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| Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Enters Collaborative Study Testing New Chemical Entities and Clinical Drug Candidate In Multiple Models of Cancer with the National Cancer Institute |
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2008--Sirtris Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: SIRT), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat diseases of aging, announced today that it will collaborate with the National Cancer Institute to test the anti-cancer impact of Sirtris' SIRT1 enzyme activators in numerous models of cancer. "By providing the resources for this study, the National Cancer Institute is accelerating the testing of our compounds in both solid and hematological models of cancer," said Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chair Christoph Westphal, MD, PhD. "Cancer is the second leading cause of age-related mortality, and this study will advance our understanding of SIRT1 activation and its potential anti-cancer properties." The study will include SRT501, a proprietary formulation of resveratrol, and multiple compounds from different chemical classes of Sirtris' new chemical entities, which are 1000 times more potent than resveratrol in in-vitro studies. All of the compounds activate SIRT1, an enzyme that has been shown to have anti-cancer properties in previous preclinical testing. "I am proud to be teaming again with Tom Sayers, the study's lead investigator at the National Cancer Institute," said Peter Elliott, Senior Vice President and Head of Development at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. "Several years ago Tom and I worked successfully together on the development of the anti-cancer drug Velcade, and now we are exploring an exciting new opportunity for targeting cancers using SIRT1 activators." The National Cancer Institute will test the compounds in well-established cancer cell lines which were previously used in the development of novel and existing chemo-therapeutics. The cell lines to be tested include some of the most common cancer types. The program will also test Sirtris' compounds using in-vivo mouse tumor models to determine if the compounds reduce or limit the growth of the tumor cells. Previous studies have shown that calorie restriction--a method which has been shown to increase SIRT1 activation--can exert strong tumor suppressor effects in mammals and increase lifespan in organisms. Through direct activation of the SIRT1 enzyme with Sirtris' compounds, researchers in this study will be able explore the enzyme's role in tumor suppression along multiple pathways. About Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing proprietary, orally available, small molecule drugs with the potential to treat diseases associated with aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes. Our drug candidates are designed to mimic certain beneficial health effects of calorie restriction, without requiring a change in eating habits, by activation of sirtuins, a recently discovered class of enzymes that the Company believes control the aging process. The company's headquarters are in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, the potential therapeutic effects of SIRT1 activators, including SRT501 and Sirtris' NCEs for diseases of aging, such as Type 2 Diabetes and cancer; the progress and results of pre-clinical studies of SIRT1 activators; and the potential of sirtuin modulators to receive regulatory approval. These forward-looking statements about future expectations, plans and prospects of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals involve significant risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including risks related to the lack of results that would provide a basis for predicting whether any of the Company's product candidates will be safe or effective, or receive regulatory approval, the possibility that results of pre-clinical studies are not necessarily predictive of clinical trial results, the Company's potential inability to initiate and complete pre-clinical studies and clinical trials for its product candidates, the fact that none of the Company's product candidates has received regulatory approvals, the potential inability of the Company to gain market acceptance of the Company's product candidates, and those other risks factors that can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from those Sirtris Pharmaceuticals contemplated by these forward-looking statements. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in its views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release.
CONTACT: Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
| "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Sirtris Pharmaceuticals's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year. |