The Dog Aging Project: Test of rapamycin in aging dogs

Background and purpose of the study

Rapamycin is an mTOR inhibitor which, at low doses, has been shown to increase lifespan and delay or reverse many age-related disorders in mice. The goal of TRIAD is to assess the effects of the medication rapamycin on health and aging in dogs.

This study is designed to test if rapamycin treatment leads to any of the following benefits:

• Better heart health
• Improved mobility
• Prolonged cognitive function
• Increased lifespan

Treatment/Protocol

• Once enrolled, the participant will be prescribed the study medication (which may be rapamycin or a placebo), which is administered by the owner in pill form once a week for one year.
• After one year, the study medication will be discontinued and the participant will enter the observation phase for two years.
• During both phases of the study, the participant will visit the clinical site every six months for recheck physical exam, blood pressure, sample collection (blood, urine, feces, and hair – collected by clipping a small area), and specialty exam (echocardiogram/ ECG for Cardio Arm or neurological exam for Neuro Arm).
• The owner will also be asked to fill out electronic surveys regarding the health and wellbeing of their participant dog at regular intervals

Benefits and risks of participating

Participation is an act of volunteerism. Remember that it is unknown if rapamycin at this dose has benefits to dogs, and that half of the dogs will receive placebo, so participants should not expect direct benefits from the study medication. Risks to dogs include the minor risks associated with blood and urine collection, as well as potential side effects from rapamycin. Rapamycin has not been widely used in dogs and so the overall likelihood of side effects is not known, however, in the studies performed by our team prior to TRIAD, side effects have been rare and mild.

Compensation

No direct compensation. Cost of study visits and study medication is covered by the project. All examination and lab work results are provided to the owner and the dog’s primary care veterinarian.