Dr. David Sinclair

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David Sinclair

David Andrew Sinclair (born 1969) is an Australian biologist and professor of genetics best known for his research on aging and longevity. He is a Professor at Harvard Medical School and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging at Harvard Medical School. Sinclair is also a co-founder of several biotechnology companies and is known for his advocacy of using genetic and other therapies to combat aging.

Early Life and Education

David Sinclair was born in Australia in 1969. He received his Bachelor of Science (BSc) at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Sydney, Australia, where he also completed a Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics under the guidance of Ian Dawes, graduating in 1995. His doctoral research involved studies on gene regulation in yeast, which is a model organism in aging research due to its short lifespan and well-documented genome.

Career and Research

After completing his Ph.D., Sinclair received a postdoctoral fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the lab of Leonard Guarente, where he studied the role of sirtuins in aging, particularly the yeast protein Sir2 which was linked to the regulation of lifespan in several model organisms. His research has contributed to the understanding of how sirtuins are activated by the compound resveratrol, found in red wine, which has been associated with extended lifespan in animal models.

Sinclair joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School in the early 2000s. His research group focuses on understanding the biological mechanisms of aging and developing new interventions to slow its process. They have identified several chemical compounds, including the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), that appear to mitigate some effects of aging in animal models.

Sirtuins in Aging

Sinclair's research has significantly focused on the sirtuin family of protein deacetylases, which are thought to be responsible for the lifespan-extending properties of diets such as caloric restriction in various species. His lab has published extensively on the biochemistry of sirtuins and their role in DNA repair, metabolism, and mitochondrial function, among other cellular processes critical to the aging pathway.

NAD+ and Aging

Another major focus of Sinclair's research is the role of NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) in aging. NAD+ is a coenzyme found in all living cells that is involved in redox reactions. Sinclair's lab has shown that NAD+ levels decline with age in various organisms and that supplementing older mice with an NAD+ precursor can rejuvenate aspects of aging at a cellular and physiological level.

Public Advocacy and Business Ventures

Beyond his academic research, David Sinclair is an advocate for translating aging research into medical applications. He has co-founded several biotechnology companies, including Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, which focused on resveratrol formulations and sirtuin-activating compounds, and was later acquired by GlaxoSmithKline. He is also involved with companies working on NAD+ boosting molecules and other technologies meant to combat aging.

Sinclair is the author of the book Lifespan: Why We Age—and Why We Don't Have To, published in September 2019, where he discusses his view of aging as a disease that can be treated to extend human healthspan and lifespan.

Awards and Recognition

Sinclair has received numerous awards for his research on aging. Some of his accolades include the Australian Commonwealth Prize, the American Association for Aging Research’s Innovator Award, and being named to Time Magazine’s list of the "100 most influential people" in the world.

David is vegan since at least December 2021 [1].

David Sinclair's Protocol

Videos

Produced by David Sinclair

Podcasts

Longevity Lifestyle Series with Serena Poon

In August 2022 David Sinclair and Serena Poon startet the Optimize Longevity YouTube Channel that is all about tips for improving the quality of life and extending the lifespan.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Interviews and Talks

See also

References