SRT1720 is a drug developed by Sirtris Pharmaceuticals

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals

Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, MA that is developing therapies for type 2 diabetes, cancer, and other diseases. Founded in 2004 by a Harvard University biologist, Drs. David Sinclair, and venture capitalist Christoph Westphal, the company went public in...

 intended as a small-molecule activator of the sirtuin

Sirtuin

Sirtuin or Sir2 proteins are a class of proteins that possess either histone deacetylase or mono-ribosyltransferase activity. Sirtuins regulate important biological pathways in bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes...

 subtype SIRT1. It has similar activity in the body to the known SIRT1 activator resveratrol

Resveratrol

Resveratrol is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol, and a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi....

, but is 1000x more potent. In animal studies it was found to improve insulin sensitivity and lower plasma glucose levels in fat, muscle and liver tissue, and increased mitochondrial and metabolic function

Metabolism

Metabolism is the set of chemical reactions that happen in the cells of living organisms to sustain life. These processes allow organisms to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is usually divided into two categories...

. A study of SRT1720 conducted by the National Institute on Aging found that the drug may extend the lifespan of obese mice by 44% . Although SRT1720 is not currently undergoing clinical development, a related compound, SRT2104, is currently in clinical development for metabolic diseases.

Since the discovery of SRT1720, the claim that this compound is a SIRT1 activator has been questioned
and further defended.