BioAge Labs, a clinical-stage biotech focusing on metabolic diseases through the lens of human aging, has just published its first quarter 2025 financial report and outlined advances in its pipeline that may shift how obesity and metabolic disorders are treated.

The standout update is BGE-102, an oral small-molecule inhibitor of the NLRP3 inflammasome, which is brain-penetrant. Preclinical studies suggest it has strong potential in obesity and other conditions where neuroinflammation plays a role. BioAge confirmed that its IND-enabling studies are underway for BGE-102, and that initial Phase 1 data are expected in the second half of 2025.

In addition, BioAge reports that it is progressing its discovery and preclinical work on APJ agonists aimed at obesity and related metabolic conditions. The APJ receptor is part of the apelin system, which has been of interest for its roles in cardiovascular function, energy balance, and metabolic regulation. BioAge aims to nominate a clinical candidate in the APJ agonist series by the end of this year.

Alongside its internal research activities, BioAge has also entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly ExploR&D. This partnership will help the company to explore novel metabolic aging targets using antibodies. The collaboration is important because antibodies may target pathways that are harder to address with small molecules, thus complementing BioAge’s small-molecule programs. BioAge also maintains its platform collaborations, including with Novartis, drawing upon large human aging dataset insights to discover new targets.

On the financial side BioAge reported a net loss in the first quarter of 2025, reflecting higher R&D and administrative expenses. Research and development costs rose compared with the same period in 2024 as the company pushed more aggressively toward IND-enabling work. The company has also reported increases in general and administrative expenses, partly owing to personnel and other operating costs. Despite the losses, BioAge says its cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities are sufficient to fund its operations at least through 2029 under its current plans.

What this means for clinical research is that BioAge is positioning itself to be a serious contributor to therapies targeting metabolic disease by leveraging aging biology. If BGE-102 performs in Phase 1 as anticipated, it could mark one of the first brain-penetrant, orally delivered NLRP3 inhibitors in human metabolic disease trials. The APJ agonists also present a parallel front, potentially offering alternate or combinatory strategies.

As always there are risks. Preclinical success does not guarantee human safety or efficacy, particularly for compounds acting in the brain or immune pathways. The timeline for clinical trial initiation is ambitious, and regulatory, safety, and manufacturing hurdles remain. Still BioAge’s progress is a strong signal that companies are increasingly focusing on upstream biology to address obesity and metabolic disease, rather than only downstream symptoms.