“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,” reports The Guardian.
Giving women the drug rapamycin “could decrease ovary ageing by 20%”, even without using doses large enough to cause side effects. Moreover 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.” (At higher doses, there are “44 side-effects rapamycin can have, which range from mild nausea and headaches to high blood pressure and infections.”).
Yousin Suh, a genetics professor who co-led the study, celebrated the result, saying “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.”
This “research into repurposing the immunosuppressant rapamycin has been hailed as a ‘paradigm shift’ in how menopause is studied,” says The Guardian.
Researchers recently discovered that blocking a protein could extend lifespans. In other news, a drug is being developed that could regrow lost teeth.
Another recent drug radically increases the survival rate for people suffering from advanced lung cancer. That drug will not immediately save lives. Before it can be sold to the public, it first has to be approved by drug regulators like the FDA, which could take a long time. Many people die waiting for the FDA to approve life-saving drugs. For example, at least a hundred thousand people died waiting years for the FDA to approve beta blockers. One of the FDA officials involved in delaying their approval was John Nestor. Nestor was notorious for following rules in ways designed to deliberately delay other people, such as his habit of deliberately driving slowly in the fast lane on highways in order to slow down other motorists.
Scientists have developed tiny robots made of human cells to repair damaged cells. And Arizona State University scientists “have successfully programmed nanorobots to shrink tumors by cutting off their blood supply,” eliminating cancers.
Gene therapies are being used to cure inherited blindness and deafness in some people. A new gene therapy may cure sickle-cell anemia.
A virus is being used to cure deafness in a new gene therapy. Researchers also discovered that a plant virus could be used to save crops from root-eating pests.
