Growth Hormone Receptor Antagonism Extends Lifespan

List EO, Berryman DE, Lach GS, Minto DF, Weese K, Kopchick JJ · 2026 · Aging cell · Atlas ID LIST2026

What this study shows

Transgenic expression of a growth hormone receptor antagonist — the G119K mutant chemistry behind the FDA-approved drug Pegvisomant — significantly extended both median and maximal lifespan in male (p = 0.044; p = 0.0037) and female mice, with maximal lifespan extended by 186 and 265 days respectively. Two-year-old antagonist mice were less frail and had greater grip strength despite increased adiposity. This is the first demonstration that antagonising GH action (as opposed to congenital GH deficiency, as in Ames/Snell dwarfs) extends mammalian lifespan — the GH/IGF-1 axis sits upstream of PI3K-Akt-mTOR, which is why it belongs in this corpus.

Abstract

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Interventions that disrupt growth hormone (GH) action are recognized as some of the most potent methods for extending lifespan. Accordingly, GH receptor antagonists (GHA) represent potential therapeutics to improve healthspan. Somavert (Pegvisomant for injection), used for treating patients with acromegaly, is currently the only FDA approved GHA.

Read the full abstract on PubMed →

At a glance

Evidence type	A Animal model Marked A because it is an animal intervention or observation study measuring an organismal outcome (model: GHA transgenic mice expressing the bovine GH G119K receptor antagonist (line maintained since 1991), both sexes; independent 2-year-old frailty cohort); the code names the system studied -- animal work can be rigorous and still not be human data.
Study type	4 - Animal Study
Model system	GHA transgenic mice expressing the bovine GH G119K receptor antagonist (line maintained since 1991), both sexes; independent 2-year-old frailty cohort
Journal	Aging cell
Year	2026
Peer reviewed	Yes
Record last updated	2026-08-22
Source	DOI 10.1111/acel.70697 · PMID 42701998

Extracted findings

Intervention	Transgenic growth hormone receptor antagonist (bovine GH G119K), lifelong expression
Target	Growth hormone receptor (GHR) / GH-IGF-1 axis upstream of PI3K-Akt-mTOR
Model	Mouse (GHA transgenic, both sexes)
Effect	Extended median and maximal lifespan in both sexes; reduced frailty and greater grip strength at 2 years despite increased adiposity

Cite this paper

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List, E. O., Berryman, D. E., Lach, G. S., Minto, D. F., Weese, K., & Kopchick, J. J. (2026). Growth Hormone Receptor Antagonism Extends Lifespan. Aging cell. https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.70697

@article{LIST2026,
  author       = {List, E. O. and Berryman, D. E. and Lach, G. S. and Minto, D. F. and Weese, K. and Kopchick, J. J.},
  title        = {{Growth Hormone Receptor Antagonism Extends Lifespan}},
  journal      = {Aging cell},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {10.1111/acel.70697},
  note         = {PMID: 42701998},
}

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 LIST2026) [Data set]. https://mtor-atlas.org/study/LIST2026/ · Dataset DOI 10.5281/zenodo.22059963

@misc{atlas_LIST2026,
  author       = {Barton, Oliver},
  title        = {{Oliver's mTOR Atlas}, record LIST2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://mtor-atlas.org/study/LIST2026/},
  doi          = {10.5281/zenodo.22059963}
}