Rapamycin was collected by scientists in the 1960s from Easter Island, a remote tropical island also called Rapa Nui.
“They [found] several strains of unique bacteria that were unknown to science,” says Robert Lufkin, a physician and professor at USC Keck School of Medicine in California.
“One of the bacteria secreted a compound that had unusual health and biological properties never seen before…. Rapamycin.”
“It looks very, very promising, but we need clinical trials to weigh up the benefits and the side effects. And is it going to have an effect on ageing more than getting good sleep and reducing stress?” asks Kenny, author of
, who, on the morning we speak, went for a cold-water swim in the Forty Foot.Kaeberlein, who is also CEO of Optispan, takes Rapamycin in cycles of 12 weeks and breaks for six to eight months.
When his wife’s cancer relapsed, she had a stem-cell transplant and was prescribed Rapamycin.
But he adds: “In their blood work, we may be seeing major indicators of good metabolic health, indicating someone’s in a healthy state and going in the right direction.”
And feedback from patients with systemic inflammation or “some inflammatory issue” is very positive. “If they have some condition that’s clearly related to mTOR over-activity, which elevates inflammatory signalling — osteoarthritis, psoriasis — these patients tell us they feel better. Rapamycin is solving an active issue for them.”
A paper published in 2023 that evaluated off-label Rapamycin use to promote healthspan in 333 adults found general quality-of-life improvement after starting the drug.
Three out of four reported improvements in health, happiness, brain function, feelings of youthfulness, confidence, calmness, anxiety, and generalised aches and pains.
“Greater than fivefold more Rapamycin users agreed [with the statement] that ‘family/friends have commented that I look good’ than disagreed’,” the paper reported.
On side effects, the study found that the only significantly more prevalent side effect, compared to 172 non-Rapamycin users, was mouth sores.
“[This] makes sense, given that mouth sores are the most common side effect seen at high doses in organ transplant patients. Potentially more interesting is the significant improvements in pain, depression, and anxiety, as well as reduced risk of severe or long covid,” says Professor Matt Kaeberlein.
Researchers acknowledged the study is small and that care must be taken “not to over-interpret the data”.
New Zealand-based researcher Dr Brad Stanfield is starting a trial to see if Rapamycin can slow or reverse age-related muscle function decline.
“We lose about one per cent of our strength per year from the age of 40 – that decline accelerates from age 60. Overall, it’s hoped that by using Rapamycin intermittently, we can restore the mTOR balance and improve muscle strength.”
Dentist Jonathan An, based at the University of Washington School of Dentistry, is about to enrol the first participants in a trial examining the potential benefit of Rapamycin for periodontal disease.
“Given the correlation between periodontal disease and other age-related conditions — Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes — treating periodontal disease in older adults could have broader positive effects on age-related health globally,” An tells the Irish Examiner.
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