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Topical rapamycin reduces markers of senescence and aging in human skin: an exploratory, prospective, randomized trial

Chung CL, Lawrence I, Hoffman M, Elgindi D, Nadhan K, Sell C · 2019 · GeroScience · Atlas ID CHU2019

What this study shows

A small human trial testing whether rapamycin can slow aging in a tissue you can actually see and biopsy - skin. Topical rapamycin significantly lowered the senescence marker p16 and raised collagen VII, with visible improvement in skin appearance. Early but tangible human evidence for rapamycin as an anti-aging agent.

Abstract

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Aging is a major risk factor for the majority of human diseases, and the development of interventions to reduce the intrinsic rate of aging is expected to reduce the risk for age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and dementia. In the skin, aging manifests itself in photodamage and dermal atrophy, with underlying tissue reduction and impaired barrier function.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type H Human study Marked H because it is direct evidence from a human clinical trial or human cohort; the code names the kind of study, not its quality -- a small, well-run trial is still H.
Study type2 - Human Clinical Trial
Model systemHumans, RCT (skin, age >40; n=17 completed)
JournalGeroScience
Year2019
Peer reviewedYes
Record last updated2026-08-22
SourceDOI 10.1007/s11357-019-00113-y · PMID 31761958 · Free full text (PMC6925069)

Extracted findings

InterventionTopical rapamycin
TargetmTORC1
ModelHuman – RCT (skin, age >40, n=17 completed)
EffectTopical rapamycin reduced senescence markers and signs of aging in human skin
DoseTopical rapamycin 10 microM cream vs placebo (DMSO), applied to the hands; no detectable systemic rapamycin (LC/MS LOD 1 ng/ml).
Sample size36 enrolled, 17 completed, 13 consented to biopsy, 8 samples analyzable (some analyses n=12).
Effect sizeSignificant reduction in epidermal p16 (senescence marker; p=0.008); reduced collagen VII mRNA (p=0.025). p21/tp53 trended down but not significant.
LimitationsSmall sample size and high dropout; exploratory; some markers not significant; parametric+non-parametric testing used due to small n.

In the Atlas

Related topics

RapamycinCellular senescencemTORC1Skin aging

Open questions that cite this study

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Cite this paper

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Chung, C. L., Lawrence, I., Hoffman, M., Elgindi, D., Nadhan, K., & Sell, C. (2019). Topical rapamycin reduces markers of senescence and aging in human skin: an exploratory, prospective, randomized trial. GeroScience. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-019-00113-y

@article{CHU2019,
  author       = {Chung, C. L. and Lawrence, I. and Hoffman, M. and Elgindi, D. and Nadhan, K. and Sell, C.},
  title        = {{Topical rapamycin reduces markers of senescence and aging in human skin: an exploratory, prospective, randomized trial}},
  journal      = {GeroScience},
  year         = {2019},
  doi          = {10.1007/s11357-019-00113-y},
  note         = {PMID: 31761958},
}

Cite this Atlas record

The record is the Atlas's own work — the evidence label, the extracted findings and the links. It is cited as part of the dataset, not as the paper. 

Barton, O. (2026). Oliver's mTOR Atlas (record CHU2019) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/CHU2019/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_CHU2019,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record CHU2019},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/CHU2019/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}