Virella files European patent on SIRT6 activators after lifespan gains in worms

By AI, Created 9:56 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Virella Ltd filed a European Patent Application in March 2026 for a new series of small-molecule SIRT6 activators as it moves toward preclinical testing with contract research partners. The Liechtenstein biotech says its lead compound extended lifespan in C. elegans and outperformed resveratrol and rapamycin in aging studies.

Why it matters: - Virella is trying to turn SIRT6 activation into a drug program for longevity and age-related disease. - The company says no SIRT6-targeting therapeutics have reached clinical development yet, which leaves room for a first-in-class approach. - The patent filing helps protect the chemistry as Virella moves from discovery work into preclinical development.

What happened: - Virella Ltd filed a European Patent Application in March 2026 covering its proprietary compound series targeting the Sirtuin 6 enzyme. - The company is based in Liechtenstein and is developing small-molecule SIRT6 activators. - The filing comes as Virella advances toward preclinical studies with contract research organizations. - The company says the compound series has the strongest reported SIRT6 activation in the literature.

The details: - The compound series uses a novel chemical scaffold developed through systematic medicinal chemistry work at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana. - More than two years of research produced hundreds of analogs. - The structure-activity relationships and lead compounds were published in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters in March 2026. - In vivo longevity studies were completed in Caenorhabditis elegans, a standard aging model, with Prof. Uros Petrovic and his team at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. - Multiple compounds were tested in groups of 300 to 900 animals across independent experimental series. - The tested compounds showed clean toxicology profiles up to high concentrations. - The lead compound delivered significant lifespan extension and outperformed resveratrol and rapamycin, which served as positive controls. - Virella’s academic program also includes the Faculty of Pharmacy, which is handling solubility, cytotoxicity, and permeability profiling. - The company is concluding ADME studies and working with CRO partners on pharmacokinetic studies and cellular assay programs. - Virella’s pipeline targets four SIRT6-linked areas: longevity, oncology, osteoarthritis, and metabolic diseases. - The patent application covers the compound series across those indications.

Between the lines: - Virella is building a translational package: published chemistry, early animal-model data, and patent protection before broader preclinical work. - The collaboration-heavy setup with the University of Ljubljana suggests the company is relying on academic infrastructure to move faster and reduce early-stage development risk. - Strong results in C. elegans do not guarantee human efficacy, but they can help justify further investment and preclinical spending.

What’s next: - Virella is finishing ADME work and expanding pharmacokinetic and cellular assays with CRO partners. - Additional academic studies are ongoing. - The company is moving its lead compounds toward preclinical development. - If the preclinical package holds up, Virella could be positioned to advance a SIRT6 program that has not yet reached clinical development.