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§ Private Profile · Cambridge, MA, USA
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals is a company.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has raised $40.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2004 by Avi Goldberg (Founder).
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has raised $40.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals developed proprietary, orally administrable small molecule biopharmaceutical drugs. Their primary focus was on targeting sirtuins to create therapies for age-related and metabolic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and various cancers. The company’s scientific approach centered on understanding and modulating pathways involved in cellular aging and healthspan through novel therapeutic compounds.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2004 by Harvard Medical School researcher David Sinclair and entrepreneur Christoph Westphal. The company emerged from Sinclair’s groundbreaking research into sirtuins, a class of proteins linked to cellular health and longevity. Their foundational insight was that activating these sirtuin pathways could offer novel therapeutic avenues for a range of human diseases.
Sirtris aimed to provide treatments for patients suffering from conditions associated with aging and metabolic dysfunction. The company’s long-term vision was to extend healthy human lifespan by developing medicines that address the underlying biological mechanisms of age-related diseases, thereby improving overall health and quality of life for a broad patient population.
Key people at Sirtris Pharmaceuticals.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has raised $40.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $27.0M Series B in March 2005.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2005 | $27M Series B | — | Apollo Health Ventures | Announced |
| Nov 1, 2004 | $13M Series A | — | Apollo Health Ventures | Announced |
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2004 by Avi Goldberg (Founder).
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals has raised $40.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals's investors include Apollo Health Ventures.
Sirtris Pharmaceuticals was a biotechnology company founded in 2004 in Cambridge, MA, focused on developing therapies targeting sirtuins—enzymes linked to aging-related diseases—for conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer, and metabolic disorders.[1][2][3][4] It built small-molecule drugs, such as SRT501 (a resveratrol formulation) and SRT2104, to activate SIRT1 and related pathways, serving patients with age-related illnesses by addressing underlying metabolic and inflammatory issues.[1][5][6] The company achieved rapid growth, going public in 2007 and getting acquired by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in 2008 for $720 million, though operations ceased as an independent entity by 2013 when GSK integrated its programs.[1][2][4]
Sirtris emerged from Harvard biologist David Sinclair's postdoctoral research in Leonard Guarente's lab, where he explored sirtuins and resveratrol's potential as an activator, hailing it as a "miraculous molecule" for preventing diseases like heart disease and cancer.[1] Conceived in 2004, it was formally founded that year by Sinclair, venture capitalist Andrew Perlman, Christoph Westphal, Richard Aldrich, Richard Pops, and Paul Schimmel, translating Sinclair's academic work into a biotech venture.[1] Early traction came from its novel sirtuin focus, leading to an IPO in 2007 despite skepticism over resveratrol's bioavailability, followed swiftly by GSK's acquisition at a premium to its trading price.[1][2]
Sirtris rode the early-2000s wave of aging biology and longevity research, capitalizing on resveratrol hype from Sinclair's high-profile studies amid rising interest in metabolic diseases driven by aging populations.[1][6] Timing was ideal post-genome era, when pathway-targeted therapies gained traction, aligning with pharma's shift toward small-molecule modulators for chronic conditions like diabetes and cancer.[1][5] It influenced the ecosystem by validating sirtuins as a viable drug target, paving the way for GSK's continued development of candidates like SRT2104 and inspiring the anti-aging biotech boom, though tempered by later integration and shutdown.[1][4]
As a defunct entity since GSK's 2013 closure of Sirtris operations, its legacy endures through absorbed programs exploring sirtuin activators in GSK's pipeline, potentially advancing to later-stage trials for diabetes and inflammation.[1][4][5] Emerging trends in longevity science—fueled by AI-driven drug discovery and renewed resveratrol interest—could revive sirtuin-focused efforts, evolving Sirtris's influence from startup pioneer to foundational proof-of-concept in age-reversal therapies. This early biotech success story underscores how bold academic bets can reshape pharma's fight against aging diseases.[1][6]
