OpenDrugs, Rapamycin, and the Zero-Target Metric
OpenDrugs investigates rapamycin as one of 3,100 indexed compounds, but reports 0 biological targets and full provenance for roughly 70–75 longevity-associated substances, pointing to broad coverage with limited depth.
OpenDrugs (v2.4, May 2026) is OpenLongevity's research platform for working with potential geroprotectors: search, comparison, evidence scoring. It claims 3,100 indexed substances, 27 synced open sources (PubMed, ChEMBL, DrugAge, ClinicalTrials.gov, and others), and data across 13 model organisms. Each substance gets an evidence score linked to its primary sources. The platform is designed as a triage and comparison tool for candidate geroprotectors.
Rapamycin (sirolimus) is among the compounds the project investigates. The drug has FDA approval as an immunomodulator and growth inhibitor. In the longevity context, rapamycin was tested in a 48-week randomized placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults; the ERAP Phase IIa study protocol has been published for Alzheimer's disease and aging. Survey-based cohorts document off-label use. At low intermittent doses, the safety profile was acceptable, with selected improvements in healthspan markers.
The only intersection of OpenDrugs and rapamycin in our data is an Arabic Wikipedia article on geroprotectors, which lists sirolimus alongside metformin and NMN. Whether the platform has a dedicated rapamycin substance card with a detailed evidence breakdown, we do not know.
How deep is the platform itself? OpenDrugs' own metric: 0 biological targets linked to substances and pathways. Full evidence and provenance verification, based on an internal project milestone, covers roughly 70 to 75 longevity-associated substances, with broader coverage goals still ahead. Against 3,100 entries in the index, depth remains thin. Project rating: 52.6 (scientific subscore: 55.7).
Rapamycin has the densest evidence trail of any geroprotector candidate (characterized mTOR target, ITP mouse data, Phase IIa trial protocol, off-label cohorts), making it an ideal stress test for a compound database's depth claims — and the platform's own 0-biological-targets metric creates a specific, inspectable tension that justifies surfacing this edge.