Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc, announced today that drug candidate SRT501, when orally administered, suppressed neurological dysfunction in a preclinical model of multiple sclerosis. Kenneth Shindler, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania Scheie Eye Institute and lead investigator, will present the data today at the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society annual meeting.

The new data builds on earlier work by Dr. Shindler in the same preclinical model showing that activation of the SIRT1 enzyme with SRT501 is neuroprotective for optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve that can cause a complete or partial loss of vision) by reducing the loss of retinal ganglion cells. Optic neuritis is common in patients with multiple sclerosis and can be an early warning sign for the disease. Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Senior Vice Present for Development, Peter Elliott, PhD, was a co-author of this work published in the August 2007 issue of Investigative Opthalmology & Visual Science..............

For the full report please go to MSRC: MS Research News : Drugs : Further Possible MS Drugs and Treatments - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=1397