Can a Drug Slow Aging? The Rapamycin Story
On April 14, students, faculty, researchers, and leadership attended the special lecture event Can a Drug Slow Aging? The Rapamycin Story. Hosted by the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy and presented by Mr. R. Ken Coit, the lecture focused on the drug rapamycin and its compelling implications for the biology of aging and potential to extend and improve the lives of aging populations.
Aging is the single greatest risk factor for most chronic diseases, yet historically it has not been treated as a modifiable biological process. Over the past two decades, discoveries in the biology of aging have challenged this assumption. Among the most compelling findings is the observation that the drug rapamycin, originally discovered in soil bacteria from Easter Island and developed as an immunosuppressant, can extend lifespan and improve healthspan metrics in multiple laboratory species. These discoveries led to the identification of the mTOR signaling pathway as a central regulator of aging biology.
Building on these discoveries, Bonnie LaFleur, PhD, a professor in the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy, and director of the Health Outcomes & PharmacoEconomic Research (HOPE) Center, is leading a six-year double-blind, randomized Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate whether rapamycin, a drug used to prevent organ transplant rejection, can also improve older adults' resilience and immune function. Supported by a transformative $12 million gift from alumnus R. Ken Coit ('67), the trial represents the culmination of over two years of pilot work.
“Drug research is something near and dear to my heart,” Coit shared at the event. “I consider myself a scientist first, a businessman second. Longevity is all about living better and living longer. Imagine if we could slow down aging at the cellular level, shifting our focus from merely treating diseases and fundamentally changing the aging narrative.”
LaFleur was joined on stage by Matt Kaeberlein, PhD, an internationally recognized researcher into the biology of aging, healthspan, and longevity, who spoke at the event. Kaeberlein is an affiliate professor with the University of Washington and CEO of Optispan and has authored more than 250 scientific publications on aging research and policy. While Kaeberlein provided a historical overview of mTOR inhibition as one of the most robust interventions for extending lifespan, LaFleur detailed the trial's focus: physical function and inflammation.
“What drives me personally is a desire to see a future where we are striving for generations of superagers,” LaFleur said. “These are people who can live a very long time with very few comorbidities, very healthfully. I believe this is where the longevity space is going – when we talk about longevity or health span, this is our ultimate goal.”
Researchers will focus on two main ways to measure the potential effects of rapamycin. The first will gauge the impact of the treatment on physical function, specifically, whether rapamycin changes the transition to frailty, which can significantly impact quality of life. The second will evaluate the levels of an inflammatory marker called IL-6, a measure of inflammation associated with many age-related diseases, including frailty. The researchers want to see if rapamycin can reduce IL-6 levels in the blood.
Among the event attendees was President Suresh Garimella, as well as JP Roczniak, president and CEO of the UA Foundation. President Garimella provided a welcome address for the event and emphasized the power of research and philanthropy to move science forward.
During the lecture, Kaeberlein provided a historical overview of the scientific journey linking mTOR and rapamycin to the biology of aging, and the key discoveries that established mTOR inhibition as one of the most robust interventions for extending lifespan in laboratory models. He also shared emerging evidence from companion animals and humans, including what we know — and what we still do not know — about rapamycin’s potential effects on healthy aging in people. With the broader context of these findings, there is now a growing effort to target the biology of aging as a strategy to delay or prevent multiple age-related diseases simultaneously.
“There is so much evidence supporting the need for these kinds of clinical trials,” Kaeberlein concluded, highlighting the importance of the research being conducted at the university. “This trial has the opportunity to fill a critical gap in knowledge, with the potential for significant impact on the future of human health.”