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Adam Florance
What’s my age again? Anti-ageing drug just a few years away Researchers from the UNSW School of Medical Sciences and Harvard Medical School are just six months away from human trials of a new drug that appears to repair damaged DNA, reversing the effects of radiation and ageing.
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of cosmic radiation that impact astronauts’ health on even short missions. As well as astronauts, Dr Wu said this new drug may be able to help survivors of childhood cancers, most of whom go
rofessor David Sinclair and Dr Lindsay
on to suffer from chronic conditions like diabetes,
Wu have spent four years isolating the metabolite
cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease by
NAD+, which helps regulate protein-to-protein
age 45. “All of this adds up to the fact they have
interactions essential during our cells’ naturally
accelerated ageing, which is devastating,” he said.
occurring DNA repair capabilities. This natural
“It would be great to do something about that, and
cell repair function declines as we age and when
we believe we can with this molecule.”
exposed to radiation, including sunlight.
Following on from Professor Sinclair’s 2003
The team has developed a NAD+ precursor,
success in making the link between resveratrol, the
or ‘booster’, which has proven highly effective
naturally occurring molecule found in red wine,
in reversing radiation damage and ageing in
and the anti-ageing enzyme SIRT1, he and Dr Wu
laboratory mice.
have been looking at other proteins and molecules
Professor Sinclair stated: “The cells of the old
Professor Sinclair stated: “While resveratrol
after just one week of treatment. This is the closest
activates SIRT1 alone, NAD+ boosters activate all
we are to a safe and effective anti-ageing drug that’s
seven sirtuins, SIRT1-7, and should have an even
perhaps only three to five years away from being
greater impact on health and longevity.”
on the market if the trials go well.”
16 | LAB+LIFE SCIENTIST - Apr/May 2017
which may impact the ageing process.
mice were indistinguishable from the young mice,
It has taken Professor Sinclair and Dr Wu’s
Published in Science, this research has attracted
company, MetroBiotech — in conjunction with
the attention of NASA, winning the US space
the UNSW Laboratory for Ageing Research — four
agency’s iTech competition. NASA is hopeful this
years to make NMN into a drug substance. Human
drug will help keep its astronauts healthy during a
trials are slated to commence at Boston’s Brigham
four-year mission to Mars, staving off the effects
and Women’s Hospital later this year.
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