NIA Interventions Testing Program (ITP)

Design

The Interventions Testing Program (ITP) is run jointly at the University of Michigan, Jackson Laboratory, and University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. It tests candidate longevity interventions in a genetically heterogeneous “four-way cross” mouse stock (UM-HET3), delivered as additions to the diet at standardised doses, with full randomisation and lifespan measured to natural death across three independent sites.

Each compound is tested in cohorts of hundreds of mice per arm, with results pre-registered.

Why it matters

The ITP’s rigour — multi-site, genetically heterogeneous animals, large cohorts, full-life follow-up — makes it the most reliable source of mammalian lifespan-extension data. Many candidate longevity interventions that look promising in single-strain studies fail to replicate in the ITP design.

Notable findings

• Rapamycin: reproducible median- and maximal-lifespan extension in both sexes; works even when started late in life.
• Acarbose: lifespan extension, with larger effects in males.
• 17α-estradiol: male-specific lifespan extension.
• Canagliflozin (SGLT2 inhibitor): male-specific lifespan extension.
• Many candidates — resveratrol, curcumin, fish oil, NDGA in females — showed null or modest effects despite enthusiasm in the wider literature.

Limitations

Mice are not humans. ITP findings inform but do not establish human relevance. Sex-specific effects are common and important to flag.

Related entries

See also: Rapamycin, Metformin, Deregulated nutrient-sensing.