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