Cancer drug makes fruit flies live longer

Adult fruit flies given a cancer drug live 12% longer than average, according to a UCL-led study researching healthy ageing. The drug targets a specific cellular process that occurs in animals, including humans, delaying the onset of age-related deaths by slowing the ageing process. The study, published today in Cell and funded by the Max Planck Society and Wellcome Trust, shows for the first time that a small molecule drug, which limits the effects of a protein called Ras, can delay the ageing process in animals. The treated fruit flies outlived the control group by staying healthier for longer. Co-first author, Dr Nazif Alic, UCL Institute of Healthy Ageing, said: "Our aim is to understand the mechanisms of ageing and alter the processes that lead to loss of function and to disease. We studied this molecular pathway in flies because they are reasonably complex and yet age more quickly than mammals. We were able to extend their lifespan both genetically and by using a cancer drug to target the Ras pathway, which provides us with the first evidence for the anti-ageing potential of drugs developed to dampen this pathway." Trametinib is used to treat skin cancer and was chosen for its ability to inhibit Ras signalling as part of the 'Ras-Erk-ETS' cell pathway.