Personal Injury Law

Harvard Anti-Aging Researcher On The Hotseat

By Jane Akre

David Sinclair is a Harvard researcher who works in the area of anti-aging, a hot area for research for Baby Boomers who are fighting it all the way.

He even hosts The Sinclair Lab page,  where it says the Ph.D is an Associate Professor of Pathology (with degrees in biochemistry and molecular genetics) focused on, "finding genes and small molecules that slow the pace of aging and prevent the diseases of old age."

Slowing the aging process has apparently been very good to Sinclair.

The Wall Street Journal reports that he's been paid to be on the scientific advisory board of Shaklee, the supplement company that sells Vivix, an anti-aging supplement that reportedly contains resveratrol (WSJ misspells it as resevratrol), found in grapes. In 2006, David Sinclair was interviewed by Charlie Rose about resveratrol.

Sinclair even appeared at a company conference last summer, telling the Shaklee sales force that, "over a year ago, we set out together to do this, to make a product that you could actually activate these genetic pathways that can slow down aging."

He told the crowd he was part of the Shaklee family.  Now he is not.

Sinclair reportedly resigned from his advisory role at Shaklee last week after the WSJ probed further.

Shaklee declined to say how much he made in his position, other than that he did not receive Vivix royalties.

"This decision was prompted in significant part by my recent realization as to how my association with Shaklee and my research have been used contrary to the intents and purposes of my agreement,"  Sinclair said in a statement.

"To my dismay I have found numerous uses of my name and reputation on the Web and in other media that implies endorsement by me of Shaklee's Vivix product," he wrote. "I have engaged counsel to deal with this matter and have demanded that Shaklee cease using my name."

Shaklee says that Sinclair pre-approved the use of his name.

This isn't the first association between Sinclair and resveratrol research.

He reportedly received $8 million when Sirtris, a company he co-founded, was sold to GlaxoSMithKlinePLC. He now receives $297,000 a year as a consultant for Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Sinclair is still listed as a co-chair on the company's Web site. 

Harvard University does not need any further probes from the office of Sen. Grassley and is reviewing the company's use of Dr. Sinclair's name.  

Users of Vivix, which costs $100 for 30 teaspoons of concentrate, make positive comments about the product to the WSJ blog. #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on December 31, 2008 (boomark / email).