RAPAMYCIN DELAYS BONE-RELATED HALLMARKS OF OSTEOARTHRITIS IN THE COMMON MARMOSET: PRELIMINARY FINDINGS OF AN ONGOING LIFESPAN STUDY

Abstract

Purpose: Increased mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity is seen in cartilage from human osteoarthritis (OA) patients and is sufficient to induce OA in mice. Rapamycin, a small molecule inhibitor of mTOR, extends lifespan in multiple species and protects against experimental OA in mice. However, it remains unknown if rapamycin can modify features of naturally occurring OA in non-human primates. Therefore, we analyzed the knee joints of common marmosets receiving rapamycin during an ongoing lifespan study.