What is Rapamycin ?

1. What is Rapamycin? One of the most intriguing things in the arisen over the last several years is the lifespan-extending potential of a substance known as Rapamycin. Rapamycin is a chemotherapy agent, that when used properly, has been shown to extend the life span of yeast, flies, worms, mice, and dogs. No substance in the history of mankind has shown an ability to extend any mammalian life span by almost 25%across the board. A History of Rapamycin Rapamycin was discovered on Easter Island (Rapa Nui) by Dr. Suren Seghal of McGill University in 1972. The local barefoot population was resistant to the tetanus bacteria. In the soil, he discovered that the bacteria had an anti-fungal property. Further research showed not only anti-fungal properties but anti-neoplastic activities as well (Seghal’s story is interesting. His last words before death, were even more interesting). There was a tepid amount of excitement, and in the next few decades, it was turned into a chemotherapy agent. Rapamune was founded. However, much with other aspects of medicine, the exact mechanism of Rapamycin was elusive. This changed in 1991 when Dr. Michael Hall’s team at the University of Basel in Switzerland discovered a protein that regulates cell growth, size, and division. His group discovered that the protein could be inhibited by Rapamycin. The creative name of TOR was given to this complex of proteins (​Target Of Rapamycin​). TOR was found in all cells and was found to be a central point in cell growth and maturation. He also discovered that feeding this complex, made it grow and made the cells grow larger and older, faster. Rapamycin was found to inhibit this complex. Since maturation could be controlled, aging could be controlled. Not only that, Hall theorized that it could be used to delay the onset of chronic disease and cancer. Today, it’s a big target of ongoing research. Original Source: ​https://westcoastrapamycin.com/what-is-rapamycin/