The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is recruiting healthy volunteers to study whether a diabetes drug can slow aging.
OMRF scientist Benjamin Miller, Ph.D., is investigating how metformin impacts insulin sensitivity and its link to the biological processes of aging. The 12-week study will take place at the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center in Oklahoma City and is open to adults between the ages of 40-75 without chronic disease.
“Aging is the leading risk factor for all chronic diseases. If we can slow the process, we may simultaneously slow or prevent the onset of conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and dementia,” said Miller, a physiologist in OMRF’s Aging and Metabolism Research Program.
Metformin is the world’s most prescribed diabetes drug and is believed to be effective at slowing aging. In a 2019 study, Miller found the drug to be less impactful for this purpose when combined with exercise in sedentary adults. By understanding how metformin impacts the cellular function of healthy volunteers in the absence of exercise, Miller hopes to further show who it can — and cannot — benefit.
Volunteers will undergo a health screening prior to enrollment. Those with known heart disease, diabetes, bleeding disorders, cancer or other major illnesses do not qualify for the study. Strict Covid-19 protocols will be followed to ensure participant safety.
Once admitted, visits may range from 10 minutes to five hours and will include blood draws, muscle biopsy, a bone density scan and an insulin sensitivity test. Participants will be compensated for time and travel, and metformin or placebo will be provided at no cost.
To participate or for more information, contact Oklahoma Shared Clinical and Translational Resources at 405-271-3480 or osctr@ouhsc.edu.
Funding for the research is provided by National Institute on Aging grant No. R01AG064951, a part of the National Institutes of Health.
