In addition to Sirtris’ development of SRT501, our proprietary formulation of resveratrol, we have also focused its development efforts on a new class of SIRT1 activators.  These new chemical entities (NCEs) are structurally unrelated to resveratrol and up to 1,000 fold more potent.  SRT2104 is Sirtris’ first NCE to enter human trials; the Phase I trial in healthy volunteers demonstrated safety and tolerability.  A Phase IIa trial with SRT2104 will be launched in 2009.

In preclinical studies, several of our NCEs were shown to lower glucose and improve insulin sensitivity in animal models of Type 2 Diabetes.  We believe this is due to an increase in the number and function of mitochondria.

As observed in calorie restriction and with resveratrol, the NCEs increase mitochondrial biogenesis and hold promise for treating diseases of aging such as Type 2 Diabetes.