FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
New treatments. Personal risks.
Peptides, GLP-1 medicines and psychedelics are moving from the fringes into everyday life. Millions of people are already taking them. But they can also unleash serious side effects, and most people start without knowing how their own body is likely to respond.
Epix AI already reads your whole genome and your DNA methylation. The next stage of our research is to use that picture before a treatment starts, to show whether it is likely to work for you, and whether your biology makes its risks more likely.
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01 · PEPTIDES
Peptides. Popular, but barely tested.
Peptides such as BPC-157, TB-500 and growth-hormone boosters are promoted for recovery, muscle, skin and longevity. Most have never completed clinical trials in people, and many are sold unregulated as “research chemicals”. Regulators have flagged a long list of them for safety concerns.
- Immune reactions to the peptide itself, or to impurities in it
- Contaminated products and wrong doses from unregulated sellers
- Raised blood sugar and lower insulin sensitivity with growth-hormone boosters
- Fast heart rate, flushing and drops in blood pressure
- Infections and reactions where they are injected
- Unknown long-term safety; for some, animal studies raise concerns about tumour growth
Whether your inherited risks, together with repeated tests of your biological age and blood biomarkers, can show if a peptide is doing what you hoped, or quietly doing harm.
02 · GLP-1 MEDICINES
GLP-1 medicines. Weight loss, at a price.
GLP-1 medicines can help people lose a lot of weight. But not all of the weight lost is fat, and they do not work for everyone. “GLP-1 face”, the hollow, aged look many people develop after rapid weight loss, is one of the most visible signs of what else is being lost.
- GLP-1 face: loss of facial volume, which can make the face look older and gaunt
- Muscle loss: in clinical trials, around a third of the weight lost was lean mass, not fat
- Lower bone density, especially when weight comes off quickly
- Little or no effect for some: up to about 15% of people lose less than 5% of their weight
- Nausea, vomiting and other digestive problems; more rarely, gallbladder problems and pancreatitis
Whether genetic and epigenetic profiles can predict who will respond, and how tracking biological age and markers linked to muscle and bone can help you keep what matters while you lose weight.
03 · PSYCHEDELICS
Psychedelics. Promising, not for everyone.
Psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression has completed phase 3 trials and is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration, so it could soon become the first approved psychedelic treatment. But psychedelics carry real risks, and they are higher for some people than for others.
- Can trigger psychosis in people predisposed to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which is why clinical trials exclude people with a personal or family history of these conditions
- Paranoia and severe anxiety, during and after use
- In rare cases, visual disturbances that last long after use
- Raised heart rate and blood pressure
Whether genetic predisposition to psychiatric conditions can help flag people at higher risk before treatment, adding to the family history that clinical trials rely on today.
OUR GOAL
Enjoy the benefits, without exposing yourself to the risks.
Epix AI is building the next stage of personalized prevention: knowing, before you start, how a treatment is likely to work for you and which of its risks your own biology makes more likely.
This page describes research in progress. These services are not available yet. Epix AI does not prescribe or supply peptides, GLP-1 medicines or psychedelics. Never start, stop or change a medicine without a qualified doctor.