Matt Kaeberlein
Extended TOR/aging research from yeast to mice to pet dogs
PhD, MIT (2002) · Professor of Pathology, University of Washington · founder & co-director, Dog Aging Project · now president, Dog Aging Institute & CEO, Optispan
Portrait: UW Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute
Matt Kaeberlein began his career studying replicative aging in budding yeast, showing that the TOR pathway and its downstream kinase Sch9 regulate yeast lifespan in response to nutrients — among the earliest direct evidence that TOR signalling controls aging itself, not just growth. He then built a career at the University of Washington extending that logic across species.
Kaeberlein has since studied rapamycin's effects on lifespan and healthspan in mice, including transient treatment protocols in middle-aged animals and one of the first randomized controlled trials of short-term rapamycin in companion dogs. He co-founded the Dog Aging Project, which uses pet dogs — a species that shares our environment and ages on a much faster clock — to test whether interventions like rapamycin can extend healthy lifespan in a genetically diverse, real-world population.
The timeline below follows Kaeberlein's contributions gathered in this Atlas.
Milestones in the Atlas
| Year | Evidence | Study |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | A | Regulation of yeast replicative life span by TOR and Sch9 in response to nutrients KAE2005 Shows the TOR pathway and Sch9 regulate yeast replicative lifespan in response to nutrients, among the earliest evidence TOR controls aging. |
| 2013 | R | mTOR is a key modulator of ageing and age-related disease JOH2013 The landmark Nature review that put mTOR at the center of aging biology. Lays out the case that inhibiting mTOR extends lifespan across species and guards against a growing list of age-related diseases - while being candid that side effects currently block its use in healthy people. Excellent orientation map for the whole field. |
| 2016 | A | Transient rapamycin treatment can increase lifespan and healthspan in middle-aged mice BIT2016 Shows transient rapamycin treatment can increase both lifespan and healthspan in middle-aged mice. |
| 2017 | A | A randomized controlled trial to establish effects of short-term rapamycin treatment in 24 middle-aged companion dogs URF2017 Reports one of the first randomized controlled trials of short-term rapamycin treatment in companion dogs. |
On the programme
Meetings in the Atlas calendar where Matt Kaeberlein is listed among the speakers or organisers.
- upcoming Animal Longevity Summit (ALOS) 2026 — Inaugural ↗ 1–2 Oct 2026 · Toronto, Canada · Tier 2