It was a few years ago when Matt Kaeberlein found out that he had Frozen Shoulder, “It was really bad” he recollects. He was sleep-deprived and didn’t couldn’t pitch a ball due to excruciating pain. His doctor suggested he take physical therapy sessions and was told that the recovery might take as long as one year.
Feeling exasperated, he made up his mind to try Rapamycin. In recent years, leading longevity researchers have turned to this drug with hopes of combating age-related health issues. While its potential benefits for human anti-ageing remain untested, studies have shown rapamycin’s ability to extend the lifespan of mice.
“I decided to try it,” Kaeberlein says. It was his “first foray into biohacking,” and he was very pleased with what happened next. “Within two weeks, 50% of the pain was gone,” he says. He had regained his range of motion and the pain was eased by the end of the 10th week. “And it hasn’t come back,” he says.
In one of the most remotest and isolated islands in the world, Easter Island found the soil bacterium that produced Rapamycin. Rapamycin has been utilized as an immuno-suppressor in a number of ways such as coating coronary stents, and it also helps in reducing the immune response in individuals who have gone through an organ transplant.
The FDA first approved the use of Rapamycin in organ transplant patients in the late 1990s. A high dosage suppresses the immune response, and if the dosage is kept light says Kaeberlein, it helps in suppressing inflammation. Functionally it inhibits a signaling pathway in our body which appears to play a crucial role in controlling lifespan and the aging process.
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The drug has yet to get approval for anti-ageing and pain, but some doctors still prescribe it off the records with the aim of keeping age-related conditions at bay. Kaeberlein and his colleagues surveyed around 300 such patients who took low dosages and found that most individuals reported that they had benefited from its usage.
However, anecdotal evidence cannot be a substitute for scientific research. Understanding the risks and benefits of a drug requires rigorous investigation. This is where Dr. Jonathan An, from the University of Washington, enters the picture.
Dr. An has received FDA approval to conduct tests using rapamycin on patients suffering from gum disease — a prevalent condition that often worsens with age. In his experience treating patients with gum disease, he notes that beyond cleaning and removing plaque buildup, there are limited treatment options available. “All we’re doing is putting a bandage on,” he says. His goal is to find and treat the underlying cause of the disease.
Transplant patients have already provided some evidence suggesting that rapamycin could potentially enhance oral health. As part of their research, An and his team will also evaluate shifts in participants’ microbiomes and biological rhythms.
The study will enrol individuals aged 50 and above who are affected by gum disease. These participants will undergo intermittent treatment with the drug at different doses for eight weeks. This approach will enable An to assess the drug’s safety and efficacy.
According to An, if rapamycin proves beneficial, it will underscore the feasibility of targeting the disease’s fundamental cause. “It really comes down to targeting the biology of ageing,” he says. “If we can target that underlying biology, we predict that it might address a lot of these other underlying conditions,” An says.
Pharmaceutical companies don’t have much incentive when it comes to funding for new research in Rapamycin as it is a generic drug. The grant bestowed to An and his collaborators can open up new paths for further studies which could determine whether Rapamycin can do what it’s being pitched for and help in preventing or at least slow down age-related diseases.
