Ten direct answers to the questions people most often ask about mTOR, rapamycin, and longevity — each graded by the same A–D evidence system used throughout the Atlas, and each linking back to the primary studies behind it.
Does rapamycin extend lifespan in humans?
38 rapamycin studies rated A–D by evidence strength — what's proven in mice, what's only measured as biomarkers in humans, and what's still an open question.
mTORC1 vs mTORC2 — what's the difference?
mTOR forms two distinct complexes with different jobs and different drug sensitivity. What each does, backed by 89 evidence-graded studies.
What are mTOR inhibitors? The full list, by mechanism
Rapalogs vs ATP-competitive TORKinibs vs bi-steric inhibitors — every class of mTOR inhibitor, with the Atlas study that established each.
What are rapamycin's side effects?
Rapamycin's side-effect profile differs sharply by dose and context — transplant immunosuppression vs. low-dose aging trials. What the Atlas's studies actually measured.
Is autophagy actually required for the lifespan benefit of mTOR inhibition?
Autophagy is mTORC1's best-known downstream effect on longevity — but is it actually required for the lifespan extension, or just correlated with it? The Atlas's open question.
How is rapamycin dosed in the longevity studies?
Continuous vs. intermittent, early vs. late-life — the actual dosing schedules behind rapamycin's mouse lifespan data, and why dosing is still an open question in humans.
What is mTOR?
mTOR in plain language: what it is, what it does, and how a soil bacterium from Easter Island led to its discovery — with the Atlas's 62 mTOR-specific studies behind it.
Rapamycin vs metformin — how do they compare for longevity?
Two very different mechanisms, two very different evidence bases — how rapamycin's direct mTOR inhibition compares to metformin's indirect, AMPK-mediated route.
Are sirolimus and everolimus the same drug?
Everolimus is a chemically modified derivative of sirolimus (rapamycin), not the same molecule — here's exactly what differs and why it matters clinically.
How does mTOR connect to cancer?
From a genetic proof-of-concept disease to three FDA-approved cancer indications — how mTOR hyperactivation drives tumors, and where mTOR inhibitors are already standard treatment.
