Biohackers, chew on this.
Anti-aging aficionados have tried it all — including taking certain drugs off-label in the hopes they will lead to longer, healthier lives.
A new study out of Germany provides fresh evidence that this approach may be worthwhile. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Aging found that a combination of two cancer drugs prolonged the lives of mice by about 30%.
But buyer beware. One of the drugs, rapamycin, has sparked controversy over its safety and effectiveness in humans. Biohacking buff Bryan Johnson, 47, even admitted to dumping it from his regimen.
Rapamycin is an immunosuppressant used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.
The pill was found in the new study to increase mouse lifespan by 15% to 20% on its own.
Rapamycin inhibits the mTOR pathway, which regulates major body functions such as protein synthesis, cell growth and the clearing of “zombie” cells that don’t function properly but refuse to die.
Because it suppresses the immune system, one major downside of rapamycin is that it increases the risk of infections.
Other potential side effects include elevated levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, gastrointestinal problems, skin issues, headaches, fatigue and drug interactions.
Johnson had experimented with different doses of the drug over five years before he stopped taking it in September.
“Despite the immense potential from pre-clinical trials, my team and I came to the conclusion that the benefits of lifelong dosing of rapamycin do not justify the hefty side effects (intermittent skin/soft tissue infections, lipid abnormalities, glucose elevations, and increased resting heart rate),” Johnson wrote in January.
Rapamycin, along with trametinib, worked wonders in the new study.
Trametinib is used to treat certain types of melanoma and low-grade glioma, among other cancers. It interferes with the signals that tell cancer cells to multiply.
Trametinib extended the mouse lives by 5% to 10% alone — and it was even better with rapamycin.
“Trametinib, especially in combination with rapamycin, is a good candidate to be tested in clinical trials as a geroprotector,” study author Sebastian Grönke said.
“We hope that our results will be taken up by others and tested in humans. Our focus is on optimizing the use of trametinib in animal models.”
The one-two punch of rapamycin and trametinib influenced gene expression differently than each drug by itself.
Researchers found lower amounts of harmful inflammation in the tissue and brain, and cancer didn’t develop as fast.
The findings were published this week in the journal Nature Aging.
“While we do not expect a similar extension to human lifespans as we found in mice, we hope that the drugs we’re investigating could help people to stay healthy and disease-free for longer late in life,” co-senior author Linda Partridge said.
“Further research in humans in years to come will help us to elucidate how these drugs may be useful to people, and who might be able to benefit.”
