Lifespan Extension by Rapamycin

Paula Juricic and coworkers at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing report in a recent issue of Nature Aging that a brief early treatment of female Drosophila and mice with rapamycin extended lifespan and attenuated age-related decline in the intestine to the same degree as lifelong dosing. Rapamycin’s effects are mediated by a long-term increase in autophagy.