Scientists at the University of Washington are working on the "Dog Aging Project," which aims to find out if the drug rapamycin could delay the aging of dogs and give them more good years to live.
Rapamycin is an anti-organ transplant rejection drug which in low doses has shown that it can slow down aging in mice.
"If rapamycin has a similar effect in dogs - and it's important to keep in mind we don't know this yet - then a typical large dog could live two to three years longer, and a smaller dog might live four years longer. More important than the extra years, however, is the improvement in overall health during aging that we expect rapamycin to provide," said Daniel Promislow, geneticists for the project, according to The Telegraph.
The researchers will let trial dogs take the drug, and after a span of three to six months, the dogs' performance will be measured to see if they made any improvements in terms of activity level, immune system, heart function and cognition, according to the Huffington Post.
"If we can understand how to improve the quality and length of life, it's good for our pets and good for us. It's win-win," added Promislow in a statement in the journal Science.
If this research proves a success, it could also open doors to extending the lives of cats and other species, the Huffington Posts added.
