MyoCon! Rate increases on August 28th!
By Nataliya Slater
Our team in Australia is leading a clinical trial investigating sirolimus (rapamycin) as a potential treatment for inclusion body myositis (IBM). But do you know the remarkable story behind this drug’s discovery?
It begins over 60 years ago on the remote Pacific island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island). During a scientific expedition in 1965, researchers collected soil samples in search of new antibiotics. From one of those samples they isolated a bacterium that produced a previously unknown compound, which they named rapamycin after the island itself.
What was first thought to be an antifungal drug turned out to be so much more. Scientists later discovered that rapamycin targets the mTOR pathway—one of the body’s master regulators of cell growth, metabolism, immune function, and aging. This breakthrough transformed our understanding of biology and led to rapamycin becoming an established treatment for organ transplantation, several cancers, and rare genetic disorders.
Now, decades after its discovery in a handful of volcanic soil, sirolimus is being investigated as a potential treatment for IBM—a disease for which effective therapies remain desperately needed.
As someone researching the immune mechanisms that drive IBM, I love this story because it highlights how fundamental scientific curiosity can ultimately change lives. A simple soil sample collected on one of the world’s most isolated islands has led to discoveries that continue to shape medicine today.
Here’s hoping the next chapter of rapamycin’s story brings new hope to people living with IBM.
Nataliya Slater, PhD is a research fellow at Murdoch University and the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Research. She is part of the team led by TMA medical advisor, Professor Merilee Needham, that is conducting a clinical trial for Sirolimus (rapamycin) to treat IBM.
This article was originally published on Dr. Slater’s LinkedIn profile.
Dr. Slater will be speaking at MyoCon 2026: TMA’s Global Myositis Patient Conference in St. Louis Missouri. Her main presentation, based on her research, is “Challenges and Opportunities in IBM Research: What Causes IBM and What Treatments Could the Future Hold?”
It’s not too late to register for MyoCon!
