Recruiting
Early Phase 1

Rapamycin & Everolimus

Sponsor:

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Code:

NCT06658093

Conditions

Aging

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Rapamycin

Everolimus

Placebo

Study Details

Brief summary:

As people get older, there are changes in their cells and tissues that may affect their ability to function. This can lead to increased death and age-associated disorders, like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. Studies in animal models have been able to identify drugs that slow the aging process, leading to a longer, healthier life. This study is focused on one such family of drugs, called mTOR inhibitors, and the investigators' goal is to test two of these drugs, Rapamycin (Sirolimus) and Everolimus (Afinitor), in healthy older adults to find a dose and dose timing that can be used to safely inhibit mTOR to the levels seen in young healthy persons. The investigators expect that the dose that works well in women may differ from the one that is best in men, so it is important to include both sexes in this research.

Conditions

Aging

Study ID

NCT06658093

Start date

Mar 4, 2026

Status verified date

May, 2026

Completion date

Jul, 2028

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65 - 70+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

Older Cohort Sub-study 2 (AIM 1) and Sub-study 3 (AIM 2):

1. Age ≥65 to 90 years
2. Men and women
3. In good health with all medical problems stable.
4. Community-dwelling
5. Agreement to adhere to Lifestyle Considerations throughout study duration.
6. Ability of participant to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document.

Exclusion Criteria:

Older Cohort Sub-study 2 (AIM 1) and Sub-study 3 (AIM 2):

1. Resident of nursing home or long-term care facility
2. Subjects with diabetes or currently taking glucose lowering medications
3. History of moderate-severe heart disease (New York Heart Classification greater than grade II) or pulmonary disease (dyspnea on exertion upon climbing one flight of stairs or less; abnormal breath sounds on auscultation); Moderate to severe valvular heart disease
4. Active cancer or history of cancer treatment within the last 5 years
5. Chronic inflammatory condition, autoimmune disease, or infectious processes (e.g., active tuberculosis, HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, acute or chronic hepatitis B or C)
6. History of a coagulopathy or any medical condition requiring anticoagulation (except low dose ASA)
7. Renal insufficiency with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <30ml/min
8. Uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia >350mg/dl or uncontrolled hypertriglyceridemia >500mg/dl
9. Anemia or abnormal blood cell counts: hemoglobin level <9.0g.dl; white blood count <3500/mm3; neutrophil count <2000/ mm3; platelet count <125,000/mm3
10. History of skin ulcers or poor wound healing
11. Active tobacco use (within 6 months)
12. Diagnosis of any disabling neurologic disease such as Parkinson's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, cerebrovascular accident with residual deficits (muscle weakness or gait disorder), severe neuropathy, diagnosis of dementia or Clox1 score less than 10 at the time of screening visit, cognitive impairment due to any reason such that the patient is unable to provide informed consent
13. Liver disease
14. Systemic treatment with an immunosuppressant (prednisone, etc.) within the year prior to enrollment
15. Treatment with drugs known to affect cytochrome P450 (CYP3A4), i.e., diltiazem, erythromycin.
16. Patients with history of recent (within 6 months) myocardial infarction or active coronary disease
17. Patients with history of recent (within 6 months) intestinal disorders
18. History of severe head trauma, brain injury, brain surgery, inflammation of the brain, or history of seizure disorder
19. History of Long-Covid (PASC) within one year
20. Acute Covid19 or Covid19 infection within the last 6 months
21. Unwilling to forgo grapefruit juice consumption.
22. Participation in mTORi study within the prior year. (Note: participants in AIM 1 will be excluded from participating in AIM 2 of the proposed trial.)
23. Allergic to RAPA or EVERO
24. Allergic to lidocaine
25. Recreational drug use
26. Donated blood over a two-month period prior to study initiation.
27. Currently using cannabidiol (CBD) or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or any preparation contained these, or related, substances.
28. Currently using hormone replacement or modulating therapies.

