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A compound found in the soil and added to food stunningly boosts the lifespan of mice, enabling some to live more than 100 years old in human terms, researchers have reported.
The remarkable molecule was discovered in a sample taken from the remote Pacific archipelago in the 1970s and was named after the Polynesian island Rapa Nui.
Rapamycin first came to light because of its qualities as a fungus fighter. It was later used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients and then became incorporated into 'stents' - implants used to keep arteries open in patients with coronary disease. It is now in clinical trials for cancer treatment.
Arlan Richardson, director of the Barshop Institute, one of three centres that carried out the experiments, said: "I never thought that we could find an anti-ageing pill for people in my lifetime. However, rapamycin shows a great deal of promise."
The researchers decided to add the drug to the diet of older mice. Females with the molecule added to their food lived 13 per cent longer compared with non-rapamycin counterparts and males gained nine per cent in their lifetime.
