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A small trial in Newcastle upon Tyne will test resveratrol,
a chemical that could lead to a whole family of new
drugs with powerful effects against the diseases of
ageing. The proprietary version of resveratrol, SRT501,
is also under trial in India for use against diabetes
and newer versions hundreds of times more powerful are
in the pipeline.
The new drugs come from research showing that all species
live longer on a calorie-restricted diet. So long as
there is adequate nutrition, cutting calories by 40
per cent prolongs lifespan by 50 per cent or more –
in yeast, mice, rats and every other species so far
tested.
The 30 patients in the trial will be divided into two
groups, with half given SRT501 and half a placebo. The
aim is to test safety and to investigate, using magnetic
resonance imaging and muscle biopsies, whether the mitochondria
are multiplied. Patients' muscle strength and endurance
will also be measured. "The animal evidence is
quite compelling," says Professor Chinnery, Professor
of Neurogenetics at the University of Newcastle upon
Tyne and a specialist in mitochondrial diseases, who
is running the trial. "I'm convinced it's worth
a go."
There is a strong suspicion that mitochondria could
also be involved in diabetes, a market worth more than
$20 billion (almost £10 billion) a year.
Peter Elliott, senior vice-president for drug development
at Sirtris which developed SRT501, says 'the company
has gone to India for its first trials because the disease
is exploding there and it wanted to test the drug in
patients with new diagnoses who had not been treated
with anything else.'
Full report, highly technical in nature can be viewed
on:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
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