Can a transplant drug boost heart health in the elderly?
NCT ID NCT04742777
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study looked at whether rapamycin, a drug used to prevent transplant rejection, can improve heart function in healthy adults aged 70-95. Researchers used MRI scans to measure changes in heart pumping and blood vessel flexibility after 8 weeks of treatment. The goal was to see if this drug could help manage age-related declines in heart health.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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20 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Feb 2022
- Finished
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Sep 2025
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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70 to 95 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * men and women 70-95 years of age. * Subjects will be in good general health with all chronic diseases (hypertension, coronary artery disease, etc.) clinically stable. Selected subjects will be in good health (Per the World Health Organization good health will be defined as complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. * For our purposes all diseases or infirmities will be clinically stable whether managed by medications or not. * All ethnicities will be included. * For cardiac and brain imaging by MRI, a pre-MRI screening questionnaire will be used to assess MRI safety and neurological health. Exclusion Criteria: * Diabetes, (with A1c ≥6.5 or if treated with medication affecting glucose homeostasis History of skin ulcers or poor wound healing, * Smoking, * Liver disease, * Anti-coagulation, * Treatment with drugs known to affect cytochrome P450 3A (diltiazem, erythromycin, etc) due to its role in RAPA metabolism, * Treatment (\>30days of therapy or long term) with a systemic immunosuppressant (prednisone, etc.) within the last year, * History of recent (within 6 months) Myocardial Infarction or active Coronary Disease, * Patients with history of recent (within 6 months) intestinal disorders, * Exclusion criteria for MRI scan: known claustrophobia, metal implants in soft tissue of the body including pacemakers, aneurysm clips, ferrous metal fragments not anchored to bone (bullets, BBs, shrapnel, metal shavings), implanted medication pumps, and oral-facial metal appliances that are permanently secured but may result in low image quality. Participants may also be excluded for history of severe head trauma, brain injury, brain surgery, inflammation of the brain, or history of seizures. * Positive COVID19 test.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital
San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas, 78229, United States
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