Ageing and metabolism: drug discovery opportunities.
There has recently been significant progress in our understanding of the mechanisms that regulate ageing, and it has been shown that changes in single genes can dramatically extend lifespan and increase resistance to many diseases. Furthermore, many of these genes belong to evolutionarily conserved pathways that also control energy metabolism. In this review, we describe the shared molecular machinery that regulates ageing and energy metabolism. Although drugs to slow ageing face severe regulatory hurdles, it is likely that an understanding of ageing pathways will help to identify novel drug targets to treat metabolic disorders and other age-related diseases.
Elixir Pharmaceuticals, One Kendall Square, Building 1000, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Rory
R
Curtis
Bard J
BJ
Geesaman
Peter S
PS
DiStefano
D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D017667:Adipocytes / Q000187:drug effects; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D015195:Drug Design; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000502:physiology; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008660:Metabolism / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000502:physiology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000502:physiology
D007328:Insulin; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases