The scientists from Sirtris Pharmaceuticals and Harvard Medical School reported today that they have developed novel drug candidates to fight against diseases of aging, including Type 2 Diabetes.

In fact the novel drug candidates are SIRT 1 activators. SIRT 1 is a member of the recently-discovered family of enzymes that promote the body's natural defense against disease. There are seven human sirtuins (SIRT1-7).

Last year, in study on mice, Prof. David Sinclair proved that resveratrol, a SIRT1 activator found in red wine, could reduce the impact of a high fat diet, increase stamina two fold and significantly extend lifespan of mice.

Today the scientists announced they developed SIRT1 activating molecules that are chemically distinct from resveratrol and are 1000 times more potent.

"The breakthrough in potency we have achieved with the novel chemical entities (NCEs) means that we can obtain the health benefits of resveratrol with a considerably lower dose", explained Christoph Westphal, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chair of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.

The Nature paper from Sirtris shows that in diet-induced obese and genetically obese mice, Sirtris’ small molecule NCEs improve insulin sensitivity, lower plasma glucose levels and increase the function of mitochondria (the powerhouses of all cells). In another well-established preclinical model of Type 2 Diabetes and insulin resistance (Zucker fa/fa rats), these SIRT1 activators improved whole-body glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and liver. These rodent models of diabetes are considered highly predictive of efficacy in humans.

According to Westphal Sirtis will start to introduce these new compounds into human clinical studies in the first half of 2008.

If the scientist will be able to prove that the new compounds have the same effects on humans, they will potentially unlock a whole new approach to treating aging disease sucj as Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is one the worst diseases of the modern society. The disease is generated by the body’s ineffective use of insulin and is linked to physical inactivity excess body weight and.

According to WHO more than 180 million people suffer from diabetes and that number is likely to double by 2030.