May Reed leading TRIAD study

Dr. May Reed, associate professor (Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine) is PI for the TRIAD study within the Dog Aging Project.

The Dog Aging Project is an innovative initiative that brings together a community of dogs, owners, veterinarians, researchers, and volunteers to carry out the most ambitious canine health study in the world.

TRIAD (Test of Rapamycin in Aging Dogs) is a clinical trial currently underway across the United States that seeks to assess the effects of rapamycin on health and aging in dogs. The study is designed to test if Rapamycin treatment leads to any of the following benefits:

• Better Heart Health
• Improved Mobility
• Prolonged Cognitive Function
• Increased Lifespan

Rapamycin, originally developed as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients, has become the subject of keen interest in aging and longevity research due to numerous positive lifespan and health span studies in research labs around the world.

TRIAD has 20 sites across the United States and over 100 dogs enrolled. There is a potential to learn from TRIAD about human longevity.

“There is such a clear correlation in dogs with the syndromes that older people develop, whether you want to call it aging, or diseases associated with aging,” said Reed.