Companies Specializing in Cell Rejuvenation and Longevity

Geoffrey Chaucer famously wrote that “time and tide wait for no man,” and throughout history this sentiment has motivated people to attempt to find ways to slow down the inevitable aging process. In recent years, tech billionaires made headlines for investing in companies researching longevity, which has become a niche in the biotech industry and is projected to grow. Scientific breakthroughs, including the reprogramming of mice cells to a younger state and use of stem cell technology to rejuvenate older human cells, opened new avenues for research. Explore a roundup of Biocom California member companies at the forefront of longevity research, offering a glimpse into the potential future of addressing a spectrum of age-related health challenges.

Turning Back the Clock

There are countless lotions, serums, and procedures on the market today that promise to make our skin look younger and essentially turn back the clock. Turn Biotechnologies, a Bay Area-based biotech company, is taking this a step future in investigating possible treatments to rejuvenate skin cells. Turn Biotechnologies specializes in researching the applications of cell rejuvenation in developing novel mRNA medicines for a wide variety of age-related conditions, such as immunology, muscle loss, cartilage damage, and glaucoma. In its dermatology portfolio are therapies in development for skin wounds, eyelash growth, and most notably, TRN-001 for cell rejuvenation. Last fall, the company announced it received positive feedback during an FDA Initial Targeted Engagement for Regulatory Advice on CBER products (INTERACT) meeting that reviewed progress and plans for TRN-001. The company says TRN-001 is formulated to treat aesthetic issues ranging from to wrinkles to skin texture, hair loss, scars, and more. Anja Krammer, CEO of Turn Biotechnologies, said a release that they are advancing their clinical work and are working toward an IND submission.

Searching for a Fountain of Youth

Altos Labs is a San Diego-based company that launched with a big splash in 2022, making headlines for its $3 billion budget and the hiring of Nobel Prize-winning scientists including Shinya Yamanaka, who led the aforementioned research on the discovery on mice cells being programmed to a younger state. The company says its aim is to use its cell rejuvenation programming to reverse the injuries, diseases and disabilities that can potentially come with aging. Last year, the company hired Spanish biologist Pura Muñoz Cánoves, who recently shared in an interview with El Pais that the company’s goal is “to keep cells, and organisms, young and healthy as long as possible.”

Major Partnerships

Calico Life Sciences is an Alphabet subsidiary dedicated to researching and developing solutions for age-related diseases and conditions. In 2022, the company entered a partnership with Terray Therapeutics to research small molecule therapeutics for age-related diseases, as well as cancer. It is also partnering with AbbVie on studying ABBV-CLS-484, a small molecule that is administered orally, and its effect on possibly slowing the growth of solid tumors when paired with a PD-1 inhibitor. The study was published last fall in Nature.

In This Day and Age

AgeX Therapeutics notes that its mission is to better understand the aging process, with the goal of developing and commercializing new therapies to target biological aging. Its founder, Dr. Michael West, organized the research effort which first isolated pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and the company’s pre-clinical pipeline has therapeutics in development derived from its proprietary PureStem technology to possibly treat cardiac ischemia, Type 2 diabetes and other age-related metabolic disorders. The company is also investigating ways to treat aged tissues that have been affected by a variety of diseases.