Marin Researchers Make Breakthrough on Anti-Aging Drug

Mice at the Buck Institute on Aging in Novato have had their hearts' health improved by a drug that may also be of advantage to humans, according to reports.

The Novato-based research facility has found that rapamycin, an FDA-approved drug used in transplant patients to prevent rejection of organs, has extended the life span of mice by 14 percent, the Marin Independent Journal reported.

The mice lived longer but also enjoyed improved cardiac function when treated with the drug, the newspaper reported.

Clinical trials in humans using the drug to fend off heart disease are underway, the newspaper reported.

Mice that were fed rapamycin had an easier time pumping blood, which suggests the drug could improve "age-related heart dysfunction," the newspaper reported.

Significantly, the drug allowed the mice to live longer but also healthier, researchers reported.