The 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.
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.
Peter DiStefano, chief scientific officer of Elixir, said: “It is an exciting time to be working in SIRT development and we are pleased to have added this intellectual property from Dr Stephen Farmer’s lab at Boston University to our portfolio.”