Ground-breaking Clinical Trial Explores Delaying Menopause

elaying menopause may have once seemed like an impossibility, yet a Columbia Fertility study on ovarian aging marks a ground-breaking turning point in longevity research.

Co-led by Dr. Zev Williams, Director of Columbia University Fertility Center, and Dr. Yousin Suh, Director of Reproductive Aging, the Validating Benefits of Rapamycin for Reproductive Aging Treatment (VIBRANT) study is a first-of-its-kind clinical trial exploring the impact of the immunosuppressant, rapamycin, on ovarian aging.

Typically used to prevent organ transplant rejection, rapamycin has recently become a central focus of research on aging and longevity. Studies on rapamycin in mice have indicated that the drug can positively impact longevity and slow ovarian aging. Yet before the VIBRANT study, no research had been conducted to examine rapamycin’s effect on ovarian aging. Due to the unique attributes of the ovaries, and how rapidly these organs age, the impact of rapamycin can be measured effectively in a matter of months, making human clinical trials a possibility.

Early results from the VIBRANT study suggest that it is possible for rapamycin to decrease ovarian aging by 20%. While a woman typically loses around 50 eggs each month, weekly doses of rapamycin can slow this rate, leading the ovaries to release only 15 eggs a month. Furthermore, study participants have reported improvements in their overall health, memory, hair and nails, findings which are consistent with other studies on rapamycin. By decreasing the number of mature eggs, scientists at Columbia Fertility hope that rapamycin can be utilized to delay menopause.

The impact of these early study results, which suggest that delaying menopause through rapamycin use is a possibility, may have a transformative impact on women’s healthcare. Delaying menopause has the potential to alleviate the onset of uncomfortable symptoms, extend fertility, and improve overall health given the connection between ovarian aging and overall aging.

Ovarian hormones are not only responsible for regulating reproduction, but also contribute to other aspects of a woman’s physiology such as cognitive function, blood sugar and bone density. According to Dr. Yousin Suh, “the ovaries confer important health benefits to women that extend far beyond just being a source of eggs. Ovarian function appears to protect against dementia and Alzheimer’s, heart disease, stroke, and even all-cause death. The hope is that by slowing ovarian aging using a safe, inexpensive pill, we can extend women’s healthspan and lifespan.”

Based on findings from the initial VIBRANT study, Columbia Fertility will launch VIBRANT II, a multi-center study that plans to enroll 1000 women. Looking ahead, Columbia Fertility’s VIBRANT study stands to have a resounding impact, even outside of the reproductive health sphere, as the clinical trial explores extending the lifespan of the ovaries to delay menopause, and possibly, in turn, extending overall lifespan and longevity.