resveratrol

Sirtris advances new therapies to combat aging

John Carroll — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:41:27 -0400

The New York Times examines the prospects of two drugs being developed by Sirtris to extend our life span. The therapies activate the sirtuin enzyme, mimicking a physiological reaction to famine that switches the body's reproductive work to tissue maintenance. That process has prolonged the lives of mice by preventing diseases related to aging. And researchers for the company, recently acquired by GlaxoSmithKline for $720 million, believe the same approach can work against type 2 diabetes in humans and other ailments as well.

Harvard Medical School's Dr. David Sinclair, a co-founder of the company, has been studying the effects of resveratrol, an ingredient found in red wine, which acts as a potent activator of sirtuins. SRT501 has reduced glucose levels in small human trials. Sirtris was a 2007 Fierce 15 company.

- read the article in the New York Times

Sirtris finds three chemicals with low-cal benefits

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

In one of the most closely watched research programs at a biotech company, Sirtris has unveiled three new chemicals that could play a big role in fighting the effects of aging and resisting diabetes. These new drugs are described as far more powerful than resveratrol--a natural ingredient found in red wine--in activating the protein Sirt1. In previous research, resveratrol has been found to induce the same kind of tonic effects triggered by calorie reduction, without the diet. In a study published in Nature, the new chemicals lowered the blood sugar levels of obese mice designed with diabetic characteristics. And unlike resveratrol, Sirtris can patent the chemicals and control the intellectual property.

- read the article from the Wall Street Journal

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Ingredient in wine may boost longevity, health. Report

Resveratrol shows promise as diabetes treatment

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Scientists have unveiled yet another study on the potential of resveratrol. The chemical, which is found in red wine as well as a variety of plants, has been linked with improved sensitivity to insulin in mouse models, adding another possible therapeutic effect for an ingredient already associated with longevity and DNA repair. Resveratrol activates the SIRT1 enzyme, and researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences say that could make it a candidate for treating diabetes. Researchers report that SIRT1 levels are reduced in insulin-resistant cells and tissues and that treatments that block the enzyme's function lead to insulin resistance. Furthermore, increased SIRT1 activity improved insulin sensitivity. Similarly, resveratrol--at a dose of just 2.5 mg/kg/day--enhanced insulin sensitivity in cells. That low dose of resveratrol also reduced insulin resistance in animals fed a high-fat diet, the researchers showed.

"We found SIRT1 improves insulin sensitivity, especially under insulin-resistant conditions," said Chinese scientist Qiwei Zhai. "Furthermore, we found that resveratrol, at a very low dose compared with many previous studies, improves insulin sensitivity via SIRT1."

- see the release on the new resveratrol research

ALSO: OK, says a feature in the Los Angeles Times, resveratrol has been garnering headlines as a wonder tonic. But keep in mind that for now, at least, what we know about the chemical may only be relevant to mice. Report

Grape extract offers possible cancer treatment

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Researchers have found that a grape skin extract plays a key role in fighting prostate cancer. This muscadine grape skin extract (MSKE), though, does not contain significant concentrations of resveratrol, an active ingredient in other grapes that investigators have focused on as a potential weapon against cancer. Instead, MSKE triggers apoptosis, or cell death in prostate cancer cells. Resveratrol, though, blocks the growth and division of cells. Both are considered key approaches to fighting cancer.

"These results show that MSKE may have potent antitumor activities in the lab that differ from the effects of resveratrol," says Jeffrey E. Green, M.D., chief of the Transgenic Oncogenesis and Genomics Section in NCI's Center for Cancer Research. "Further studies of MSKE will be necessary to determine if this extract has potential as a chemopreventive or therapeutic agent."

- here's the report from eMaxHealth

Sirtris highlights advances in treating diseases of aging

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 06:59:58 -0400

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals and two leading sirtuin researchers, David A Sinclair, Ph.D. and Leonard P. Guarente, Ph.D., have published a review of the work being done to develop therapies to treat diseases associated with aging. The review centers on the discovery of sirtuins and their role in the aging process. Additionally, the article discusses the drug development path of SIRT1 activators as potential treatments for a range of diseases of aging including metabolic disorders such as Type 2 Diabetes, mitochondrial disorders such as MELAS, neurological disorders, and cancer.

"This review summarizes the growing body of evidence regarding the substantial therapeutic potential of SIRT1 activators, such as SRT501, our proprietary formulation of resveratrol, and new chemical entities which are 1000 times more potent than resveratrol, to address a broad range of diseases of aging," said Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Sirtris. David A. Sinclair, Ph.D. is a scientific co-founder, member of the board of directors of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, and director of the Glenn Laboratories for the Biological Mechanisms of Aging. Leonard P. Guarente is the Novartis Professor of Biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sirtris was a 2007 Fierce 15 company.

- here's the link to their report

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Resveratrol increases endurance in animal study

Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

First resveratrol proved effective in combating obesity and spurred longevity in mice (photo). Now a new study demonstrates that resveratrol can double the endurance of mice as well, complete with the reduced heart rate enjoyed by athletes. New research comes from the French Institute of Genetics and Molecular and Cellular Biology. "Resveratrol makes you look like a trained athlete without the training," one of the researchers told The New York Times. And they believe resveratrol can have the same effect on people. The treated mice demonstrated a significant increase in mitochondria in muscle cells, which generates energy.

- read the article in The New York Times on resveratrol

Related Article:
The benefits of red wine. Editorial
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Wine extract may boost longevity, health

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:26:57 -0500

This NIH image shows 15-month-old mice, top, from left, on a standard diet, a high calorie diet, and high calorie diet plus the wine extract resveratrol. Bottom photo, from left, on a high calorie diet, a standard diet, and high calories diet plus the wine extract resveratrol.

Ingredient in wine may boost longevity, health

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:01:39 -0500

Spurred by research into the tonic effects of calorie restriction, a variety of research groups and biotech companies have been exploring how an ingredient in red wine--resveratrol--can bolster health and increase longevity. Some of their work suggests that resveratrol can be used to counter the ailments associated with age and abundance, such as diabetes. In one new animal study, resveratrol was found to counter the high levels of glucose and insulin associated with a high-fat diet (photo). And the biotech Sirtris is testing a "resveratrol-based" drug against diabetes. Other drug developers, such as Elixir Pharmaceuticals, are also testing new therapies to counter the effects of aging. The research into resveratrol isn't without controversy, though. Some of these new therapies include concentrations of the ingredient that equal hundreds of glasses of wine. And there's skepticism that small doses in supplements can provide the same kind of tonic as the calorie reduction method.

- here's the article from The Wall Street Journal
- and here's the article from The New York Times

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Sirtris pockets $37M in venture funds. Report

Editor's Corner

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:01:38 -0500

The benefits of red wine

It's always interesting to see which new research piece will break out into top-of-the-fold headlines in the major newspapers. This week's big story is about resveratrol, an ingredient found in grape skins (and red wine) which researchers found could offset the effects of a high-fat diet. It won't make you skinny, mind you, but in mice models it moderated levels of insulin and glucose--key indicators for diabetes. The problem with resveratrol is that the concentrations needed for a therapeutic effect are far beyond what we'll get from a small glass of pinot, which is still about as far as most doctors will go in recommending a drink to a patient. But it does underscore continuing research that attributes a therapeutic benefit to moderate amounts of red wine. Eventually, scientists will put it in a pill. For now, though, let's toast the latest data with a (small) glass of cabernet.- John