It doesn't take sorcery to slow aging--scientists have long known that cutting calorie intake by a third or so dramatically extends lifespan in animals (probably in people too). Recently they've found key enzymes, called sirtuins, that appear to exert age-slowing effects when calories are restricted; they apparently prevent stressed-out cells from dying. Sirtris, which was co-founded by Harvard Medical School researcher David Sinclair, plans to develop sirtuin-based drugs. Such medicines promise to treat diseases as varied as Alzheimer's and cancer. Sirtuin boosters could slow the death of neurons in Alzheimer's, for example, while sirtuin blockers may fight cancer by making tumor cells especially prone to die. This young biotech is many years from launching products, but with $45 million in startup capital and a stellar scientific advisory board, it appears poised to age well.
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By David Stipp
