A common drug has shown promise for extending female fertility and delaying menopause while potentially boosting women's overall health and longevity.
Rapamycin was originally developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients. However, in recent years it has gained renewed interest for its potential in antiaging medicine.
"At high doses, rapamycin can suppress the immune system and is widely used to prevent organ rejection," Dr. Zev Williams, Director of Columbia University Fertility Center who studies the potential use of this drug in reproductive health, told Newsweek. "But, at low doses, rapamycin actually boosts the immune system and, across many animal models, can slow the rate of aging."
These antiaging properties are thought to stem from the drug's ability to activate biochemical recycling pathways in our cells, which is scientifically known as autophagy. This process reduces the amount of cellular detritus that would normally accumulate as we age, slowing or even reversing the aging process.
One area of particular interest is the effect of this drug on our ovaries (for those who have them.) "The ovary is a truly incredible organ that has many health benefits that extend far beyond just being a source of eggs," Williams said. "We now know that the ovary helps protect against bone loss and osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and even dementia."
However, the ovaries age a lot faster than the rest of the body, losing their function long before the end of the average human life span. "Menopause has long been viewed as an immutable inevitability," Williams said. "In fact, across the animal kingdom, menopause is the rare exception, occurring in human and great apes and a few species of whales. Just as we are trying to extend the lifespan of other organs, like the heart and brain, we may be able to extend the lifespan of the ovary and thereby extend the widespread health benefits that the ovary provides."
Early results have suggested that rapamycin could decrease ovarian aging by as much as 20 percent and extend female fertility by a further five years while helping them live a longer and healthier life overall.
To explore these potential benefits, Williams and colleagues at the Columbia University Fertility Center have launched a double-blind study in which a group of women between the ages of 35 and 45 will receive either a once-weekly dose of rapamycin or a placebo.
"The goal of the VIBRANT study at Columbia University Fertility Center is to see if we could slow the rate at which eggs are lost from the ovary, so that we can extend the lifespan of the ovary and delay menopause," Williams said. "If we can extend the lifespan of the ovary, we may be able to extend the health benefits that the ovary provides, such a lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke, dementia, and osteoporosis."
He continued: "What is so exciting about the VIBRANT study at Columbia University Fertility Center, is that since rapamycin is already so well studied and so widely available at low cost, if we can show that it slows the rate of ovarian aging, we will have a genuine opportunity to help extend the health span and lifespan for millions of women."
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