Arlan G. Richardson, director of the Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies at UT, said: 'I've been in aging research for 35 years and there have been many so-called 'anti-aging' interventions over those years that were never successful.'

'I never thought we would find an anti-aging pill for people in my lifetime; however, rapamycin shows a great deal of promise to do just that,' he added.

First discovered in the 1970s, rapamycin is an antifungal compound secreted by bacteria. It is used as an immuno-suppressant to stop donated organ rejection in transplant patients, particularly those receiving kidneys, said a UT release.

It is also used in stents that are implanted in patients who undergo angioplasty to prop open arteries. The compound is also undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of cancer.

These findings were published online this month in Nature.