‘Dream come true’: study suggests drug could extend women’s fertility by five years

Early results in women up to the age of 35 suggest it is realistic to hope rapamycin can decrease ovary ageing by 20%.

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.

'Very exciting'

Ms 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.

In fact, Ms Suh said, participants in the randomised, placebo-controlled study had self-reported improvements in their health, memory, energy levels and in the quality of their skin and hair: health improvements consistent with other studies into rapamycin that have suggested the medication can increase lifespan by 9-14% while revitalising the immune system and organs that deteriorate in old age.

“The results of this study — the first in human history — are very, very exciting. It means that those with age-related fertility problems now have hope when before, they didn’t,” said Ms Suh.

“These early results mean we now have a clear shot at our ultimate goal: using rapamycin to extend the lifespan of the ovary and thereby delaying the menopause, while also extending the lifespan of the woman and improving her health and quality of life.” 

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Ms Suh said the team of at least 12 scientists working on the study, which will cost more than $1m in total, had “great confidence in the results being just as exciting when we scale the study up”.

“In a way, our results are too good to be true — except, because rapamycin is so well-studied, we know they are true,” she said. “These results are like a dream come true.” 

It is the first study to look at the core of ovarian ageing and trying to slow down the rate at which that occurs. Previous research on menopause has only targeted it at a symptomatic level.

Because rapamycin is a cheap, generic drug already widely used, once the evidence is established, progress will be fast, Mr Williams said.

Guardian