Sirtris Creates Anti-Old-Age Diseases Drug

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc., a pharmaceutical company with close to 140 patents and related applications for the ‘aging gene’ announced another breakthrough scientific event – the creation of a drug that could, in the long run, provide solutions for ailments related to aging, including diseases for which there has been no cure so far, such as diabetes and also cancer.

Scientists at Sirtris involved with this project said the new drug simulated the effects that resveratrol, the product available in red wine had, but to a much higher degree of potency, almost 1,000 times higher.

Scientists have stated earlier there is a direct connection between Resveratrol, which can be found in red wine, and longer life span and modifications in the cell structure that enable athletes involved in endurance and long distance sports activities to generate more power.

The new finding is based on the results of tests scientists have conducted on rats as well as mice. Testing on humans is expected to commence in 2008, according to one of the authors of the study, David Sinclair. Sinclair is also a pathology professor at Harvard Medical School. He is also Sirtris’ co-founder.

Scientists had earlier discovered that presence of the enzyme SIRT1 could be the primary factor that helped resveratrol to increase the lifespan of different kinds of animals, including yeast, flies, worms, and mouse. The documented lifespan increases have been between 30% and 70%.

According to Sinclair, test subjects like rats and mice provided similar responses to those that came from following a strictly low-cal diet. They said while the rodents never displayed drastic increases in weight even as they increased their food intake. He said if the results in human testing were similar, this would be a landmark product, considering it would enable people to live healthily for longer periods of time.

The responses shown by the rodents tested included stronger mitochondria (the primary reason for higher levels of endurance), enhanced sensitivity to insulin, and reduced levels of blood sugar. All these factors contribute to a healthy life during old age.

Sinclair’s announcement saw a 7.8% increase in stock prices, finishing at $18.38 at the end of trading Wednesday. The prices of Sirtris shares shot up by 71 percent across Tuesday.

The people behind Sirtris include David Sinclair, the company’s scientific board chairman and Dr. Christoph Westphal, who is the company’s CEO. The company focuses its attention on studying chemicals that enable the activation of SIRT1.