Leonard Guarente, Glaxo executive Michelle Dipp, and former Sirtris scientist Peter Elliott.
Sinclair is credited with discovering that resveratrol activates the production of a sirtuin enzyme that improves metabolic function in cells and increases lifespan in lab organisms. Sirtris was founded around Sinclair’s discovery, and the firm has advanced its own proprietary chemicals for activating sirtuins to treat Type 2 diabetes and other diseases. Sinclair did his postdoctoral research in the MIT lab of Guarente, who is also involved in the institute and is considered an expert in the science of aging. Dipp, a former Sirtris executive, still works closely with the startup as vice president and head of the Center of Excellence in External Drug Discovery for Glaxo. Elliott was head of R&D at Sirtris, and he previously played a key role in the development of Millennium’s multiple myeloma drug bortezomib (Velcade).
Westphal made mention of the institute during the Aging & Healthy Lifespan Conference at Harvard Medical School yesterday. He told me that many of the presenters at the conference will be involved in the effort, and he asserts that he is open to many new ideas about how to increase healthy life aside from calorie restriction and taking resveratrol. One of the speakers at the conference was Paul McGlothin, the vice president of research at the Calorie Restriction Society International, which is pursuing human data of how calorie restriction impacts human health. (Though I’m not sure whether the CR Society will be involved in the new nonprofit group.) The Healthy Lifespan Institute hasn’t yet found an office, but the plan is to find one in Boston and begin operations with a lean staff of people.
“I’m a scientist,” said Westphal, who earned his MD and PhD at Harvard Medical School before going into business. “I want to do the studies to say yes we can or no we can’t extend healthy lifespan.”
