Sirtris Pharmaceuticals
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, MA that developed therapies for type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Founded in 2004 by Harvard University biologist David Sinclair, venture capitalist Christoph Westphal, and serial entrepreneur Andrew Perlman, the company went public in 2007 and was subsequently purchased by GlaxoSmithKline in 2008 for $720 million. It was operated as a business unit of GSK until 2013, when it was absorbed into GSK. [1] Sirtris's drug discovery was focused on developing activators of sirtuins, a class of enzyme that may mediate benefits of calorie restriction. The company's current lead candidates are SRT2104 and SRT2379, which are both potent activators of the SIRT1 gene, and are in clinical trials before human use. The company's other drug candidate was SRT-501, a proprietary formulation of the compound resveratrol, possibly an activator of the SIRT1 enzyme.[2] Development of SRT-501 was halted by GlaxoSmithKline in late 2010, due to adverse effects in study participants. The company later focused on developing more potent synthetic activators of SIRT1 and is investigating SIRT3 as another potential drug target.[3] Studies from rivals Amgen and Pfizer have failed to reproduce the findings that resveratrol is an SIRT1 activator.[4]
References
- ↑ http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/03/gsk-absorbs-controversial-longevity-company.html
- ↑ "Scientists find path to fountain of youth". October 1, 2009.
- ↑ http://www.sirtrispharma.com/about.html
- ↑ Beher D, Wu J, Cumine S, Kim KW, Lu SC, Atangan L, Wang M. "Resveratrol is not a direct activator of SIRT1 enzyme activity." Chem. Biol. Drug Des. 2009, 74, 619–624; Pacholec M, Chrunyk BA, Cunningham D, Flynn D, Griffith DA, Griffor M, Loulakis P, Pabst B, Qiu X, Stockman B, Thanabal V, Varghese A, Ward J, Withka J, Ahn K. "SRT1720, SRT2183, SRT1460, and resveratrol are not direct activators of SIRT1." J. Biol. Chem. 2010. Prepublication.