Rapamycin enhances resilience against DNA damage in the ageing immune system | Loren Kell

At the Longevity Forum Science Summit, Loren Kell, the first Melon Scholar, presents her pioneering research on how rapamycin and mTOR inhibition enhance resilience against DNA damage in the ageing immune system. Drawing on four years of work spanning in-vitro assays and a clinical trial in older adults, Loren explains why immune ageing—driven by DNA damage, impaired T-cell function, and cellular senescence—is one of the greatest challenges in longevity science. She demonstrates how low-dose mTOR inhibitors reduce DNA lesions, suppress senescence markers, and improve immune cell survival, offering powerful insight into how these therapies could bolster vaccine responses, protect against genome instability disorders, mitigate radiation exposure, and even support human health in space. This compelling talk highlights the impact of the Melon Longevity Scholarship and the emerging role of mTOR inhibition as a potential genoprotective strategy.