Pill may extend lifespan
As the baby boomers age, science is focusing in on longevity.
How we age and how to stop aging are hot topics, and researchers are looking for answers.
According to a recent article in the journal Nature, the medication Rapamycin was shown to significantly increase the lifespan of mice. Rapamycin is an FDA approved medication for patients with organ transplants to help prevent their body from rejecting the transplanted organ.
Rapamycin modifies the way in which the immune system functions. In some ways, it inhibits the immune system and in other ways in helps the immune system.
Study authors report that Rapamycin inhibits a specific protein called mTOR which is involved in cellular longevity, although the exact mechanism for the increase in cellular lifespan is not known.
The study showed that mice who were given Rapamycin had an increase in average lifespan- up to 10 percent longer.
This is a significant increase and a big advancement in the search for longevity.
Researchers now need to look for answers as to why this occurred and how to apply them to human subjects.
Cristopher Geiler, M.D.
Reference
Nature 8 July 2009
Posted on July 10, 2009
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