A Drug for Longevity Rapamycin—currently used as an immunosuppressant drug to prevent rejection in organ transplantation—is at the center of a high-profile debate regarding a very different problem: aging. In 2009 researchers found that the drug increases the lifespan of mice by 9-14%. In a follow-up study, they found that rapamycin slows tendon stiffening and liver deterioration, which are two markers of aging. But soon after, another group published findings that downplayed any such anti-aging effects. Now scientists are taking the next step by shifting the focus from mice to men. For 16 weeks, Dean Kellogg et al. are giving five men in their late 80s and 90s half the dose of rapamycin that a kidney transplant patient would receive. Preliminary findings show that grip strength (an age-related meter) did not improve, but walking ability did. #RRScience
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 05:36:30 +0000
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