Scientists discover anti-ageing effects of diabetes drug
http://www.inpharm.com/External/InpH/1,2688,1-4-0-0-inp_intelligence_news-0-45815,00.html
[Published: 24 April 2003 Source: Espicom Business Intelligence]

A drug used to treat diabetes has been found to produce anti-ageing effects
similar to those of caloric restriction (CR), an experimental method that
retards ageing, prevents age-related diseases, prolongs youth and extends
life span.

Researchers at BioMarker Pharmaceuticals have discovered that metformin can
mimic changes in gene expression found in CR mice, which live longer than
normally-fed mice. Metformin has also been found to extend life span in mice
by 20 per cent.

CR is a difficult regimen to apply in humans. BioMarker's goal is to develop
therapies that mimic the effects of CR to enable people to live longer,
healthier lives. Until recently, the only accepted method of evaluating
therapies for their anti-ageing effects was their ability to extend maximum
life span. However, life span studies take a long time.
To combat this problem, BioMarker uses high-density DNA microarrays to
detect gene expression quickly in thousands of genes at a time. BioMarker
has found that 70 per cent of the gene expression changes in ageing mice are
reversed in only two to four weeks in CR mice. By comparing gene expression
in metformin-treated animals with gene expression in CR animals, BioMarker
discovered that metformin might be an anti-ageing drug.





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