Well-characterized SIRT1 gene may have implications on diseases of aging.

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals obtained exclusive rights from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for the discovery, development, and commercialization of an assay and gene therapy technologies using the SIRT1 gene.


“In-licensing the exclusive rights to these patents is part of our overall strategy to build the broadest platform of technology and intellectual property for the development of sirtuin therapeutics,” mentions Karl Normington, Ph.D., director of intellectual property.


SIRT1 represents the best characterized of the recently-discovered family of sirtuin genes. This in-licensed technology, which was developed in the laboratory of Professor Leonard Guarente, will enable Sirtris to further advance its sirtuin platform for developing therapeutics for diseases of aging, such as diabetes.


Activation of SIRT1 is believed to be a key pathway by which the body regulates such processes as glucose and insulin production, fat metabolism, and cell survival. Sirtris has applied this scientific discovery to the development of its lead product candidate, SRT501, which activates SIRT1, for the treatment of diseases, such as metabolic and mitochondrial disorders. Sirtris is studying SRT501 as a drug candidate for Type 2 diabetes in a Phase 1b study. In addition, Sirtris has a pipeline of small molecule drug candidates that are potent SIRT1 activators.

Previous articleScan of Human Genome Finds Unexpected New Clues on Lou Gehrig’s Disease
Next articleVistaGen and Sanwa Renew Embryonic Stem Cell Partnership to Treat Diabetes