Life Extension Through Neurofibromin Mitochondrial Regulation and Antioxidant Therapy for Neurofibromatosis-1 in Drosophila...

Background: Anti-oxidant and anti-aging compounds have been screen using other animal models. However, there was no clear understanding of the molecular basis for how the screening worked and the systems used were not robust. Our system specifically targets the mitochondria in a well defined manner. Technology: Drosophila that are deficient in the Neurofibromatosis 1, a tumor suppressor gene, have a shortened life span. We have shown that this is due to reduced CAMP production which decreases mitochondrial oxidative phosphoryation (OXPHOS) and increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species. This reduced life span can be ameliorated by feeding the flies with catalytic antioxidants such as MnTBAP. Similarly, Drosophila fed analogues of cAMP can be induced to live longer. Application: Therefore, Drosophila with increased and decreased NP1 levels can be used as a screening system to identify antioxidant compounds and/or cAMP derivatives that modulate mitochondrial ROS production and thus affect age-related diseases as well as cancer.

Type of Offer: Licensing



Next Patent »
« More Biotech Patents

Share on      


CrowdSell Your Patent