Existing Medicines Could Help Improve Immune Function in Vulnerable Older Adults

Research finds that existing medication can slow and reverse aging and immune system decline in older adults, reports The Conversation . These effects were first seen 11 years ago in mice treated with low doses of the antifungal drug rapamycin, which inhibits mTOR — a protein that functions as the major cell nutrient sensor and regulates protein synthesis. This inhibition makes it easier for cells to recycle damaged proteins, and mice receiving rapamycin lived 15 percent to 25 percent longer than those not taking the drug. In 2012 researchers used a variant of rapamycin (everolimus) administered to senior volunteers, whose immune response to flu vaccinations improved by about 20 percent. Another study treated primates with interleukin-7, then vaccinated them against the flu. They had enhanced responses to flu vaccines. The new imperative for researchers is to test these drugs on a large scale to determine if they are just as effective in enhancing immunity in large populations and specific subgroups.