Rapamycin

Status

FDA-approved. FDA-approved labeling exists as Rapamune for prophylaxis of organ rejection in kidney transplant and for lymphangioleiomyomatosis. It carries boxed warnings for immunosuppression, increased susceptibility to infection, lymphoma, and specific hazards in liver and lung transplant. There is no approved indication relating to ageing or longevity.

What it is

An approved immunosuppressant studied off-label for aging pathways.

What published research measured

An mTOR inhibitor studied as a geroprotective candidate. In the National Institute on Aging's Interventions Testing Program it extended lifespan in mice, including when started in middle age, with results reproduced across the programme's independent sites. Human evidence for ageing itself is a different matter: a trial of a related mTOR inhibitor improved vaccine response in older adults, and small trials in specific conditions have been published, but no completed randomized trial demonstrates that rapamycin extends healthy lifespan in people. Its approved uses tell you what continuous full-dose exposure does — it is an immunosuppressant, with impaired wound healing, mouth ulceration, dyslipidaemia and increased infection risk documented. Intermittent low-dose regimens studied for longevity have a substantially thinner safety record than the transplant literature.

Source

NIA Interventions Testing Program — rapamycin lifespan extension replicated across sites · Mannick et al. 2014, Science Translational Medicine — mTOR inhibition and vaccine response in older adults · FDA labeling for Rapamune

Sources

• Half-life source for Rapamycin