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The Longevity Pill
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=19776
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Longevity Pill?
Drugs much more powerful than the resveratrol found in red wine will soon be tested in humans to treat
diabetes.
By Emily Singer
A novel group of drugs that target a gene linked to longevity could provide a way to turn back the clock
on the diseases of aging. The compounds are 1,000 times more potent than resveratrol, the molecule
thought to underlie the health benefits of red wine, and have shown promise in treating rodent models of
obesity and diabetes.
Human clinical trials to test the compounds in diabetes are slated to begin early next year, according to
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge, MA, which developed the drugs. "As far as I'm aware, this
is the first anti-aging molecule going into [testing in] man," says David Sinclair, a biologist at Harvard
Medical School, in Boston, and cofounder of Sirtris. (See "The Enthusiast.") "From that standpoint, this
is a major milestone in medicine."
The new drugs target an enzyme called SIRT1, which belongs to a class of proteins known as sirtuins
that have been shown to lengthen life span in lower organisms. Sinclair and others theorize that
activating these enzymes, which play a role in cell metabolism, mimics the effects of caloric restriction--a
low-calorie but nutritionally complete diet that dampens disease and boosts longevity in both
invertebrates and mammals.
Next
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=19776
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
The Longevity Pill?
Drugs much more powerful than the resveratrol found in red wine will soon be tested in humans to treat
diabetes.
By Emily Singer
A novel group of drugs that target a gene linked to longevity could provide a way to turn back the clock
on the diseases of aging. The compounds are 1,000 times more potent than resveratrol, the molecule
thought to underlie the health benefits of red wine, and have shown promise in treating rodent models of
obesity and diabetes.
Human clinical trials to test the compounds in diabetes are slated to begin early next year, according to
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, based in Cambridge, MA, which developed the drugs. "As far as I'm aware, this
is the first anti-aging molecule going into [testing in] man," says David Sinclair, a biologist at Harvard
Medical School, in Boston, and cofounder of Sirtris. (See "The Enthusiast.") "From that standpoint, this
is a major milestone in medicine."
The new drugs target an enzyme called SIRT1, which belongs to a class of proteins known as sirtuins
that have been shown to lengthen life span in lower organisms. Sinclair and others theorize that
activating these enzymes, which play a role in cell metabolism, mimics the effects of caloric restriction--a
low-calorie but nutritionally complete diet that dampens disease and boosts longevity in both
invertebrates and mammals.
Next