Based on the animal data, mTOR inhibition by rapamycin is the best of the presently well studied pharmacological approaches to slow aging. Rapamycin is cheap, has decades of safety data, and produces a greater extension of life span in animal models than exercise. Sad to say, but improving on the benefits of exercise remains the low bar by which we can judge and reject the vast majority of efforts to slow the progression of aging. Human studies of rapamycin in the context of aging have yet to be conducted in any extensive manner, despite a fair amount of off-label use. So it is pleasant to see that one group has recently obtained funding to conduct a study in older people with periodontal disease; the specific condition that is the target of the study is l…
Launching a Study of Rapamycin in Older Patients with Gum Disease
Based on the animal data, mTOR inhibition by rapamycin is the best of the presently well studied pharmacological approaches to slow aging. Rapamycin is cheap, has decades of safety data, and produces a greater extension of life span in animal models than exercise. Sad to say, but improving on the benefits of exercise remains the low bar by which we can judge and reject the vast majority of efforts to slow the progression of aging. Human studies of rapamycin in the context of aging have yet to be conducted in any extensive manner, despite a fair amount of off-label use. So it is pleasant to see that one group has recently obtained funding to conduct a study in older people with periodontal disease; the specific condition that is the target of the study is l…