24 December 2023
A Look at Eight Companies Pushing the Boundaries of Aging Research
In recent years, the field of longevity biotech has witnessed a surge in interest and investment. The goal of this burgeoning industry is to extend the period of healthy living by targeting aging as a root cause of disease. At the forefront of this movement are anti-aging biotech startups, which are developing innovative therapies to reverse the effects of aging and combat age-related diseases. Through the use of epigenetic reprogramming and other cutting-edge technologies, these companies are paving the way for a future where age-related ailments become a thing of the past.
Altos Labs: Restoring Cell Health and Resilience
Altos Labs, a startup that launched last year with a staggering $3 billion in capital, has quickly become a frontrunner in the anti-aging biotech industry. With investors like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on board, the company aims to restore cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming. Altos Labs is focused on understanding the process of rejuvenation and developing transformative medicines that can reverse disease, injury, and disabilities throughout a person’s life.
clock.bio: Decoding Rejuvenation Programs
Based in the UK, clock.bio is dedicated to developing regenerative medicines using human pluripotent stem cells. The company’s founder, Mark Kotter, aims to decode all rejuvenation programs present in human cells to build an atlas of disease and rejuvenation targets. By force-aging human induced pluripotent stem cells and triggering their self-rejuvenation mechanism, clock.bio is uncovering gene candidates that play a crucial role in cell rejuvenation.
Genflow Biosciences: Gene Therapy for Aging
Genflow Biosciences, a UK-based startup, is harnessing the power of gene therapy to slow down the aging process and reduce age-related diseases. By delivering copies of the Sirtuin-6 gene variant into cells using adeno-associated virus vectors, the company aims to activate proteins that play a vital role in regulating cellular processes and promoting healthy aging. Genflow Biosciences also has innovative interventions in gene delivery for specific age-related conditions in its product pipeline.
Life Biosciences: Targeting Aging Biology
Life Biosciences takes a platform approach to target aging biology and develop therapies that can prevent, treat, and reverse multiple aging-related conditions. The company’s epigenetic reprogramming platform reprograms the epigenome of older animals to resemble that of younger animals, effectively rejuvenating cells. Additionally, Life Biosciences has identified small molecule oral compounds that increase chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) activity, which has shown efficacy in preclinical models of age-related diseases.
New Limit: Epigenetic Reprogramming Therapies
New Limit, a recently funded startup, focuses on developing epigenetic reprogramming therapies to treat age-related diseases. By leveraging advancements in single-cell genomics, epigenetic editing, and machine learning, the company aims to reprogram cells to act younger. New Limit’s challenge lies in bridging the performance gap between actual young cells and reprogrammed old cells.
Rejuvenate Bio: Unlocking the Power of Gene Expression
Rejuvenate Bio aims to reverse pre-existing heart disease, metabolic disease, and kidney failure in humans using gene expression and epigenetic reprogramming. The company’s reprogramming technology has successfully rejuvenated old mice, doubling their remaining lifespan. Rejuvenate Bio is also conducting a gene therapy trial for mitral valve disease in dogs, with the hope of developing a novel cardio-protective gene therapy.
Retro Biosciences: Adding Years to Human Lifespan
Retro Biosciences has set an ambitious goal of adding 10 years to the human lifespan. The startup focuses on cellular reprogramming, autophagy, and plasma-inspired therapeutics to design therapies capable of multi-disease prevention. With a molecule in its autophagy program set to enter clinical trials soon, Retro Biosciences is making steady progress towards its goal.
Rubedo Life Sciences: Targeting Pathologic Cells
Rubedo Life Sciences utilizes a drug discovery platform called Alembic to develop therapeutics that selectively target pathologic cells driving the aging process. By identifying specific druggable targets and focusing on senescent cells, the company aims to keep people biologically young. Rubedo Life Sciences has already selected its first-in-class development candidate for the treatment of dermatological conditions.
Conclusion:
The field of anti-aging biotech is witnessing a remarkable surge in activity, with startups at the forefront of groundbreaking research and development. Through epigenetic reprogramming, gene therapy, and other innovative approaches, these companies are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the quest for longevity. While the science is still in its early stages, the growing interest and investment in this field suggest that we may see significant advancements in anti-aging therapies in the coming years. As these startups continue to pioneer new treatments, the future of aging looks increasingly promising, with the potential to revolutionize healthcare and extend the period of healthy living for all.
