Researchers at UT Health San Antonio will receive $38 million in federal funding to study drugs that may have the potential to extend human life span and longevity.
The university’s Sam and Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies announced on Tuesday that they had been awarded the grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The study will focus on three drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: rapamycin, dapagliflozin and semaglutide. The study will evaluate the repurposing of these medications to delay age-related health and functional decline in healthy adults between ages 60 to 65.
“Despite major advances in the biology of aging, no FDA-approved interventions currently exist to delay the onset of age-related functional decline or preserve health span in otherwise healthy adults,” said Dr. Elena Volpi, the director of the institute and lead author on the study, in a news release.
Rapamycin is an immunosuppressant used to prevent organ transplant rejection. The drug has been shown to extend lifespan in animal models. Those findings have fueled interest in potential anti-aging effects in humans, though no clinical trials have yet shown that it prolongs human lifespan.
Dapagliflozin treats Type 2 diabetes, helping to lower blood sugar levels. It’s also used to lower risk of heart failure in people with cardiovascular disease and lower the risk of worsening kidney disease. The drug hasn’t yet been studied as a potential anti-aging medication for the general population.
Semaglutide, sold under brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, is a GLP-1 receptor agonist that treats obesity and Type 2 diabetes. More research is showing that the drug and others like it have an array of health benefits outside of diabetes and weight management, including reducing cardiovascular risk and improving certain metabolic and inflammatory markers.
Researchers will recruit South Texas residents, home to a demographic makeup that mirrors the projected U.S. population in coming decades, the news release notes.
UT Health was one of seven research teams recently awarded grants to expand longevity research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).
“This work is focused on … advancing science that can help people live not just longer lives, but healthier ones in the decades ahead,” Volpi said.