Could sirolimus turn out to be the elixir of life?

摘要

The immunosuppressant drug sirolimus (rapamycin) has been found to extend the lifespan of middle-aged mice by around a third, giving rise to hopes that it could also prolong life in humans. When mice aged 20 months old, equivalent to 60 years of age in humans, were given sirolimus in a study reported in Nature, their life expectancy increased by 28-38 per cent. In human terms, this would be greater than the predicted increase in life expectancy if cancer and heart disease were eradicated.