Study Design

Enrollment

194 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Sequential

Primary purpose

Basic Science

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Aim 1:Sub-study 2 Daily dosing Cohort Rapamycin

Aim 1 is an open label, adaptive, dose finding PK/PD trial in older women and men.

In sub-study 2 (part of Aim 1), an older cohort will be studied to determine the optimal dose (OD) in milligrams of rapamycin (RAPA) based on changes in PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR. Based on the data acquired, additional older cohorts will be tested at higher/lower doses in an adaptive, step-wise trial design.

experimental: Aim 1: Sub-study 2 Daily dosing Cohort Everolimus

Aim 1 is an open label, adaptive, dose finding PK/PD trial in older women and men.

In sub-study 2 (part of Aim 1), an older cohort will be studied to determine the optimal dose (OD) of everolimus (EVERO) in milligrams based on changes in PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR. Based on the data acquired, additional older cohorts will be tested at higher/lower doses in an adaptive, step-wise trial design.

experimental: Aim 1:Sub-study 2 Intermittent dosing Cohort Rapamycin

Aim 1 is an open label, adaptive, dose finding PK/PD trial in older women and men.

In sub-study 2 (part of Aim 1), an older cohort will be studied to determine the optimal dose (OD) in milligrams and the optimal interval for intermittent delivery of rapamycin (RAPA) based on changes in PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR. Based on the data acquired, additional older cohorts will be tested at higher/lower doses in an adaptive, step-wise trial design.

experimental: Aim 1: Sub-study 2 Intermittent dosing Cohort Everolimus

Aim 1 is an open label, adaptive, dose finding PK/PD trial in older women and men.

In sub-study 2 (part of Aim 1), an older cohort will be studied to determine the optimal dose (OD) in milligrams and the optimal interval for intermittent delivery of everolimus (EVERO) based on changes in PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR. Based on the data acquired, additional older cohorts will be tested at higher/lower doses in an adaptive, step-wise trial design.

experimental: Aim 2: Sub-study 3 Optimized DAILY Dose of an mTOR inhibitor

Based on the findings from Aim 1, the optimal drug (RAPA or EVERO) and dose for DAILY delivery will be tested in a blinded placebo-controlled trial in older human subjects. The drug/dose used in males may differ from the one used in females as the OD will be determined independently for the two sexes. PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR will be followed.

experimental: Aim 2: Sub-study 3 Optimized INTERMITTENT Dosing of an mTOR inhibitor

Based on the findings from Aim 1, the optimal drug (RAPA or EVERO), interval between doses, and dose for INTERMITTENT delivery will be tested in a blinded placebo-controlled trial in older human subjects. The drug/dose/interval used in males may differ from the one used in females as the OD will be determined independently for the two sexes. PD parameters 'downstream' from mTOR will be followed. Although drug is delivered on an intermittent schedule, subjects will be given a pill each day (either drug or placebo, as scheduled) to maintain blinding.

placebo comparator: Aim 2: Sub-study 3 Placebo control

Daily administration of a placebo will be given to a cohort of older human subjects. Both males and females will be enrolled as controls.

Interventions

Rapamycin

mTOR inhibitor

Everolimus

mTOR inhibitor

Placebo

Inert placebo for rapamycin or everolimus

Primary outcome measure

  • Pharmacokinetics (PK) of mTOR inhibitor in blood [ Time Frame: Baseline to study end (approximately 12 months for Aim 2; 12 weeks for Aim 1) ]
  • PD measure of inhibition of mTOR activity in blood cells - p-rpS6 [ Time Frame: Baseline to study end (approximately 12 months for Aim 2; 12 weeks for Aim 1) ]
  • Level of Soluble Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (sICAM-1) [ Time Frame: Baseline to study end (approximately 12 months) ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Locations

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Recruiting

San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229

Contacts

Dean L Kellogg Jr.,, MD PhD

210-617-5197kelloggd@uthscsa.edu

Principal Investigator:

Dean L Kellogg Jr., MD PhD

More Information

Sponsor

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Last update posted

Jun 1, 2026

Last verified

May, 2026

Keywords

  • mTOR inhibitors

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on 2026-06-01.