Vladimir Skulachev, famous Russian biotechnologist, who studies effects of mitochondrial antioxidants on various health problems, including aging, believes that treating agents for eyes disorders, based upon “Skulachev ions”, as mitochondrial antioxidants are also called, can appear in pharmacies by the end of 2011.As for aging cure-all, these drugs will be available for sale within nearest 5 years.

Treatment for glaucoma is currently undergoing second stage of clinical trials, “Mitotech” company, responsible for working with “Skulachev ions”, announced in September. Vladimir Skulachev believes that two last stages of clinical trials can be finished within one year. Production facilities for these drugs will be organized in parallel with the trials, thus people with glaucoma would be able to buy new treatment quite soon.

Glaucoma is an eye disease, which is accompanied by anomalously high intraocular pressure. To the moment medicine of the world is unable to offer any effective medication for helping patients with this disease. Russian biotechnologists based their therapeutic eye drops of the antioxidant SkQ1, which is able to accumulate in cell’s energy depots – mitochondria – and neutralize active forms of oxygen, thus preventing age-related changes, like age-specific retinal dystrophy in laboratory animals. Other known antioxidants cannot accumulate in mitochondria and may have side effects, as well as larger doses are required for treatment. Numerous experiments with SkQ1 showed that it prolongs life, effectively prevents and cures age-related diseases, like some cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and some forms of cancer.

 According to Vladimir Skulachev, therapy for all animals in Russia, which have problems with eyes, requires only 4 grams of the SkQ1 per year. Four grams of this substance mean one week of working in the laboratory. That is why production of the antioxidant will start in the laboratory, where it has been developed. The laboratory has registered a company, called “Mitotech”, established specially for developing and introduction of mitochondria-targeted antioxidants SkQ1. The company is at least partially funded by the Russian Federation.

As for the anti-aging agents, which are also developed and studied by the group of Vladimir Skulachev, their introduction to the market can require more time – up to 5 years. One of the problems, faced by the researchers, is that pharmacists require a drug to be stable for at least one year, and this condition is hardly suitable for a highly active substance, like SkQ1. However, researchers stiff upper lip and claim that they already have some solution for this problem. Clinical trials of this new anti-aging agent will be longer, than those for glaucoma treatment, because this agent has systemic effect and may have possible side effects, which should be detected and described.

Researchers are going to collect statistics on long-term effects and hunt on side effects and complications. They have recently discovered that SkQ1 can prevent so-called “sudden death syndrome”, due to which some people die during sleep. Other health problems, targeted by the substance, are chronic diseases of elderly people, arthritis, diabetes of type II, and some types of lymphoma.

According to the researcher, experiments with laboratory animals showed that “Skulachev ions” affect 27 signs of aging, with getting bald and aging of blood circulation systems among them.

Source: RIA Novosi

Kizilova Anna