Started by Frida Nyström (@frida_forages) ·
rapamycin was found in soil from Easter Island
A Canadian expedition in the 1960s collected soil on Rapa Nui, and a bacterium in it made the molecule. It became a transplant drug, then a lab favorite in aging research.
6 sources · 44 min down the hole
How I got here
- Started with
- “rapamycin easter island discovery”
- Ended at
- Dog Aging Project
The Trail
- “rapamycin easter island discovery” (google.com)
- Sirolimus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Easter Island (en.wikipedia.org)
rapa nui → rapamycin
- MTOR (en.wikipedia.org)
- Surendra Nath Sehgal (en.wikipedia.org)
supposedly kept the culture alive in his home freezer after the project was shut down
- Dog Aging Project (en.wikipedia.org)
What I came away with
In 2009 a mouse study found it extended lifespan even when started late in life. It's also an immunosuppressant with real side effects, and whether the mouse results mean anything for people is very much open. The Dog Aging Project is testing it in pet dogs as one step in between.
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