Dream come true - drug could extend fertility by five years
A drug that could extend women’s fertility by five years – and help them live longer in better health – is safe for a young, healthy population, according to early results of a study.The research into repurposing the immunosuppressant rapamycin has been hailed a “paradigm shift” in how menopause is studied.
The Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (Vibrant) study is designed to measure whether the drug can slow ovaries ageing, thereby delaying menopause, extending fertility and reducing the risk of age-related diseases.
The study, which will eventually include more than 1,000 women, now has 34 participants aged up to 35, with more women joining every day.
Yousin Suh, a professor of reproductive sciences and professor of genetics and development at Columbia University and Zev Williams, associate professor of women’s health and the chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, co-led on the study.
Suh said early results suggested it was realistic to hope the drug could decrease ovary ageing by 20% without women experiencing any of the 44 side-effects rapamycin can have, which range from mild nausea and headaches to high blood pressure and infections.
Read more at The Guardian