow down accelerated aging in older adults with treatment-resistant depression or schizophrenia. Forty participants aged 50 and older will take the drugs and be monitored for safety and tolerability. The goal is to see if this approach can reduce the physical health problems that often come with these mental disorders.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- dasatinib and quercetin
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to slow down aging-related health problems in people with serious mental disorders.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 40 people, so results may not apply widely. The drugs can have side effects like fluid retention or low blood counts.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 40 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2023
- Expected to finish
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Oct 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Either major depression, which is treatment-resistant (currently depressed despite at least 2 adequate trials of antidepressants in this or the previous episode), or schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder. 2. Age 50+ (60+ for depression). 3. Three conditions associated with aging (e.g., hypertension/diabetes/metabolic syndrome, cardiac disease, lung disease other than asthma, cancer with adult-onset, arthritis, and inflammatory diseases typically seen in aging). 4. No history of dementia by patient report. 5. Already taking an adequate dose of medication for schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder or depression. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Contraindications for dasatinib or quercetin 2. Active SI such that participant could not be safely managed in an outpatient clinical trial. 3. Taking medications that are strong CPY3A4 inhibitors or strong inducers, or that induce senescence (e.g., alkylating agents, anthracyclines, platins/other chemotherapy), or everolimus and topotecan (which have interactions with quercetin). 4. All medications and medical conditions will be reviewed by physician study investigators to determine whether the medication or condition, in the opinion of the investigators, makes the participant inappropriate for the study. Examples of such potential excluding conditions: Active inflammatory, infectious, or malignant disease; sensory deficits that would interfere with assessments; recent heart attack or stroke; severe bleeding disorder; uncontrolled hypertension or diabetes mellitus; active liver disease or cirrhosis; current use of systemic steroids, quinolone antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Washington University School of Medicine
St Louis, Missouri, 63110, United States
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