Two Experimental Drugs Reduce Infections in Seniors

A study published in Science Translational Medicine found the TORC1 pathway involved in immune responses is inhibited by a combination drug therapy that improves the health of seniors, reports The Scientist . One or two cancer-fighting drugs or a placebo were administered for six weeks to 264 people 65 years or older. After 12 months, the researchers determined subjects who received the combination therapy exhibited a 40 percent reduction in colds and respiratory infections. The drugs also enhanced the body's response to a flu vaccine by producing 20 percent more antibodies against the influenza virus. "I think this study raises the real possibility that most middle-aged adults could benefit from short-term treatments with mTOR inhibitors," says Matt Kaeberlein with the University of Washington's Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute. Diarrhea was the most frequent observed side effect of the treatment. "It is premature, in my opinion, to rule out major negative effects of the pharmacological agents used in this study among subset of human subjects," notes the University of Washington's George Martin.