Increasing healthy lifespan by suppressing aging in our lifetime: preliminary proposal

Cell Cycle. 2010 Dec 15;9(24):4788-94. doi: 10.4161/cc.9.24.14360. Epub 2010 Dec 15.

Abstract

Although we do not know everything about aging, we now know enough to start its pharmacologic suppression using clinically approved drugs. Aging turns out to be driven by sensing-signaling pathways (such as the mTOR pathway). Given that some inhibitors of the mTOR pathway are already in clinical use, there is a unique opportunity to suppress aging, while treating and preventing diseases. By itself this will answer some burning questions in gerontology. Here I discuss a proposal, starting from retrospective clinical studies to animal and cellular models to drug screens in order to develop non-toxic and effective schedules and drug combinations for extending healthy life span in our lifetime.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Aging / physiology*
  • Animals
  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / metabolism
  • Caloric Restriction
  • Cellular Senescence / physiology
  • Clinical Trials as Topic
  • Humans
  • Longevity / physiology*
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Sirolimus / metabolism
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
  • MTOR protein, human
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Sirolimus