Life Extension commercializes plant-based testosterone support using CytoSolve’s systems architecture, in silico dose optimization, and substantiation pipeline for product development

Life Extension
Life Extension is a science-driven health and wellness company focused on developing evidence-based nutritional products and educational content. In its collaboration with CytoSolve, Life Extension applied a rigorous mechanistic workflow to develop plant-based formulations intended to support healthy testosterone levels—linking discovery, substantiation, and commercialization through an integrated computational platform.

Challenge

Testosterone biology is regulated by interconnected endocrine and metabolic pathways, making it difficult to predict how plant-derived bioactives will perform—especially in multi-ingredient formulations. Life Extension required a commercialization-grade workflow that could:

  • Identify promising plant-based ingredients from a broad search space
  • Establish mechanistic plausibility across relevant testosterone pathways
  • Quantify single-ingredient vs. combination effects and detect synergy
  • Optimize doses for efficacy while maintaining formulation feasibility
  • Produce documentation suitable for internal quality review and potential regulatory/IP needs
  • Reduce risk and cost before committing to large experimental and clinical programs

How CytoSolve Helped

CytoSolve supported a full commercialization pipeline spanning systems architecture → in silico modeling → validation → combination screening → dose optimization → documentation → market enablement.

Systems architecture

CytoSolve translated testosterone biology into a modular systems architecture:

  • Identified the molecular pathways affecting testosterone levels and organized them into a computable “blueprint.”
  • Converted the pathway blueprint into individual mathematical models, enabling mechanistic traceability at the subsystem level.
  • Integrated the validated models into an integrative model of testosterone metabolism using the CytoSolve® computational systems biology platform—preserving pathway interdependencies and enabling system-wide simulation.
In silico modeling

CytoSolve established a quantitative simulation environment where ingredient interventions could be tested in silico against a unified testosterone metabolism model. This created a repeatable testbed for hypothesis-driven iteration without requiring early reliance on large animal or human studies.

Ingredient identification and validation

The collaboration executed a structured ingredient workflow:

  • Phase 1 — Ingredient identification: CytoSolve generated an Initial List of candidate plant-based ingredients for testosterone support.
  • Life Extension applied filtering criteria to refine the Initial List into a Filtered List, ensuring business and scientific constraints were reflected in the candidate set.
  • Candidate ingredients were then positioned mechanistically against testosterone-relevant pathways via the integrated modeling framework, strengthening ingredient-level substantiation.
Peer-reviewed validation

To support scientific credibility, the modeling strategy followed CytoSolve’s core discipline: building models from established pathway knowledge, validating component models, then integrating them into a system-wide computational representation. This approach supports transparent mechanistic reasoning and aligns with peer-reviewed systems modeling best practices (i.e., validated submodels integrated into larger mechanistic frameworks).

Combination screening

Phase 3 — In silico ingredient testing:

  • Ingredients from the Filtered List were tested for efficacy using the integrative model of testosterone metabolism.
  • CytoSolve enabled head-to-head comparisons across candidates and supported identification of the most efficacious options in a controlled, repeatable way.
  • The workflow explicitly supported evaluation of combination effects, allowing Life Extension to prioritize formulation concepts that outperform single-ingredient expectations.
Dose optimization

CytoSolve’s Optimizer engine was applied to the top-performing ingredients to refine dose levels:

  • Quantified dose-response behavior in the integrated model
  • Identified dose configurations consistent with strong predicted efficacy
  • Produced three optimized formulations of plant-based ingredients predicted to be highly effective in boosting testosterone levels
Government filing support

CytoSolve generated documentation-grade outputs—mechanistic pathway rationales, model validation summaries, simulation comparisons, and dose-optimization evidence—structured to support government- and IP-facing needs such as technical appendices and invention substantiation packages. (No specific filing details were provided; this describes the filing-support nature of the outputs created by the workflow.)

Commercialization enablement: content, personalized medicine, courses, and products

Beyond R&D substantiation, CytoSolve’s infrastructure supported Life Extension’s commercialization by enabling:

  • Content creation: Mechanistic narratives grounded in pathway simulations—usable for science-forward product education, internal training, and consumer-facing explanation of “how it works.”
  • Personalized medicine readiness: The same integrated testosterone metabolism model provides a scaffold for future personalization logic (e.g., phenotype-informed targeting, stratified recommendations) as clinical data accrues.
  • Course and training assets: Model-derived pathway maps and simulation scenarios can be packaged into practitioner/consumer education modules to increase adoption and correct use.
  • Product development acceleration: The output of the pipeline was not merely “insight,” but three product-ready formulations, now progressing through clinical evaluation.

Key Benefits Realized

  • End-to-end substantiation pipeline: Ingredient identification → mechanistic modeling → screening → dose optimization → commercialization outputs
  • Systems-level mechanistic clarity: Integrated pathway model of testosterone metabolism improved interpretability and confidence in claims
  • Synergy-aware formulation design: Enabled combination testing rather than single-ingredient extrapolation
  • Dose-relevant optimization: Optimizer engine generated formulation-ready dose configurations
  • Reduced preclinical uncertainty: Focused experimental investment on the most promising, model-supported formulations
  • Commercial storytelling and education: Provided mechanistic, model-backed narratives for content and training aligned with Life Extension’s science-first positioning

Outcome

The Life Extension–CytoSolve collaboration delivered a full computational commercialization workflow that resulted in three unique plant-based product formulations designed to enhance testosterone levels. The work progressed through three phases—ingredient identification, integrative testosterone pathway model development, and in silico ingredient testing with dose optimization—culminating in three optimized formulations selected for advancement.

Importantly, these formulations have moved beyond theoretical design: clinical studies evaluating the three formulations in human subjects are currently in progress, translating CytoSolve-driven mechanistic substantiation into real-world validation. Together, the collaboration demonstrates how CytoSolve’s systems architecture and in silico infrastructure can drive not only discovery and optimization, but also scalable content creation, personalization pathways, education assets, and product commercialization for science-forward nutraceutical innovation.