Answers

Ten questions the Atlas has already written up, ten it cannot answer yet, and a glossary for the words in between. Every answer is grounded in the records — with the kind of study behind each claim stated on its face.

Looking for a particular paper rather than a question? Browse all 362 studies — that index searches titles, authors and DOIs, and filters by evidence code, year and model.

Questions the Atlas has already written up

Ten plain-language answers, each grounded in the records:

• Is autophagy actually required for the lifespan benefit of mTOR inhibition?
• How does mTOR connect to cancer?
• What are mTOR inhibitors? The full list, by mechanism
• mTORC1 vs mTORC2 — what's the difference?
• How is rapamycin dosed in the longevity studies?
• Does rapamycin extend lifespan in humans?
• What are rapamycin's side effects?
• Rapamycin vs metformin — how do they compare for longevity?
• Are sirolimus and everolimus the same drug?
• What is mTOR?

And ten it cannot answer yet

Where the evidence runs out, the Atlas says so instead of guessing:

• Sensor-selective geroprotection without the metabolic penalty
• Suppression of senescence/SASP (geroconversion), not just autophagy, is the mediator of rapamycin's healthspan benefit
• mTORC1-selective (mTORC2-sparing) dosing captures longevity without insulin resistance
• Muscle-sparing, pulsed mTORC1 inhibition
• Is autophagy actually REQUIRED for the mammalian lifespan benefit?
• A sensor/autophagy biomarker panel as a surrogate endpoint for human trials
• Sex dimorphism in mTOR-longevity responses is pervasive and sometimes direction-flipping
• Low-dose mTOR inhibition rejuvenates the aging immune system without net immunosuppression
• Brain-penetrant mTOR inhibition clears neurodegenerative aggregates in models but has zero human cognitive-aging endpoint - and mTORC2 is needed for memory
• Rapamycin + AMPK-axis drugs (acarbose / metformin): additive via distinct pathways, and untested as a combination in humans

The words in between

Papers on this pathway assume a vocabulary. The glossary explains the terms that come up most often — plainly, and without pretending the field agrees on all of them.