[xtraflossy]

Thought this might be of interest to a few of ya'll out there

CHICAGO (Reuters) - New compounds that act like the red wine ingredient resveratrol may offer a new formula for type 2 diabetes drugs and other age-related diseases, researchers at U.S. drug maker Sirtris Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday.



"The excitement here is that we're not talking about red wine anymore. We're talking about real drugs," said David Sinclair, an associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and a co-founder of Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sirtris.

"This is the first time that real drugs have been designed to go after diseases through the genes that control aging," said Sinclair, whose research appears in the journal Nature.

"One of the drawbacks of resveratrol is the doses need to be large. Now this paper says you can reduce it into a little pill taken once a day," he said in a telephone interview.

Sinclair and researchers at Sirtris have been looking for drug compounds that mimic the effects of resveratrol, the chemical in red wine that has been shown in several studies to prolong the life of mice and reduce the advance of age-related disease.

They tested some 500,000 molecules to isolate a handful that would have the same effect as resveratrol on the seven genes called sirtuins that have been found in several studies to control the aging process.

Their latest research shows these experimental drug compounds -- which are 1,000 times more potent than resveratrol -- helped reverse diabetes symptoms and reduce insulin sensitivity in two different studies in diabetic mice and one in rats.

"When you see it work in those three models, you have increased confidence that it will have a universal effect on organisms," Sinclair said.

He said that is enough to begin human testing, which the company plans for the first half of 2008.

"The chances of success in humans is estimated at 80 to 90 percent. We'll know next year," he said, depending on when the company gets the go-ahead from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start clinical trials.

The discovery may have implications well beyond diabetes drugs, which is itself a $19 billion global market.

"We will make a drug to treat one disease, but it will, as an added bonus, protect you against most of the other diseases of the Western world."

Those age-related diseases could include cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer's, he said.

While Sinclair and company executives have high hopes for the compounds, they acknowledge that many compounds that hold great promise in animals fail to work in humans, either because they are toxic or because they do not work.

Type 2 diabetes, the kind that comes from too little exercise and a poor diet, accounts for about 90 percent of the 180 million cases of diabetes around the world, according to the World Health Organization.

[johnyq]

It sounds to me like they just made a synthetic/pharmaceutical resveratrol so that they could throw a patent on it.

But who knows, lets hope for cool things to come.

[prld2gr8ns]

Originally Posted by xtraflossy

They tested some 500,000 molecules to isolate a handful that would have the same effect as resveratrol on the seven genes called sirtuins that have been found in several studies to control the aging process.

Actually, looks like it's a Res mimetic compound that could yeild much better bioavailability and thus effects.... interesting.

[thebigt]

Originally Posted by prld2gr8ns

Actually, looks like it's a Res mimetic compound that could yeild much better bioavailability and thus effects.... interesting.

count me in.

[bioman]

Here's a couple more articles with a wee bit more technical info.



http://www.physorg.com/search/search.php?search=Sirtris

[king1033]

interesting

[jjohn]

Wow that looks pretty good! Maybe some "research chems" will come out soon...

[Distilled Water]

Originally Posted by jjohn

Wow that looks pretty good! Maybe some "research chems" will come out soon...

jjohn I like the way you think

[jjohn]

Originally Posted by Distilled Water

jjohn I like the way you think

My rats are all over this they wanna try :P

[Skircus7]

Originally Posted by jjohn

Wow that looks pretty good! Maybe some "research chems" will come out soon...

gets credit card out and bounces up and down

[jjohn]

Originally Posted by Skircus7

gets credit card out and bounces up and down

How can you see me !??!?!?

[Skircus7]

Originally Posted by jjohn

How can you see me !??!?!?

[riskarb]

http://www.sirtrispharma.com/news/pr...etabolism.aspx

[donk]

Originally Posted by xtraflossy

Their latest research shows these experimental drug compounds -- which are 1,000 times more potent than resveratrol -- helped reverse diabetes symptoms and reduce insulin sensitivity in two different studies in diabetic mice and one in rats.


Type 2 diabetes, the kind that comes from too little exercise and a poor diet, accounts for about 90 percent of the 180 million cases of diabetes around the world, according to the World Health Organization.

Great so another way for people can come up with excuses to be lazy but on the plus side if it works maybe medical insurance prices will go down.

[xtraflossy]

Originally Posted by donk

Great so another way for people can come up with excuses to be lazy but on the plus side if it works maybe medical insurance prices will go down.

doubt it.