2024-07-22 19:58:38
Collected data show that the drug can extend women’s fertility by five years and help maintain better health. Importantly, the drug is safe for young and healthy women to use.
The study, which suggested a change in the use of rapamycin, has been called a “paradigm shift” in the study of menopause.
The aim is to evaluate whether the drug can slow the aging of the ovaries and thereby delay menopause, prolong fertility and reduce the risk of age-related diseases.
The research is planned to be continued, and a total of more than 1,000 people should participate in it. women. True, the number of participants is significantly smaller so far – 34 women under the age of 35 have joined the study.
The drug prolongs life
The study was led by Yousin Suh, a professor of Reproductive Sciences at Columbia University, and Zev Williams, head of the Department of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the same university.
According to Y.Suh, the medicine can reduce the slow ovarian aging, and women will not experience any of the 44 side effects that rapamycin can cause, from mild nausea and headaches to high blood pressure and infections.
During the study, it became clear that the positive effect of rapamycin improved women’s health, memory, energy level, skin and hair quality.
Other studies have found that the drug can extend life expectancy by 9 to 14 percent while revitalizing the immune system and organs that die in old age.
“The results of this study – the first in the history of mankind – are very encouraging. This means that people with age-related fertility problems now have hope where there was none before,” said Y.Suh.
“The early results of the study mean that we now have a clear chance of achieving our ultimate goal: using rapamycin to extend ovarian life span and thus delay menopause, as well as extend women’s life expectancy and improve their health and quality of life,” she added.
A team of at least 12 scientists is working on the study, which will cost more than $1 million in total. dollars (920 thousand euros).
According to the professor, rapamycin is a well-studied drug, which does not allow us to doubt the accuracy of the collected data.
“The research results are like a dream come true,” said Y.Suh.
This is the first study to look so deeply into ovarian aging and try to slow down the process. Previous studies of menopause have focused only on the symptomatic level.
“Ovarian aging is a major factor in aging women,” said Y. Suh.
If women in their 40s take rapamycin, they can actually slow down the aging process, she said.
Ovaries are constantly releasing eggs: every month, women lose about 50 eggs, and only one reaches ovulation. A low weekly dose of rapamycin slows down the ovaries so that they only release 15 eggs a month.
Y.Suh and Z.Williams estimate that ovarian aging slows down by 20%.
A small dose is required
According to the researchers, this drug has been proven to work in animals, and the data collected on its safety in humans – effectiveness remains to be investigated.
Rapamycin is a cheap, generic drug that is already widely used. Therefore, once the evidence is gathered, it could be rapidly adapted to new applications.
Ironically, this makes it difficult to find anyone willing to invest in research. Pharmaceutical companies have no motivation because there will be no opportunity to make a large profit from an off-patent drug.
A human clinical trial of rapamycin was also considered impossible because it would take decades to detect any effect on longevity. However, the ovaries age so quickly that the effect of the drug can be measured within 6 months.
Study participants are given a low dose of rapamycin – 5 mg per week. By comparison, after an organ transplant, you may need 13 mg per day.
An overdose of rapamycin can completely stop ovulation, and it is not yet known whether the quality of the follicles will deteriorate during the additional time that the ovaries remain viable; this would increase the chance of genetic abnormalities in the eggs.
The researchers were also pleased that the participants’ periods remained as normal.
“This means we hit the perfect dose: if we had given too much, the periods would have been irregular or stopped,” Williams said.
Women have greater freedom of decision
A full investigation report will be available in two years, and then a much larger second phase of the investigation is expected to begin.
“Our vision is that women in their 30s and older can visit their family doctor if they want to have more freedom to decide when to give birth,” said Y.Suh.
After menopause, women could stop taking rapamycin, but the broader health benefits that the drug appears to provide may make it worthwhile to continue using it.
Jennifer Garrison, founder of the Global Consortium on Reproductive Longevity and Equity, welcomed the researchers’ findings.
“This study is remarkable and marks a paradigm shift in biomedical research on women,” she said. – This is the first of many studies that need to be done to establish the idea that we can prolong ovarian function.
“From the obtained results, we can conclude that the preservation of endocrine ovarian function in old age is an achievable goal,” J. Garrison stated.
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2024-07-22 19:58:38