# Project 4: Determining the ability of rapamycin to improve lifespan and healthspan in companion dogs

> **NIH NIH U19** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2022 · $1,095,501

## Abstract

PROJECT 4: DETERMINING THE ABILITY OF RAPAMYCIN TO IMPROVE LIFESPAN AND HEALTHSPAN
IN COMPANION DOGS
ABSTRACT
A primary goal of geroscience is to improve health, longevity, and quality of life for people through basic and
translational research into the biology of aging. While there has been significant progress in understanding the
basic mechanisms of aging and developing interventions to delay aging in laboratory models, to date there has
been limited application of these findings in a clinical setting. This project aims to take a first step toward such
translational application by testing whether treatment with rapamycin can increase lifespan and improve
healthspan in companion (pet) dogs, similar to what has been observed in laboratory mice. This will be
accomplished through a double-blind, placebo-controlled veterinary clinical trial involving 300 healthy, middle-
aged (at least 6 years old), larger (at least 18 kg) companion dogs. Dogs will be randomized into either
placebo, transient (6 months) or continuous (3 years) treatment groups and the effect of rapamycin on survival
and overall health during aging will be assessed. Measures of health will include assessments of mobility,
frailty, and disease incidence (in collaboration with Project 1). In addition, given the reported beneficial effects
of rapamycin treatment on cardiac and cognitive function in older mice, there will be a special emphasis on
assessing the effects of rapamycin on cognitive function (with Core C) and cardiac function in dogs. In
collaboration with Project 3, the effects of rapamycin treatment on systemic metabolism and the intestinal
microbiome in companion dogs will be assessed through serum metabolomics and analysis of bacterial
composition of fecal samples, respectively. Overall, this study will advance our understanding of the interaction
between mTOR signaling and basic aging processes in dogs living in the human environment and could
potentially extend the healthspan and lifespan of dogs, thus improving the quality of life for both dogs and their
owners.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10440341
- **Project number:** 5U19AG057377-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** MATT KAEBERLEIN
- **Activity code:** U19 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,095,501
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10440341

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10440341, Project 4: Determining the ability of rapamycin to improve lifespan and healthspan in companion dogs (5U19AG057377-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10440341. Licensed CC0.

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