Interaction of Rapamycin and Exercise on Healthspan
The overall goal of Dr. Konopka’s laboratory is to use a translational geroscience approach to study the underlying fundamental biology and metabolism of aging. This AFAR/Hevolution supported proposal seeks to understand how the co-prescription of exercise and rapamycin can intervene on skeletal muscle nutrient signaling, mitochondrial bioenergetics and mitochondrial proteostasis to improve healthy aging. While rapamycin and exercise independently improve skeletal muscle health and extend healthy longevity, current dogma indicates rapamycin given continuously or on the same day of exercise attenuates the acute and chronic health benefits of exercise in young mice and humans. Therefore, Dr. Konopka and team aim to close a critical knowledge gap of identifying mechanisms by which alternative rapamycin dosing schemes can harness the positive benefits of both rapamycin and exercise in older mice to further extend healthspan than either treatment alone.
