An "elixir of life" could be here in a matter of days?

In 2009, a study found that rapamycin could extend the life of mice and may delay aging. Now, Dean Kellogg of the University of Texas Health Science Center has introduced rapamycin into clinical trials. In an article published in *Science Translational Medicine* this week, researchers reported promising data that supports the results of the 2009 experiment.

Rapamycin is a macrolide compound that was initially isolated from bacteria on Easter Island (Rapa Island). Currently, rapamycin is mainly used to treat certain cancers and to suppress rejection reactions in transplant patients.