ACT Brief: AI Expands Global Site Leadership as Ozempic Shows Potential to Reverse Biological Age

Welcome to the ACT Brief—your fast track to the latest insights in clinical research operations.

In under three minutes, we’ll recap top stories, highlight expert perspectives, and keep you current on what’s moving the industry.

On today’s episode, we’re exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping site leadership in underserved regions and new research suggesting that Ozempic may do more than support weight loss—it may actually reduce biological age.

• We begin with a look at how AI is helping expand the reach of clinical research into lower-income regions. In a recent interview, Gen Li of Phesi discussed how technology can identify key opinion leaders in emerging markets to improve site influence, patient trust, and recruitment success. The current concentration of trial leadership in high-income countries limits access and diversity—but AI-driven models are now helping uncover local physicians with strong patient connections who can guide studies effectively. By redistributing trial workloads and applying data-driven insights to site activation, sponsors can strengthen engagement and improve representation in global research.
• Next, a new study suggests the GLP-1 drug Ozempic may help turn back the biological clock. Researchers at TruDiagnostic reported that a 32-week, placebo-controlled trial found Ozempic reduced users’ biological age by just over three years. The results, measured using epi-genetic aging clocks, indicate that the drug may not only slow aging but potentially reverse it in some patients. The study was conducted in an HIV population, and researchers caution that more data are needed—but they believe this could open the door to new precision-medicine applications for GLP-1 therapies beyond diabetes and obesity.

That’s all for today’s ACT Brief. Join us tomorrow for more insights shaping the future of clinical operations and drug development. Thanks for listening.