Trial
TAME: Trial Design, Endpoints, and Status Tracker
Research Observatory
Evidence Update
Current evidence
TAME proposes testing metformin against placebo in adults aged 65–79 without diabetes, using a composite of age-related diseases and death. Its published proposed design establishes neither a currently activated or recruiting trial nor an efficacy result.
What changed
Accepted historical design context now distinguishes the conference abstract from an operational trial milestone or an efficacy result.
What did not change
No current activation, recruitment, final registered protocol or longevity benefit is established.
Why it matters
This tracker separates a proposed multidisease-outcome experiment from results already observed in smaller metformin studies.
Main limitation
Current sponsor page could not be freshly read. Exact-phrase registry search is not exhaustive. No TAME registry identity is assigned.
Next proof
Exact current registry identity and protocol/operational update; later primary results.
Source Summary
2 reviewed sources across 1 evidence layers.
- Official status sources2
Trial Snapshot
Executive Summary
Tracks TAME's proposed design, composite endpoint, funding, registration and launch status without treating plans as results.
Why It Matters
TAME is an influential geroscience trial proposal, but design, registration, launch status and results must remain separate claims.
Trial Design
| Design field | Registered / reported value | Source | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | Proposed older adults without diabetes | AFAR and peer-reviewed design papers | Proposed design may change before registration |
| Intervention | Metformin versus placebo | Peer-reviewed design papers | Not evidence of efficacy |
Endpoint and Readout Map
| Endpoint / readout | Category | Source | What it supports | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite of major age-related outcomes | Proposed clinical composite | Peer-reviewed design papers | The intended geroscience trial question | No registered protocol or result at cutoff |
Results and Publication Context
No TAME results
The approved sources do not support describing TAME as initiated or reporting TAME outcomes.
Timeline / Milestones
- Status verified
Source Posture
Official status
AFAR describes launch funding as still needed; registry search found no TAME-specific record.
Evidence / Claim Boundary
Design is not evidence
A proposed randomized design does not establish metformin efficacy, healthspan benefit or lifespan benefit.
What This Can Support
Supported
TAME is designed to test a composite clinical-outcome geroscience hypothesis.
What This Does Not Prove
Not established
Metformin is not established as an anti-aging treatment.
Detailed Sources
View detailed source table
Official status sources
| Source | Type | Supports | Limitation | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFAR TAME overview | Official program page | Current program description and funding/launch posture | Sponsor description is not efficacy evidence | Open source |
| ClinicalTrials.gov search | Registry search | No exact TAME registry record found at cutoff | Search absence is not regulatory rejection | Open registry search |
Confidence / Methodology
Editorial status
Editorial review complete; source freshness checked
Evidence separation
Status is verified against the approved official-source cutoff. Proposed design is not treated as an active protocol or result.
Last reviewed
2026-08-02