The study protocol involves participants exercising on a provided at-home bike on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and taking either rapamycin or a placebo on Saturday.

Using rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, alongside exercise could paradoxically improve muscle performance by temporarily blocking mTOR to allow for cellular cleanup via autophagy.

As we age, our muscles can overcompensate for strength loss by overactivating the growth enzyme mTOR, which then ineffectively hoards old, damaged parts instead of building new protein.

The recent COSMOS studies, which showed that a well-designed multivitamin could have brain benefits, inspired the creation of a new, comprehensive supplement.

It is extremely difficult to fund clinical trials for promising, non-patentable molecules like rapamycin because there is no potential for financial return for investors.

Taking rapamycin just once a week may be enough to temporarily switch off mTOR, giving muscles a dedicated window to clear out old proteins before building new tissue on other days.

The multivitamin "microvtamin" was created specifically as a novel strategy to raise money for the rapamycin clinical trial after traditional fundraising fell short.