Pharmaceutical major Novartis has informed that it is close to developing a drug, which is capable of holding back the signs of aging. The experimental drug is a form of rapamycin drug and the company has described it as the 'fountain of youth'.
Rapamycin is a member of a class of drugs called mTOR inhibitors, which have been shown in previous studies to work as anti-aging agents.
As people age, mTOR genetic pathways seem to have a negative effect on them, though they support healthy growth in children. So using rapamycin to inhibit the mTOR genetic pathway could help to delay aging.
The drug has proved effective in slowing down aging and age-related diseases in mice and other animals. However, this is the first time that researchers are studying rapamycin's effect in humans.
Researchers at Novartis said the drug focuses on a genetic signaling pathway associated with the immune system. When older people are given the drug, their immune system is boosted.
The drug was given to more than 200 people who are 65 and older for several weeks. They received the placebo followed by a dose of the flu vaccine. Participants developed about 20% more antibodies in response to the flu vaccine.
Dr. Nir Barzilai, head of the Institute for Aging Research at New York City' Albert Einstein College of Medicine said, "The research sets the stage for using this drug to target aging, to improve everything about aging. That's really going to be for us a turning point in research, and we are very excited". Barzilai was not associated with the current research team.
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