Rapamycin, a drug currently undergoing clinical studies at Columbia University, could delay ovary aging and, in turn, delay menopause, while also reducing future symptom severity.
The Columbia clinical study marks the first time the drug has been tested on humans, as it has previously been tested on animals at several clinics, which showed that it could extend lifespan and slow aging. The trial, led by Dr. Zev Williams, chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Columbia University Fertility Center, and Dr. Yousin Suh, director of the reproductive aging program at Columbia, is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study looking at the effects of weekly low dose rapamycin on women ages 35 to 42 over the course of three months. After three months, patients will be monitored for an additional nine months.
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“We’ll be measuring over this time different measures of ovarian reserve and function. We chose that age group specifically because that’s the age at which there’s still a good ovarian reserve, but it still would be helpful for them to be able to delay aging,” Williams explained.
This new study comes on the heels of the ever-growing menopause category, as 1 billion people are expected to be in menopause in 2025. Furthermore, there’s a $600 billion category opportunity, according to a report from the Female Founders Fund.
While monitoring the speed of aging in general can be difficult as it takes place over many years and there aren’t blood or imaging tests, Williams is optimistic about this study as ovarian aging, specifically, is easier to track.
“In reproductive medicine, we’ve gotten quite good at being able to measure ovarian aging using a combination of bloodwork and ultrasound, and instead of it spanning decades, you could measure pretty significant declines over a period of just a couple of years,” he said. “It’s an ideal target for this initial type of study because in the short term, we can get data in terms of the ability of this medication to slow down aging, the longer term we might be able to actually help improve the health of women.”
By delaying the onset of menopause, symptoms would be greatly reduced and lifespan could be extended.
“The later that a woman goes through menopause, the milder the symptoms would be,” Williams said. “Lifespan actually is predicated on the age of menopause and so in cases where women have early menopause, let’s say for surgical reasons, or other reasons…lifespan is affected. The ovaries have such an important role in terms of overall health.”
While the drug could possibly delay menopause, slowing down the aging of ovaries has a larger impact on a woman’s health overall, according to experts.
“We now know that the ovary has a wide range of important health benefits to the woman, including reducing the risk of heart disease, reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, reducing the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s,” Williams said. “If you can delay the onset of menopause, the goal is actually to try to increase the health span for women.”