Could A New Drug Be A 'Baby Step' Towards Anti-Aging

Researchers believe they may be on the way towards making an anti-aging drug that could help ward off deadly diseases.

The experimental drug is a variation of the approved drug rapamycin, which has "limited anti-aging effects," according to ScienceDaily. It belongs to a class of drugs known as mTOR inhibitors that have been shown to counteract aging and aging-related diseases in mice and other animals.

For the study, 200 volunteers 65 and older were examined. Researchers gave them the new drug or a placebo, followed by a dose of a flu vaccine.

"It sets the stage for using this drug to target aging, to improve everything about aging," said Dr. Nir Barzilai, director of the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, via WebMD. "That's really going to be for us a turning point in research, and we are very excited."

Researchers evaluating the drug are expecting the effects of the drug can be coined as having the "fountain of youth."

"Aging is the major risk factor for the killers we're afraid of," Barzilai said, via HealthDay. "If the aging is the major risk, the way to extend people's lives and improve their health is to delay aging."

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Translational Medicine.

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