Researchers at the University of Washington Medical Center are searching for a way to increase canine lifespans. The dogs will ideally live 1 to 4 years longer. The drug, Rapamycin, is being tested on 32 elderly dogs in a clinical trial. Rapamycin has already been shown to extend the lifespan of worms, fruit flies, yeast, and mice with few side effects. Rapamycin interacts with a protein that is involved in cell growth. It is unknown how the drug increases lifespan. It is possible that Rapamycin slows the ageing process or that it prevents age-related diseases. It is also possible that the drug can prevent cancer.
Rapamycin is now being tested on dogs. To discover if the drug has an effect on humans would take decades whereas it would only take several years to see a difference in dogs. The dogs are monitored to determine if the progression of old age diseases is delayed.
Professor of Pathology, Dr. Matt Kaeberlein said, "We're not turning back time, what we're really trying to do is slow the aging process. Dogs also get a lot of the same diseases as people do when they get older, dogs get cancer, they get heart disease, they get dementia. What we'll learn from this study will be important in applying these discoveries to human aging, but the primary goal for me personally is to improve the quality of life for pet dogs.”
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