Eyeing Progress at Sirtris
This Telegraph piece is a good summary of the present direction at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals - producing more effective sirtuin activating drugs, and commercializing them as diabetes treatments. From the company: "A strong trend to lowering glucose and statistical significance in improving insulin sensitivity showed the benefits of activating the sirtuin anti-ageing genes to treat a disease of ageing. It is important to note that glucose and insulin are two of the key markers of ageing, and in this study, we seem to be having a positive effect on both. ... SRT501 may represent a promising treatment option for these [diabetic] patients. We look forward to obtaining the results from our other Phase 1b clinical trial and the results from our Phase 2a clinical trial later this year. ... If all goes well, SIRT1 activator drugs could be available on the market as early as 2012 or 2013." This is all a small step in a less productive direction, really, when viewed in the grand scheme of things. Regulators won't permit commercialization of therapies to tackle aging itself, hence the focus becomes patching up preventable, avoidable diseases - rather than doing something truly groundbreaking.
Link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/01/07/scidiab107.xml