Elixir Pharmaceuticals : Exclusive Sirtuin Intellectual Property License Agreement with Boston University.

July 1, 2008 - Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced the Company has entered an exclusive license agreement with Boston University to key intellectual property covering discoveries regarding the use of modulators of SIRT1, a member of the sirtuin class of protein deacetylase enzymes. SIRT1 is the human equivalent of Sir2, a gene identified in yeast that has been recognized to play a key role in the control of lifespan, metabolism, resistance to stress and other cellular regulatory pathways. Th agreement with Boston University encompasses therapeutic applications for SIRT1 modulators in metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes, as well as therapeutic modulation of SIRT1 for anti-angiogenic activity to treat cancer... [PDF] Elixir Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

Elixir Pharmaceuticals : Issuance of SIRT Patent Covering Development of New Therapies Based on Breakthrough Science.

04.28.08 - Elixir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced today issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,351,542, which covers the discovery of new and existing chemical entities that modulate the activity of a human sirtuin, SIRT 2. Elixir's rights to this patent were made possible through an exclusive license.
Sirtuins are a class of enzymes believed to play a significant role in diseases of aging, including type 2 diabetes and obesity. SIRT 2 is one of the seven human SIRT (or sirtuin) enzymes. Elixir co-founder Dr. Lenny Guarente of MIT and others have shown that the down-regulation of SIRT 2 elicits positive effects on metabolism. Therefore, pharmaceutical compounds that block the activity of this enzyme could have clinical utility to treat a range of metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. This new patent adds to Elixir's broad portfolio of issued patents and patent applications related to the development of sirtuin-based therapeutics... [PDF] Elixir Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -