Alex Aravanis is the CEO and co-founder of Moonwalk Biosciences, a biotechnology company pioneering precision epigenetic medicines. In this episode, Chris and Alex discuss Moonwalk's innovative approach to developing a new class of medicines aimed at treating complex diseases and potentially extending human healthspan.The Finer Details:The concept of epigenetics as the "source code" for cell statesMoonwalk's technology for analyzing and modifying the epigenomeThe company's focus on cardiometabolic diseases and adiposityComparison of Moonwalk's approach to other epigenetic reprogramming strategiesPotential applications in treating obesity and metabolic disordersThe use of AI and machine learning in epigenetic researchFuture directions and challenges for Moonwalk BiosciencesQuotes:Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity."In the past, I've heard people refer to the DNA as the blueprint of biology, and I don't quite like that analogy. I think of it as more like the hardware, and the epigenome is the source code — the epigenome is responsible for the complex coordination of different genes that lead to proteins, and the temporal aspects of those so it's really how the hardware is used to make and maintain and change different cell types.""We're opening up the epigenome as a platform for drug discovery. The vast majority of the genome is not the coding regions, but it's incredibly important in controlling gene expression. So there's a lot of biology in there to inform our selection of targets, and we think that could dramatically improve both the number of interesting targets and our ability to select targets. The data that we're creating, our expertise, and our computational tools make us amongst the best in the world at using the epigenome for drug discovery."Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to: [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge website: https://bioagelabs.comBioAge Twitter: [@bioagelabs]

In this episode, Chris Patil speaks with Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO of Hevolution Foundation, about the organization's mission to extend healthy human lifespan and better understand the aging process. Dr. Khan discusses Hevolution's unique approach to funding global scientific discovery and investing in private companies dedicated to advancing aging science. He shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the field of longevity research, the importance of global collaboration, and the potential impact of extending healthspan on societies worldwide.The Finer Details:Hevolution Foundation's origin and missionThe importance of aging research in the context of global challengesHevolution's collaborative approach and funding strategiesChallenges in translating aging research into accessible interventionsThe need for validated biomarkers in aging researchGlobal perspectives on aging, including challenges in developing countriesThe importance of policy engagement and public awareness in advancing the fieldhttps://www.hevolution.com/

Hans Keirstead, PhD, is the Chairman of the Board at Immunis, a biotechnology company researching and developing immune secretome products to address age-driven immune deficits. In this episode, Chris and Hans discuss Immunis' approach to targeting the aging immune system as a key driver of age-related disease. They explore the potential of immune secretome factors to restore youthful immune function, the promising results from Immunis' preclinical and early clinical studies, and the future of immune-modulating therapeutics to extend healthspan.THE FINER DETAILSThe critical role of the immune system in the aging process and age-related diseaseImmunis' focus on immune precursor cell secretome factors to restore youthful immune functionPreclinical studies demonstrating the effects of Immunis' secretome product on muscle growth, metabolism, and inflammation in aged miceEarly results from Immunis' Phase 1/2a clinical trial in older adults with muscle atrophy and knee osteoarthritisThe potential for immune secretome therapeutics to treat a wide range of age-related conditions and enhance healthspanThe importance of developing affordable and accessible therapies to maximize impactQUOTES "Every manifestation of aging is immunologically mediated. It's phenomenal. When one ages, your immune system in 100% of humans gets angry, so becomes highly pro-inflammatory.""Our drug is not a stem cell. It's not an immune cell. It is the secretion set, that same secretion set that you and I have, and everyone on this earth has, that precipitously declines with age, and now we're able to restore it.""We showed that IMMUNA fundamentally changes gene expression in order to promote the expression of genes for growth and regeneration. And then it inhibits the expression of genes that inhibit growth and regeneration.""I believe that this [secretome therapeutic] is going to be taken prophylactically by most humans, every quarter or so, to keep their immune system young, keep their immune system in a prophylactically competent state.""I want this thing to be available to everyone who wants it at an extremely low price, so that we can keep people alive, so that we can keep them disease free, so they can have productive years in their golden times, in their older age."LINK TO PAPERStem cell secretome treatment improves whole-body metabolism, reduces adiposity, and promotes skeletal muscle function in aged mice

Dr. Daisy Robinton, co-founder and CEO of Oviva Therapeutics, discusses the company's innovative approach to improving women's healthspan by targeting the biology of ovarian aging. Motivated by her personal experiences and the realization that female physiology is underserved by research and medicine, Daisy outlines how menopause is a key inflection point in the acceleration of aging in women. She explains the central role of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in regulating ovarian function and fertility. Oviva's lead program, a recombinant enhanced AMH protein, aims to improve IVF outcomes by synchronizing follicle growth. Excitingly, this approach could also preserve ovarian reserve to delay menopause onset, thereby extending female healthspan.Key Topics Covered:Pivoting from developmental biology to found a women's health startupOvaries as central regulators of female healthspan beyond reproductionAMH as a brake on follicle activation and loss of ovarian reserveUsing enhanced AMH to improve egg yield in poor-responding IVF patientsPotential of AMH-based therapy to delay menopause and slow agingMenopause as the single greatest known accelerator of agingEconomic and societal impact of extending female healthspanDistinguishing reproductive longevity from overall women's healthViewing fertility as a marker of overall health and wellbeing

Dr. Noah Davidsohn, co-founder and CSO of Rejuvenate Bio, discusses the company's innovative work using gene therapies to treat age-related diseases in dogs and humans. In his conversation with host Chris Patil, he explains his recent groundbreaking study showing that partial cellular reprogramming with Yamanaka factors extended lifespan and healthspan in very old mice. Noah then outlines Rejuvenate's clinical pipeline, including targeting longevity pathways like FGF-21 for heart disease and combining TGF-beta inhibition with klotho for osteoarthritis. By choosing secreted factors deliverable with liver-targeted gene therapy, Rejuvenate hopes to circumvent delivery challenges. Noah conveys an inspiring vision of adding healthy years to dogs' and humans' lives.Key Topics Covered:Rejuvenate Bio's mission to reverse aging and age-related diseaseLifespan doubling in old mice with cyclic Yamanaka factor inductionControllable gene therapy system for in vivo partial reprogrammingChoice of FGF-21 for pleiotropic effects deliverable from liverLead programs for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and mitral valve diseaseAdvantages of treating age-related diseases first in dogsCombination gene therapy for osteoarthritis: TGF-beta and klothoSecreted proteins enable broad effects without broad deliveryVision of expanding healthspan by "squaring the curve"Potential to keep people healthy, active and productive to 100+

30 Years of Aging Biology: A Pioneer’s Perspective (Cynthia Kenyon - VP Aging Biology, Calico Labs)Dr. Cynthia Kenyon reflects on the evolution of the longevity field over the 30 years since the publication of her groundbreaking paper, “A C. elegans mutant that lives twice as long as wild type,” a genetic analysis of one of the first single-gene mutations to extend lifespan in the worm. She recounts the initial excitement and skepticism around the idea of a pathway that regulates aging, and subsequent validation of this and related ideas in a wide range of model organisms. She also discusses her longstanding belief in the translational potential to improve human healthspan, and her experience as a co-founder of one of the first longevity biotech startups, Elixir Pharmaceuticals, in 1999. Based on her unique historical perspective—and with undiminished enthusiasm—she looks ahead to the unsolved mysteries that will propel the next generation of breakthroughs.Key ideas:Origins of looking at aging regulation in C. elegans in the 1990sage-1 and daf-2 as the first aging genesEarly resistance to the idea of studying aging at the molecular levelCloning of genes to reveal conserved longevity pathways (IIS/mTOR)Extending lifespan in invertebrates, and then miceThe connection between stress resistance to evolutionary theoryDr. Kenyon's initial belief in the translatability of aging scienceCo-founding Elixir Pharmaceuticals in 1999 to target agingCurrent optimism about interventions against agingNeed for public funding of large trials of natural compoundsExcitement about newest mechanisms like reprogrammingThe enduring promise of targeting core nutrient-sensing networksDevelopmental origins of aging rates and resilienceLinks: Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedIn

Dr. Jamie Justice is Executive Director of the newly launched XPRIZE Healthspan, a $101 M international competition to accelerate therapeutics targeting aging biology. In conversation with host Chris Patil, Dr. Justice outlines the motivation, structure, and timeline of the prize, as well as how teams can get involved. She also explains unique aspects of this prize, including the public commentary period, how existing trials can be adapted for competition, functional endpoints, and judging criteria. She also conveys why coordination is needed to overcome barriers and drive investment in longevity R&D. Listeners will gain key insights into this ambitious initiative to catalyze progress translating research into treatments for aging.Key ideas:Why aging solutions need acceleration despite increased attentionThe role and track record of incentive competitions like XPRIZEMotivation and sponsors enabling XPRIZE Healthspan ($101M purse)Timeline from conceptualization to upcoming 7-year active competitionExpert endpoint committee setting measurable functional criteriaInitial public commentary period for radical collaboration with teamsPhases: Intent to compete, qualifying submissions, finalist selectionExisting prevention trials can add program assessmentsCommon data and protocols to validate findings across teamsGoal of demonstrating restoration of function across domainsSecondary judging criteria around accessibility, biomarkersDriving global coordination, investment, and innovationLinks: XPRIZE HealthspanEmail questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedIn

Dr. Coleen Murphy is a prominent aging researcher and author of the upcoming book “How We Age: The Science of Longevity” from Princeton University Press. In this wide-ranging discussion, Coleen provides insights into her motivation for writing this book, key topics covered, and her unique perspective on the field. Key ideas:Addressing ethical concerns about studying aging and longevityDefining aging conceptually and how metrics like lifespan vs. healthspan are measuredUsing genetics, transcriptomics and other tools to understand molecular changes in agingThe prominent role of reproduction and sex differences in agingTheories on tradeoffs between reproduction and longevityGenetics of aging pathways including insulin/IGF-1, mTOR, and sirtuinsCellular processes involved in aging such as mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic changes, senescenceThe importance of models like C. elegans and Drosophila in aging researchOngoing research and future potential for interventions to increase healthspanThe challenge of complex science without excessive jargonHighlighting critical contributions by women scientists in the fieldOmitting personal lifestyle advice and focusing on evidence-based scienceThe rapid pace of advancement in biotech applications of longevity scienceLinks: Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedIn

Dr. Nicholas Hertz is the co-founder and former CSO of Mitokinin, a biotech company developing therapies targeting damaged mitochondria in neurodegenerative disease. Mitokinin was recently acquired by pharmaceutical giant AbbVie. In this episode, Nick recounts the journey from academic research on PINK1 biology to founding a startup and advancing a clinical candidate. He provides insights into the drug discovery process, optimizing lead compounds, translating basic findings into therapies, and partnering with big pharma. Nick also shares lessons learned along the way about focusing on robust science, being adaptable, and maintaining ambition to help patients.Key topics covered:Background on Mitokinin’s approach of activating PINK1 to clear damaged mitochondriaFounding a company based on academic research and discoveriesNavigating from tool compounds to optimizing in vivo activity and drug propertiesUsing mitochondrial biomarkers like phospho-ubiquitin to track target engagementPartnering with AbbVie: alignment on science, IP transfer after acquisitionImportance of reproducibility, following the science to clinic-ready agentsPlanning the next neurodegeneration startup based on past experienceAdvice for startups: pick projects wisely, focus on robust science over hypeNotable Quotes: (edited slightly for clarity and length)"What PINK1 does is signal when mitochondria have gone bad and need to be cleared away.""Seeing PINK1 mutations lead to early Parkinson's cemented the link between mitochondrial health and neurodegeneration.""The biggest challenge was getting enough brain exposure and potency for in vivo efficacy.""We developed assays to measure phospho-ubiquitin levels in patient samples and use it as a pharmacodynamic marker.""With AbbVie, we were aligned on making a safe drug you'd feel comfortable giving to your own family.""I enjoyed the journey more than the destination. Now I want to get back in the lab and do more science.""Focus on projects you believe in and doing the most robust, reproducible science.""I consider failing to help patients in Phase 3 trials a failure, even if you already exited successfully."Links: Mitokinin website (this link may become obsolete as Mitokinin becomes part of AbbVie)Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedIn

Dr. Alex Colville is the co-founder and General Partner of Age1 Ventures, a recently launched VC firm focused on funding contrarian, founder-led biotech companies aiming to extend healthy human lifespan. In this episode, Alex outlines Age1's thesis of identifying and empowering talented founders with ambitious visions for the longevity field. He shares his own journey to VC, including early interests in aging science and entrepreneurship. Alex provides an inside look at Age1's approach to community building, sourcing high-potential founders, investing at the pre-seed/seed stage, and supporting companies technologically and strategically. He also discusses Age1's very first investment in Aperture Therapeutics. Listeners will gain insights into how Age1 aims to catalyze change in the longevity biotech ecosystem.Key topics covered:Origins of Age1 in the pioneering Longevity Fund and Laura Deming's visionAlex's path from aging researcher to VC investor and community builderHow VCs raise funds from different types of investors (LPs)Age1's focus on early-stage companies and contrarian, ambitious foundersSourcing and identifying high-potential founders through networks and eventsThe importance of founder motivation and pragmatism in Age1's investmentsAge1's first investment in Aperture Therapeutics targeting neuroinflammationUnique value-add Age1 provides with specialized aging expertiseEmpowering founders by showing people "like them" can build startupsAge1's moonshot goal of enabling agency over healthspan and lifespanNotable Quotes:(quotes have been lightly edited for clarity)"A fund is a vehicle of money devoted to making investments to return capital with more money than you started with.""Once you have the money, your focus becomes finding the best founders and supporting them to increase the odds of success.""The best founders don't necessarily realize they could be a founder. We can help show people they can just dive in.""What matters most to us is not the idea, but the founder and their potential.""We want somebody with a very strong mission motivation towards aging. This core focus ends up being a huge strength of the company.""We look for a combination of pragmatism and moonshot mentality.""Our goal is to give people agency over how long they live in good health.”“Age1 needs to exist in order to convince some of the raw, ambitious talent that they can do things they don't yet know that they can do—in order to pull off moonshots.”Links: Age1Alex’s recent paperEmail questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedIn

Dr. Carolina Reis Oliveira and Dr. Alessandra Zonari are the co-founders of OneSkin, a company developing science-backed skincare products to reverse skin aging at the cellular level. In this episode, Carolina and Alessandra tell host Dr. Chris Patil how OneSkin is leveraging recent advances in longevity science to create novel peptides that target senescent cells and inflammation in aged skin. Their lead ingredient, OS-1, is a peptide capable of reducing biological age and senescence burden in human skin models.They explain their rigorous discovery process, including screening peptide libraries in cellular models of skin aging, which were described in a recent paper in Nature Aging. Next, they share how they translated this scientific research into an effective, consumer-friendly skincare product line and brand. Listeners will gain insights into OneSkin's unique approach bridging cosmetics and cutting-edge geroscience.Key topics:Why skin health and appearance are important markers of overall agingThe cellular and molecular changes underlying skin agingHow most skincare products focus on temporary effects vs. targeting root causesScreening peptide libraries in cellular models to discover senolytic/senomorphic candidatesDiscovery and testing of lead peptide OS-1 in 3D skin models and human trialsValidating safety and efficacy to meet cosmetics regulatory requirementsLaunching a science-backed skincare brand and resonating with educated consumersOngoing R&amp;D to expand into new anti-aging applications and delivery methodsQuotes:Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity."Obviously, we look at our skin from the lens of aesthetics or of beauty. But our skin is our largest organ, and its main function is to protect our whole body against pathogens and different types of environmental stressors. As the skin ages and deteriorates, the function also gets compromised."“That's one of the things that we're interested in and exploring at OneSkin: not only how to improve your appearance, but also how to improve your skin function so it can aid in your overall health.”"We realized none of the products out there were developed with the rationale of targeting aging itself.""When we treat dermal fibroblasts with this peptide, we could decrease the amount of senescent cells by 40–50%.""More and more, the population is getting educated. They don't want just marketing claims, they want to understand and trust brands that can really bring proof.""People are more open to say, okay, if I need to put something on my skin, I should use a company that's actually doing real science.""Our primary goal is to continue to be the most innovative company when it comes to skin aging, and to continue to be at the forefront of aging research applied to skin."Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedInOneSkin company page<a...

Dr. Felix Wong is a co-founder of Integrated Biosciences, an early-stage biotech company developing next-generation therapeutics for cellular rejuvenation. He is also a postdoc at MIT and the Broad Institute and was a lead author on a recent Nature Aging paper describing the use of graph neural networks to discover new senolytic compounds.In this episode, Felix and host Chris Patil have an in-depth discussion about using machine learning to accelerate drug discovery, specifically to target cellular senescence. They explore how graph neural networks were trained on screening data to evaluate large chemical spaces and identify new senolytic molecules with medicinal properties superior to those of previously known compounds.Key topics:What cellular senescence is and why selectively eliminating senescent cells may have therapeutic benefits for aging and age-related diseasesLimitations of traditional high-throughput screening approaches and the vastness of chemical spaceHow graph neural networks work and how Felix’s team trained them on senolytic screening dataApplying the models to search much larger chemical libraries and identify promising new senolytic scaffoldsExperimental validation and characterization of hits from the AI screeningThe potential to use this machine learning approach more broadly for phenotypic drug discoveryFelix’s new company Integrated Biosciences and their mission to control cellular stress responses using synthetic biology and AIQuotes:Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity."We found that machine learning models might allow us to more productively search chemical space and increase our working hit rates.""What was fascinating to us about senescence cells is that, unlike other pathologies or diseases, these cells are not really characterized by a single target.""The quality of any machine learning model is limited by the quality of the training data. And that in turn is limited by how good your screens are, and how good your understanding of the biology is."“That's really what machine learning is doing, trying to think about things in a very high dimensional manner. And then trying to build models that help to separate what is positive and what is negative.”“So what ideally we would want is for any model to be able to generalize, to be able to predict chemical scaffolds that the model has not previously seen, and positively identify those scaffolds as new senolytics.”"Ideally, we would like to treat aging and age-related diseases, just like how antibiotics treat bacterial infections."“At Integrated, we're trying to kind of look at these stress responses holistically. We think that senescence is only a piece of the bigger puzzle.”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedInIntegrated Biosciences

Joan Mannick, CEO and co-Founder of Tornado Therapeutics, joins the podcast to discuss her company’s exciting mission of developing a new generation of rapalog compounds specifically targeting the TORC1 complex. Rapalogs are analogs of the natural compound rapamycin, which has been shown to extend lifespan and healthspan in animal models by inhibiting the TOR pathway. However, rapamycin has limitations that have prevented its widespread clinical use for aging-related conditions.Tornado aims to overcome these limitations by developing a portfolio of novel rapalogs licensed from Novartis, which were specifically designed to be more selective TORC1 inhibitors with improved drug-like properties relative to rapamycin. Early data suggests these compounds may have an improved safety profile and remain effective at treating diseases like cancer.In her conversation with host Chris Patil, Dr. Mannick provides an accessible overview of TOR signaling biology and shares insights from her extensive experience developing rapalogs. The discussion covers Tornado’s strategic approach to indications like oncology and viral infections, the process of characterizing their licensed compounds, and notable milestones on the horizon.Dr. Mannick provides an insider perspective on a compelling longevity biotech company striving to translate the promise of rapalogs into effective medicines for age-related diseases.Key topics:An overview of the TOR signaling pathway, the TORC1 and TORC2 complexes, and how the natural compound rapamycin inhibits TOR function.The benefits and limitations of using rapamycin/rapalogs clinically, and the need for more selective TORC1 inhibitors with improved drug properties.Tornado’s licensing of novel TORC1-specific rapalogs from Novartis, including early safety data.Indications that Tornado is initially pursuing, including oncology and viral infection, applying lessons learned about rapalogs over the past decade.The experience of being a “pipeline company” within the Cambrian Biopharma family, and the synergies available to companies operating within this model.The maturation of the longevity biotech fieldPromising milestones on Tornado’s horizon.Quotes:Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity."Rapamycin is a very specific inhibitor of this critical protein mTOR that regulates lifespan and healthspan."“An ideal rapalog to treat aging-related conditions and extend lifespan is predicted to be a rapalog that specifically inhibits TORC1, but leaves TORC2 alone.”"The problem with rapamycin is that it has no remaining patent life. And we really have to do the studies to see if the benefit outweighs the risks."“[Cambrian] enabled me to go very fast in terms of execution - you get a team, which is very rare when you start a startup.”"Longevity medicine is white space ready to be explored. It's an untapped area that could transform the practice of medicine."“We are picking indications where there's not just preclinical validation, but a lot of clinical validation.”“We're going to use these lessons learned to see if with a better clinical development plan, we can now develop our next generation rapalogs to enhance antiviral immunity and decrease severity of viral respiratory tract infections.”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website...

Mitchell Lee is the CEO and co-founder of Ora Biomedical, a Seattle-based biotech company using large-scale phenotypic drug screening in C. elegans to discover small molecule therapeutics that extend lifespan and healthspan.In this episode, Chris and Mitch discuss Ora's approach to drug discovery, which focuses on function and phenotype rather than specific targets or mechanisms. Using their proprietary "WormBot" platform, Ora screens thousands of compounds in parallel to identify molecules that impact lifespan, healthspan, and age-related disease phenotypes, allowing them to discover new longevity interventions in an unbiased, hypothesis-agnostic way.Key topics:How Ora Biomedical was founded out of a conversation between Dr. Lee and his mentor Dr. Matt Kaeberlein about spinning out a company based on the WormBot technologyWhy C. elegans is a useful model organism for discovering fundamental mechanisms of aging that can translate to mammalsHow the WormBot platform uses imaging and machine learning to measure worm lifespan, healthspan, behaviors, and response to drugs at a large scaleOra's goal of screening 1 million compounds within 3 years to find the most promising longevity interventionsStrategies for translating hits from the worm screen into rare disease therapies and direct-to-consumer natural productsThe promise of longevity interventions discovered through unbiased phenotypic screening to prevent age-related diseases and transform human healthQuotes:Quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.“What really sets us apart is that we do phenotypic screening, in live animals.""If you are finding interventions that target those fundamental drivers of aging, you expect them to have multiple different impacts on age-associated diseases. But as we test more longevity interventions, we see that they also have all kinds of different impacts on non–age-associated disease models.“It’s really just taking the geroscience hypothesis seriously: If an intervention impacts aging, it’s likely to have impacts across many different disease stages, even ones that we wouldn’t necessarily think about as being related.”“We've seen examples of how this plays out with things like rapamycin. So it's really incredible the types of therapeutic benefits that can be had through these kinds of interventions.”"There's going to be a never before seen boom in enthusiasm, interest, engagement, and demand for longevity therapeutics. And what we're doing today is putting ourselves in the position where we're going to be able to meet that challenge in the next three to five years."Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.comBioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBioAge Labs LinkedInOra BioMedical

This special episode features a panel discussion moderated by Chris Patil at the 2023 SynBioBeta conference. The panel brings together leaders from the synthetic biology and longevity communities to explore opportunities for collaboration and cross-pollination between these fields. Panelists discuss the talent bottleneck in longevity research, challenges in translating new discoveries into therapies, the need for improved communication and education, and a shared vision for transforming health and society. The conversation covers existing resources for learning about longevity science, as well as calls to build new communities and networks to accelerate progress. Overall, the panel makes a compelling case that by coming together, synthetic biologists and longevity advocates can achieve breakthroughs that neither field could accomplish alone.Guests:Nathan Cheng, Longevity Biotech FellowshipStephanie Dainow, Lifespan.ioDaniel Goodman, UCSFKat Kajderowicz, MIT/WhiteheadThe DetailsThe talent shortage in longevity research and need to attract people from outside the fieldChallenges in developing model systems and translating discoveries from simple organisms to humansThe role of improved communication, education and “edutainment” in enabling progressExisting online resources and communities in longevity science and synthetic biologyThe Time Fellowship and opportunities to get involved for students and early career researchersVisions for how synthetic biology could enhance longevity research, including new tools for measurement and diagnosticsHopes for progress in the short, medium and long term, from gaining years of healthspan to far future transformational changesThe importance of breaking down silos, incentivizing collaboration and taking action to achieve ambitious goalsQuotes:Quotations have been lightly edited for clarity.Nathan Cheng“A lot of people here asked me the difference between working on diseases of aging versus aging itself. And I think a lot of people aren't aware that age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, even cancer — these are late-stage manifestations of the aging process itself.”“I think it's incumbent on us within the longevity community to go seek out the tool developers because they are inundated with all this interest from other players in other fields.”Stephanie Dainow“When it comes to aging, a lot of people you are under the impression that you're born, you will age there probably will be suffering, and then you will die. And that is the cycle of life. Right? That's kind of a standard. And I think this field is pushing that narrative in a direction that is uncomfortable because we're not used to it.”“Incentive structures matter. And in longevity, there aren't a lot of organizations that have products yet — forget the supplements, I'm talking about therapeutics — and that means that there aren't business development people, which means there's no selling, which means there's no marketing, which means there's no focus on articulation of the best way to create a narrative around the value prop.”Dan Goodman:“Synthetic biology has lots to offer, as far as measurement and diagnostics and being able to cheaply and at scale measure the effects of aging and the effects of longevity therapies on large populations.”“As we get more comfortable, and we get more and more skilled at deploying these tools for disease, it'll be to the point that healthy people will be willing to take these sorts of therapies. and we can do so much to modify the body and immune...

In this episode of Translating Aging, host Chris Patil is joined by Dr. Courtney Hudson-Paz, the Founder and Program Director of the Time Initiative, an organization whose mission is to build a network of undergraduate leaders in aging biology.Courtney takes us on a journey into the world of aging biology and the mission of the Time Initiative, highlighting how this groundbreaking organization is cultivating the next generation of leaders. She shares her insights into the importance of early engagement in scientific research, the challenges faced by longevity research, and the transformative potential of geroscience.&nbsp;In addition, Courtney explains how the core component of the Time Initiative's program, the Time Fellowship, offers a unique opportunity for talented individuals to engage in impactful research, community-building, and mentorship. She notes the pressing need to address age-related diseases and describes the Time Initiative's efforts to create a diverse and inclusive ecosystem in aging biology. She also celebrates the fact that the contributions of ambitious young minds in the field have the potential to accelerate scientific progress and significantly reshape the field of aging biology.In this podcast, you will learn about the mission and impact of the Time Initiative and discover the strategic importance of early engagement in scientific research and the transformative potential of geroscience. You will also gain insights into the Time Fellowship, as well as the importance of building a diverse and inclusive ecosystem in aging biology, and the role it plays in shaping the future of the field.OutlineThe Time Initiative’s mission to inspire and cultivate future leaders in aging biology by supporting undergraduatesThe need to expand the talent pool and workforce to drive progress in aging researchThe potential of geroscience and rejuvenation biotech to transform human health and societyCollaborative efforts with the American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR)&nbsp;Events, resources, and opportunities available through The Time Initiative to educate students about aging researchThe Time Fellowship program:&nbsp;Open to all disciplines&nbsp;All-expenses paid annual retreat&nbsp;Community group and mentorship opportunities$8,000 grants for summer projectsComparing The Time Initiative to similar organizations also focused on community building in longevity scienceAdvice and resources for students interested in aging research and geroscienceA vision for The Time Initiative’s growth and future impact on the fieldQuotes:“Our motivation is really the same motivation of the field, right? We all see that the world is aging rapidly, we already have a billion people suffering from age related diseases.”"By focusing on undergrads, we're really investing in the future of the field... nurturing the next generation of leaders, innovators, and researchers."“I think what makes it unique is the focus on really early stage talent, and going after people that aren't already interested in aging, as well.”“The idea of the geroscience hypothesis is so compelling, that I feel like just the exposure is enough.”“I want to firmly establish it as a key driving force in the field of aging. I want to grow our networks of fellows, our mentors and our partners. I envision a future where our fellows are empowered by this experience through our program and they become influential figures in the field.”"The opportunities and possibility of the impact we can have in people's lives...is worth that extra funding and really deserves extra attention.""I want them conducting cutting-edge research and pioneering innovative treatments.""Stay curious. Be bold. Ask the questions, look for answers.

Jacob Kimball is the Head of Research and co-founder of NewLimit, a company aiming to develop epigenetic reprogramming therapies to treat age-related diseases and extend human healthspan.In this episode, Chris and Jacob have an in-depth discussion about NewLimit’s mission and approach. They explore how NewLimit is leveraging epigenetics and machine learning to search for new ways to reverse cell aging without changing cell identity. NewLimit is systematically testing combinations of biological factors that can reprogram cell age, using both biological experimentation and computational modeling at scale, and Jacob shares insights into the cutting-edge science and technology behind this work: how functional genomics allows NewLimit to run hundreds to thousands of experiments in a single dish, how machine learning is used in their research, and the challenges of translating epigenetic reprogramming from the lab to the clinic.&nbsp;Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the promise of epigenetic reprogramming to revolutionize how we treat aging and age-related disease.&nbsp;The Finer Details:Epigenetics as a regulator of gene expression in cell differentiation and agingNewLimit’s mission and approach to tackling the challenges in aging research through epigenetic reprogrammingThe potential for age reversal built into our biologyHow NewLimit is using machine learning and biological experimentation in combination to generate new hypotheses and discoveriesThe potential for epigenetic reprogramming to improve the function of the aging immune system The biggest challenges in translating these discoveries to medicines, including delivery, pharmacokinetics, and ensuring safe and durable effectsA vision for how rejuvenation biotech could transform health and society in the coming decades if key breakthroughs are madeQuotes:"Epigenetics is this layer of regulation that tells your cell, ‘Which genes can I use from my genome, at which times?’""Our goal as a company is to increase human health span, and the way I like to frame that more colloquially is we want to increase the number of happy, healthy years each person gets to spend on Earth."“Even with just those sorts of data available, we're already able to build models that perform better than randomly searching through the experimental hypothesis space, and already performed better than our rough heuristics about which interventions might be most impactful.”&nbsp;"We know that you can actually just express these four genes and reprogram even an old cell all the way back to an embryonic-like state, which not only changes the cell's type, the role it's playing, but also its age.""Our approach is trying to discover ways we can reprogram cell age without reprogramming cell type.""The challenge that we run into is that there are so many combinations that very quickly it would become intractable to line up enough test tubes to test them all.”"Transient interventions could have durable phenotypic benefits for a patient. However, that space hasn't been explored very richly. We know very little about just how long some of these interventions last."“I think what I'm strongly hopeful for is that, if such medicines are to exist, that you can actually increase the number of happy, healthy years each one of us gets.”“I think in the next five to 10 years, we're going to see some of the first applications of this technology and the clinics, some of the first proof points, that these interventions actually can benefit patients in a material way.”“What I hope that means for someone like myself is that the number of years in which I can plausibly consider hiking the John Muir Trail increases in a measurable way. And likewise, for those of you with other hobbies, I hope that these sorts of...

In today’s episode, Chris is joined by Dr. Matthew "Oki" O'Connor, CEO for Scientific Affairs at Cyclarity Therapeutics, a company focused on eliminating arterial plaque, a prevalent issue in old age. Dr. O'Connor shares his insights on the causes and effects of atherosclerosis, the leading cause of death worldwide, and how aging contributes to plaque build-up. The podcast emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in addressing cardiovascular disease and highlights the importance of new approaches to repair vessels throughout the body and brain.Together, Chris and Dr. O’Connor begin by discussing atherosclerosis, its significant impact on cardiovascular disease, and the need to understand the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying aging and diseases related to aging. They also cover the limitations of current clinical treatments for atherosclerosis and the importance of a paradigm shift towards new approaches that can repair vessels throughout the body and brain. Dr. O’Connor then goes on to describe Cyclarity’s unique drug, a cyclodextrin, explaining how it could be a promising solution to the harmful effects of atherosclerosis. The podcast also explores the potential of combination therapy with traditional lipid-lowering drugs to address multiple aspects of atherosclerosis.Join Chris and Dr. O’Connor here today to gain a greater understanding of the remarkable work undertaken by Cyclarity Therapeutics, the impact of aging on cardiovascular health, the need for new approaches to address atherosclerosis, and the unique drug therapy combination that may offer a promising solution, revolutionizing its treatment in the process.The Finer Details:Cyclarity Therapeutics and the work they undertake&nbsp;Atherosclerosis&nbsp;Cardiovascular dysfunctionThe build-up of arterial plaqueThe implications of aging-related targetsThe need for a paradigm shift towards looking at new approaches to repair vessels&nbsp;The limitations of current clinical treatments for atherosclerosisThe limitations in the standard of care for LDL and HDL cholesterolUnderstanding the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying aging and the diseases of aging.The need for new treatmentsThe cyclodextrin drug and how it worksThe need for combination therapies that will target multiple aspects of atherosclerosisCyclarity Therapeutics’ trialsQuotes:"Cardiovascular dysfunction, depending on which metastudy you believe, between 30 and 50% of all death on the planet is caused by the build-up of plaque in the arteries.""Atherosclerosis is the thickening of the arteries, which means in the vessel wall, you have a build up of material called plaque, which starts out as a fatty streak in the wall of a blood vessel.""There's no way to avoid the concept or the idea that a basic molecular mechanism, a biochemical mechanism of aging is going to impact many, if not all, cells and tissue systems.""By the time that you're doing vascular surgery on somebody, you've kind of lost the game. You clearly missed an opportunity to prevent a bad thing from happening in the first place.""We really need a paradigm shift to look at new approaches to addressing cardiovascular disease.""I think the average non-specialist just thinks of cholesterol as this, like, weird molecule that's in your body for some reason, but is totally bad.""Those lipid lowering drugs do actually save lives and keep atherosclerosis from getting worse faster. But we are trying to invent a better way to do it, a more elegant way to get rid of only the most toxic forms of cholesterol so that your arteries can repair themselves the way that they're engineered to.""I imagine that our treatment, at least at first, will be paired with the standard of care, which...

Dr. Marco Quarta, CEO and Co-founder of Rubedo Life Sciences, joins Chris on today’s episode to discuss his company’s strategy of targeting pathologic cells to develop therapeutics for chronic degenerative conditions. The conversation covers the evolving definition of senescence and the challenges of identifying and classifying pathologic cells, which vary across different tissues and indications. Marco also announces the upcoming Senotherapeutic Summit in November, which will bring together stakeholders from different fields to advance therapeutic research.&nbsp;Marco and Chris also review Rubedo Life Sciences' clinical development approach: targeting the aging process with the goal of helping healthy stem and immune cells to repair. They then go on to discuss the funding and work required for the selection and nomination of a lead candidate for a project, the importance of having access to primary clinical samples to test efficacy, and the subsequent steps of the grant awarding process. The conversation then turns to the value of having multiple programs running simultaneously.&nbsp;Tune in today to learn more about&nbsp; the ‘sneaky’ process of senescence that accelerates aging, the toxicity of these rare cells and the development of small molecules that can target them, the complexities of developing new therapies, and the value of having a robust pipeline of programs to advance therapeutic R&amp;D.The Finer Details:Defining pathological cells and their role in chronic degenerative conditionsIdentifying, classifying, and targeting senescent cellsThe need for a focused effort in identifying specific targets for therapeuticsThe evolution of the definition of senescence and the existence of multiple types of senescent cellsThe Senotherapeutic Summit in November and its goal of advancing the field of therapeuticsRunning multiple programs simultaneouslyThe upcoming event in Saudi Arabia aimed at accelerating and promoting healthy longevity.Quotes:"These are aberrant cells, dysfunctional cells, and maladaptive cells that are contributing to shift the microenvironment and leading to progression of chronic degenerative conditions, driving chronic inflammation, fibrosis, stem cell depletion, and cancer.""There are no universal pathologic cells across all tissues or indications. So it really depends on your question and finding targets associated with those that you can really go after in a drug discovery pipeline to generate therapeutics."&nbsp;"We are hoping to push forward the conversation about what senescent cells are, how we can classify them, and how we can move forward with targeting these cells.""We are testing back to back multiple indications including for example, chronic age related atopic dermatitis and others.""And it's a very important event that we'll have major stakeholders from high level government officials and scientists and innovators business leaders and really the idea of promoting a healthy longevity and how can we accelerate this."Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInRubedo...

In today’s episode, Chris sits down with Kevin Caldwell, CEO, Co-Founder, and President of Ossium Health, a company that aims to improve human health and longevity through bioengineering - specifically using stem cell science to create materials for cell therapies. Together, they discuss Ossium’s approach: processing and banking of bone marrow from organ donors, which can then be cryopreserved and used for various clinical applications such as bone marrow transplants for blood cancer patients and emerging stem cell therapies. Kevin also shares details of his background as a lawyer in the stem cell industry and the potential of stem cell therapies in increasing the availability of bone marrow for treatment options.He then goes on to describe his company's clinical programs and their goal of increasing the percentage of patients who ultimately get bone marrow transplants. In addition, he reviews the company's plans for using stem cell therapies in preventive medicine, their focus on improving long-term health and lowering costs, and the company's clinical trial for treating GVHD. Finally, he says a few words about Ossium’s place in the longevity biotech sector.Listen in today to not only learn about the potential of stem cell therapies and the importance of increasing the availability of bone marrow for treatment options for blood cancer patients, but to also gain valuable insights into the future of healthcare itself.The Finer Details of this Episode:Ossium Health and the work it doesProcessing and banking bone marrow from organ donorsKevin Caldwell’s professional backgroundThe potential of stem cell therapies and the impact of increasing the availability of bone marrowThe clinical applications of cryopreserved bone marrow&nbsp;The technicalities and the importance of cryopreservation of bone marrow.Ossium Health's clinical programs and their focus on treating patients with acute myeloid and acute lymphoid leukemia.The company's plans for using stem cell therapies in preventive medicineTheir focus on improving long-term health and lowering costs.The goals of Ossium HealthOssium’s clinical trial for treating GVHD&nbsp;Working with the FDA&nbsp;Quotes:"Every year in the United States, there are about 20,000 people diagnosed with leukemia who go looking for a bone marrow transplant… 40% of those people… ultimately do not receive a transplant. Many of those people die while looking for a donor.""Other people become so weak during the process of searching for a donor that they're taken off the list.""There are also many emerging applications of the stem cells that are native to the bone marrow, treatments for diseases of inflammation, treatments that enable people to receive organ transplants without immunosuppression.""Ossium has developed a process for processing and banking bone marrow from organ donors, cryopreserving those cells, and then doing further selection and engineering on the cells to prepare them for different clinical applications."“There's a number of steps that we have to take to go from that solid bone to bone marrow for cryopreservation.”"Our goal is to dramatically increase the percentage of patients who ultimately get bone marrow transplants.""Bone marrow transplants are not FDA regulated. They're treated like organ transplants by law.""One of the things about prevention that is most powerful is that if you achieve it, you can both improve long-term health relative to retrospective treatment, and ultimately lower cost. For us, prevention is a North Star.”“If we think about our goal of trying to broadly improve human health, one system that is involved in our response to essentially all disease is the immune system.”"At Ossium, what we're really building is

This week, we welcomes Peter Fedichev, an entrepreneur and scientist with over 20 years of experience in academic research and biotech business who has co-founded three biotech companies. He’s currently the co-founder &amp; CEO of GERO, a longevity startup on a mission to hack aging.&nbsp;In this episode, Chris and Peter discuss GERO’s goal to accelerate our understanding of aging and create a therapy that will significantly extend a healthy human lifespan. First, they talk about the relationship between physics and biotech, and from there, the conversation moves to the importance of resilience in human and animal aging. Finally, Peter walks us through GERO’s drug discovery approach, how we can ‘hack’ complex dynamic systems and aging using AI, and shares his optimism about the future of aging research.The Finer Details of This Episode:&nbsp;Discussing complex systems and agingUnderstanding slower aging in some animalsResilience and dynamic stabilityThe dynamic frailty indicatorModels of premature aging and slow agingGERO’s drug discovery approach&nbsp;Quotes:&nbsp;“What we can do and what I think is very good to learn how to do in biology is to understand those universal properties that do not depend on fine details of life histories.”“Obviously aging, that is a very slow process—so slow that almost everything averages out and people that are living under different conditions with totally different life histories are still living more or less the same long life.”“It's easier to rejuvenate an animal which doesn't have any resilience because resilience means the ability to get back to the norm after the intervention. If you are resilient, either a bad effect like smoking or a good effect as your future aging drug will be small, and the more resilient you are, the smaller is the effect.”“If you can only increase your lifespan once you're already unstable, the overall effect of such interventions from lifespan will be, unfortunately, incremental and limited.”“It looks like our progress in chronic diseases is very slow. It's very slow because even though genome is cheaper, we have all genetic therapies, all kinds of new therapeutic modalities, everything, but for reasons that we need to understand, it's very hard to do drugs against chronic diseases in humans.”“I think by bringing these ideas from neuroscience like your company is doing, like our company, like all our communities are doing, I think we will find ways to educate them. And who knows, maybe in five years, one of the major pharmas will start doing drugs against aging, using the techniques and the experience that we will help them to create; I think we're very close to this tipping point in the industry.”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInPeter Fedichev on LinkedInGERO.AI“Unsupervised learning of aging principles from longitudinal data” Avchaciov, K., Antoch, M.P., Andrianova, E.L. et al. Unsupervised learning of aging principles...

This week, Chris welcomes Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Associate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, who’s on a mission to understand, modulate and treat aging and age-related diseases. His research group, The Scheibye-Knudsen Lab, is trying to understand the cellular and organismal consequences of DNA damage &amp; repair with the aim of developing interventions for aging. Morten is also one of the chairs and chief organizers of the highly successful aging research and Drug Discovery conference, ARDD.&nbsp;In this episode, Chris and Morten talk about interventions in the aging process and why it’s important to better understand aging in order to hopefully treat age-related diseases someday. First off, they discuss the contribution of DNA repair pathways to aging, and then Morten explains the diverging consequences of DNA damage, establishing the pivotal role that DNA damage plays in the aging process. From there they delve into how ketones work in the brain, as well as the connection between the ketogenic diet and aging. Finally, Morten shares his experience with clinical trials, the Aging Research &amp; Drug Discovery conference, and some exciting things to look forward to in the aging field.The Finer Details of This Episode:&nbsp;Discussing DNA damage and agingThe importance of intervening in the aging processClinical work and fundingThe connection between a ketogenic diet and agingARDD 2022 ConferenceExciting things in the aging field&nbsp;Quotes:&nbsp;“I think if we're interested in being able to treat diseases and treat chronic diseases, then we really need to understand the root cause of these diseases. And most chronic, non-communicable diseases are age-associated, and aging is the largest risk factor for these diseases. So something happens during aging that makes us susceptible to disease.”“Your brain cannot metabolize fats very well, so it needs an additional food source when sugar is getting very low, and ketones are then a possible food source.”“The ketogenic diet or ketosis had been used even in Roman times.&nbsp; When someone had an epileptic seizure, people thought they were possessed by demons and then they put them in a cell and allowed the demons to burn themselves out. But in reality, they just left them in the cell until they went into ketosis. That's when the ketones probably broke the seizures.”“I think that we still don't exactly know how good they are in terms of aging. But I think this is a really interesting research topic because it has been very difficult to separate the, for example, reduction in blood glucose effect from the increase in ketone effect. So these exogenous ketones will really be key to dissecting that relationship.”“I think this is probably the most exciting part, I would say, of the aging field right now is the greatly expanding field of clinical trials actually targeting aging.”“I can drive a small clinical trial, but to actually get products in the hands of people and drive change for regular people, we need companies, we need industry. ”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website bioagelabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInARDD 2022 Website: <a href="https://agingpharma.org/"...

Optimizing Healthspan through Longevity Medicine (Dr. Andrea Maier – The Center for Healthy Longevity)Dr. Andrea Maier is an internal medicine specialist, geriatrician, and researcher whose work focuses on age-related disease, cellular senescence, and the translation of longevity science into clinical practice. Among her academic appointments are professorships at the Free University, Amsterdam and the Netherlands, the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the National University of Singapore, where she also serves as the co-director of the Center for Healthy Longevity.On today’s episode, Dr. Maier joins host Chris Patil to discuss longevity medicine, her goals for building credibility in this emerging specialty, and how lifestyle changes are key to intervening in the aging process. First, she explains that longevity medicine means optimizing the state of health of an individual before a disease occurs by antagonizing the aging processes to be healthier for longer. This focus on delaying age-related disease differentiates longevity medicine from other specialties in its proactive attempt to prolong the healthspan rather than reacting after a disease has already occurred. Dr. Maier goes on to state her goals for this specialty, including educating laypeople and medical professionals, building a credible foundation and guidelines, and accelerating research in the field. She also suggests some promising areas of research, from diagnostic clocks to the credibility of supplements, as well as discussing lifestyle changes, an intervention already known to be effective against age-related disease. Dr. Maier then discusses her involvement with the first publicly funded outpatient clinic in longevity medicine, which she’ll be opening in Singapore in 2023, and the services it will provide. Finally, Dr. Maier closes the episode with her thoughts on democratizing longevity medicine and the future of the specialty, including her hope that, within ten years, we will see a shift toward preventing and lowering age-related diseases.Episode Highlights:What is longevity medicine?&nbsp;Building credibility in a new specialty The long-term impact of supplements and lifestyle changes Dr. Maier’s new outpatient clinic Democratizing longevity medicineQuotes:“What we would like to achieve is to optimize that function at that moment in time for that individual. And optimizing function means optimizing the cognitive function but also the physical function to prevent that age-related disease.”“Nobody really knows or has really described what the effect is of these supplements over the life course and for whom. I think consumers need to know what the return on investment is of taking these kinds of supplements. On the other side, physicians should know what the possible return of investment is if these kinds of supplements are prescribed to healthy individuals if any.”“We have already interventions in place, we have diagnostics in place. And that’s the reason why I, as an internal medicine specialist, I’m opening the first longevity clinic in a publicly funded hospital because I think it’s time, and I think it’s unethical to not apply this knowledge to the population and just wait until disease occurs.”“Most importantly is that we have to give individuals the choice what they would like to achieve because if we want, as healthcare professionals, too much, and people will not stick to our recipes, nothing will happen. So it has to be a shared decision-making on what to do and what to leave out.”“We should deliver care to everybody who needs our help. And I would say helping means, in my view, to prevent age-related diseases, and thereby reduce the cost to the entire society.”Links:Email questions, comments,

In today’s episode, Chris welcomes Sebastian Brunemeier, a biotech VC and company builder focused on longevity and regenerative medicine. Sebastien is the Co-Founder and General Partner of Healthspan Capital, a longevity VC firm that invests in biotechnology startups developing therapies to slow or reverse aging, and the CEO and Co-Founder of ImmuneAGE Pharma, a new company based on a drug discovery platform for immune rejuvenation.At Healthspan Capital, Sebastian is looking to invest in fellow “true believers” in longevity and regenerative medicine—companies that understand the importance of aging as a focus for biotech and won’t pivot away from longevity as a focus.&nbsp;Sebastian’s newest venture, ImmuneAge Pharma, is focused on rejuvenating the immune system. With over 100 years of combined drug discovery expertise, the company aims to systematically identify small molecules that rejuvenate hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). As Sebastian points out, the goal of longevity and regenerative medicine is not to extend lifespan at any cost, but rather to increase quality-adjusted life years.The Finer Details of This Episode:&nbsp;Healthspan Capital and the importance of aging as a focus for biotechInvesting in fellow believers who won’t pivot away from agingAlzheimer's drug development and the “amyloid mafia”ImmuneAge Pharma and immune aging&nbsp;The importance of restoring immune functionKey misunderstandings of regenerative medicineQuotes:&nbsp;“We noticed that there was a gap in the market for more traditional structured VC, the longevity biotech space, and actually I and my co-founders launched Healthspan because we were looking to invest our own money into a broadly diversified portfolio and a long bio space, and there was no way to do it. So we had to create it ourselves.”“I would argue that if you have a drug that enhances robustness and resilience and extends lifespan, and it works in multiple different animal models and disease, contrived or not, that is a much stronger preclinical signal for efficacy down the road.”“We've already found a couple of interesting molecules that we're doing med chem on to improve their properties that identify the molecular target. And so, we're hopeful that we'll find a whole pipeline of assets that rejuvenate the immune system.”“If we can dramatically improve outcomes for patients who receive chemo, that would be an absolute home run. It's a huge unmet market need. And this is something that I would want for myself and my friends and family to be available.”“We want to gently, slowly replace the existing HSCs in the niche.”“I'm primarily not in this for the money at this point. I am in this to extend healthy lifespan in myself and my loved ones and the world, and showing Big Pharma that there is a new way, another world is possible. We can actually treat disease at the root cause: the fundamental biology of aging.”“We want to compress the time in which we're spending years in poor health at the end of life, which is very expensive for the whole world and the whole system. ”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInHealthspan Capital...

Joining Chris on the podcast today is Nils Regge, Co-founder and Managing Director of Apollo Health Ventures.&nbsp; As a social entrepreneur, company creator, and biotech expert, Nils built Apollo Health Ventures in 2016 to help health tech companies develop methods to prevent and reverse the aging process and extend the healthy human life span.&nbsp;&nbsp;At Apollo, Nils makes use of his dealmaking skills, business knowledge, and prior experience growing startups to help boost the success of biotech and health companies.&nbsp; As the general public becomes increasingly interested in longevity and medical advancements continue to take place at rapid rates, Apollo is a leader in funding and fueling efforts to ensure&nbsp; healthier&nbsp; and longer human lifespans. At the moment,&nbsp; things are looking up as there is a lot of excitement&nbsp; in the industry - however, Regge finds it important to temper that enthusiasm with the right kind of skepticism. &nbsp; In a field in which any new advancement is seemingly revolutionary, it’s crucial to stay grounded.&nbsp;The Finer Details of This Episode:&nbsp;Incentive and organizational structuresFiltering for good ideasApollo’s portfolio of companies&nbsp;Fusing European and American techniques for company buildingThe heightened need for fundingBringing drugs into the clinicQuotes:&nbsp;“If you have something that makes you live 10 years, 20 years, longer, healthier, I think it's the biggest market ever.”“We do company creation, but we also invest in outside companies.”“Because we are in this for the long run, we want to make investors money, we want to show the investors that this is a good place to invest or a good space to invest. And then ultimately, we want to be able to raise more money from other bigger institutional investors.”“You want to create an incentive structure and organizational structure that encourages the right kind of skepticism…you almost want to avoid a certain kind of optimism early on.”“But because of the excitement in the field, and kind of what I think of as the ‘True Believer' phenomenon, I think we are vulnerable to a little bit of hype. And I think that it's a very good idea to bring that down to earth and say, ‘Okay, that's a good idea. Let us figure out the best way to see if it's gonna fail, and do that first.’”“So first of all, it's about getting a drug to the market, that's the most important thing, and making sure it's safe and that it's working.”“There's great science here in Europe, right? So I mean, the universities are great, the people are smart. They're just not as entrepreneurial as they are in the US, per se.”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInApollo Health Ventures Homepage: https://www.apollo.vc&nbsp;Nils Regge on LinkedIn: nils-regge-62ab7a28&nbsp;

In this episode of the BioAge podcast, Ann Beliën joins Chris Patil today to share the story behind Rejuvenate Biomed, and her journey into the longevity sector.&nbsp; She started her career at Johnson &amp; Johnson after receiving her postdoctoral degree, and during her tenure, she worked in scientific, operational, and strategic roles.&nbsp; Twenty years later, she became the founder and CEO of Rejuvenate Biomed, a Belgian company evaluating combinations of safe and synergistic drugs that target physical decline and promote healthy aging.One of Rejuvenate’s main focus areas is sarcopenia, the loss of muscle mass and strength during aging. When muscle decay starts to prevent people from leaving the house and living a quality life, mental health and quality of life decline rapidly.&nbsp; The company’s first combination therapy to reach clinical trials, currently in a Phase 1b study, will be initially tested as a treatment for this complex disease.&nbsp; More clinical trials are in the works, with two new combinations entering preclinical trials next year.The Finer Details of This Episode:&nbsp;Longevity sector outside the U.S.Working for Johnson and JohnsonRejuvenate BioMed’s in silico analysis&nbsp;The complexity of sarcopenia as a diseasePhase 2 clinical trialsThe funding environmentQuotes:&nbsp;““If we want to do something in the longevity space, we need to provide the product in a chronic fashion, and safety is of course very important. So, why not start from something that already has a proven safety record?”“The company is first identifying individual drugs that have interesting properties with respect to aging, and then trying to devise novel combinations of them that can be used to treat age related diseases.”“Aging is not currently an endpoint that can be used as a trial outcome. So to bring drugs to trial, we have to identify appropriate clinical indications.”“People with sarcopenia are not able anymore to go to the store, to leave their house.&nbsp; And the social impact is huge… they become isolated.”“We want to have functional, happy people that are living their lives to their fullest potential for convenience.”“We want to learn as much as possible also from the technical perspective, which can be an added benefit not only to the company, but also to the community on the comparisons of these different methods of measuring muscle mass.”“I think we've also seen that in the United States, where the biggest science story of all of our lifetimes, the COVID pandemic, revealed the importance of thinking hard about diseases that disproportionately affect older people, and the broader ramifications of that for the rest of the population.”“Your advisors should be representing different aspects, different ways of thinking and different challenges. So our advisory boards are always very interesting, because you get all these different perspectives.”“In the aging field, people always dive deep and figure out the positive side and do the learning and just pull it through. And that's what I really like.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInRejuvenate Biomed Homepage: <a...

Today’s guest on the podcast is Marc Bernegger, a serial tech entrepreneur who has been following developments in the field of longevity since 2009. Recently he became a founding partner of the Swiss company, Maximon, whose core missions is building companies and providing support to longevity entrepreneurs.Marc has worked for over a decade between two continents at this point, and his interest in longevity has never been more intense.&nbsp; From aging skin to gut microbiomes, there’s a lot of work and research left to do, and if you’re of Bernegger’s school of thought, longevity is a matter of the present, rather than some notion about the distant future.&nbsp; As you will hear today, Marc is like so many others in his field -&nbsp; putting in the work now to create a better tomorrow.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Finer Details of This Episode:Entrepreneurial supportMaintaining a growing companyThe future of aging skinCooperation in the longevity biotech sectorInvestment attitudes in the US and EuropeSeeing longevity as a present issueQuotes:&nbsp;“Our ambition is to only focus on businesses where there's a real scientific background, so not selling snake oil, which is maybe on the short term very profitable but definitely not sustainable.”“We support them from day one. We help them with all our network experiences and learnings as serial entrepreneurs ourselves. We support them with money. And we really try to be a sparring partner without maybe becoming too annoying.”“​​I think for me as an entrepreneur, that's always very fulfilling that you can give, be an alternative, and create more entrepreneurs starting companies.”“One of the reasons we decided to launch Maximon as a company builder is that we wanted to show that it’s possible to monetize the megatrend of longevity as we speak.”“You can really boost and accelerate the growth by combining some of the different business models.”“By having more elderly, healthy, longer living people, a lot of business models will change. So elderly living is a big topic. Something we're looking into is the whole gut microbiome, but also microbiome in other areas where you have a huge impact on longevity.”“The longevity biotech sector, even in the regulated drugs space, is pretty cooperative. We don't think of ourselves as competitors, because everyone wants everyone else to succeed.”Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInMaximon Homepage

Joining Chris today is Dr. Vadim Gladyshev, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of Redox Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. The Gladyshev lab studies redox biology and trace elements as they relate to cancer, reproduction, and aging. Today, Dr. Gladyshev shares with us how his research group investigates the aging process and how aging is quantified in academic research.Dr. Gladyshev begins by discussing how he got involved in the longevity sector. He goes on to explain that aging has not been clearly defined, and how many researchers define aging differently. He contends that aging should be studied as opposed to age-related diseases because age-related diseases are influenced by other factors aside from aging. The interview concludes with the importance of conferences that address the science of longevity and how these events connect bright minds to tackle unsolved problems in the field.Episode Highlights:How Dr. Gladyshev got involved in aging The relationship between selenium and longevity How longevity is studied in the Gladyshev lab What is rejuvenation? The importance of measuring the aging process using clocks Using experimental and computational methods to alter clocks How the biotech industry quantifies aging Targeting aging and not age-related diseases The importance of conferences targeting longevityQuotes:“In general we try to address fundamental questions in the biology of aging — really trying to understand, ‘What is aging? How can we fundamentally adjust lifespan or target aging?’ … And we try to identify new areas of potential growth for the field.”“We work on cross-species analysis to understand how the lifespan is shaped over evolutionary timescales and how we can utilize what we learn from evolution in targeting aging and lifespan.”“Many changes can be measured as an organism moves from young to old. So this might be useful for measuring the progress of normal aging. But when you're intervening in aging, you don't want to reverse all of those changes, because some of those changes are evidence of the body's protective responses in action.”“Just to play devil's advocate for a second: why would you want to target aging if you still got sick and died at the same rate?”“Mortality is an integrative feature of not just the aging process, but interaction with the environment.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInDr. Vadim’s LinkedinGladyshev lab WebsiteGladyshev lab Twitter

Joining Chris today is Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO and Co-founder of Insilico Medicine, an artificial intelligence–driven pharma-technology company with a mission to accelerate drug discovery and development. Alex is a lifelong advocate for longevity biotech and the author of The Ageless Generation: How Advances in Biomedicine Will Transform the Global Economy. Today, Alex shares the accomplishments that Insilico Medicine has achieved in drug discovery and how AI and robotics come into play.The episode begins with Alex narrating his experience in the field of longevity and how his interest developed at a young age. He discusses the reason behind building Insilico Medicine, how AI and robotics aid drug discovery in the longevity industry, and how biology and chemistry play a significant role at Insilico Medicine. The episode ends with Alex describing the future he sees for Insilico Medicine and how they can improve human life using AI to advance drug discovery and data generation.Episode Highlights:What fueled Alex’s interest in longevity Building Insilico Medicine How tech is used at Insilico Medicine The role of AI and robotic systems How AI and robotic systems can improve the longevity space The future of Insilico MedicineQuotes:“It always fascinated me how we grow, mature, reach our peak, and then decline and die. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you do, you lose everything… So, the rest of my life is dedicated to aging research.”“We started generating novel molecular structures with the desired properties, and managed to achieve spectacular results.”“In human clinical trials, we realized that we can use some incremental data that could be generated using a robotic system. So now we're building one of the most advanced labs in the world focused on data generation, and also personalized medicine that can take in specific biological samples.”“BioAge is one of the leaders in the space, showcasing that it can identify targets using longitudinal data that is available from biobanks.”“We trained neural networks to predict age first, and then retrain them on diseases or on other conditions, that is, any data type that is changing in time.”“By training on age, you are training on the most important feature that connects all of us.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInInsilico Medicine

Back in the host's chair this week, Bob Hughes welcomes Dr. Bill Evans, one of the world's foremost experts on muscle aging, to the podcast. Bill is adjunct professor of Human Nutrition at University of California Berkeley and an adjunct professor of medicine in the Geriatrics Program at Duke. Previously, he was vice president and head of Muscle Metabolism Discovery Performance Unit at GlaxoSmithKline and he was also president of the Muscle and Health Division at KineMed. He was also president of the Muscle and Health Division at KineMed. Earlier this year, he was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 International Conference on Frailty, and Sarcopenia Research. Today, Bill brings his vast amount of experience and expertise to the podcast to discuss how muscle aging affects longevity in older people and the relationship between muscle aging and age-related diseases.He begins by sharing his experience in the longevity industry, particularly with muscle aging, and goes on to discuss the term ‘sarcopenia’, including what it means and how it relates to muscle degeneration. He then explains the differences between sarcopenia and cachexia, and referring to several studies, shares the meaning of frailty, the relation of walking speed with age, and the importance of the brain–muscle connection. At the conclusion of the episode, Bill discusses the future of muscle aging and how the longevity industry hopes to find solutions that will improve the lives of people on a global scale.Episode Highlights:Bill’s journey in the muscle aging industry Why muscle degeneration? The origin of the term ‘sarcopenia’ The differences between sarcopenia and cachexia Is sarcopenia due to dysregulation of neuronal inputs? The contribution of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers in aging Sarcopenia and age-related diseases What is frailty? Why our walking speed slows down as we age The relation between exercise and psychological state The brain-muscle connection The future of the longevity industry from Bill’s viewpointQuotes:“What are some of the causes of late life disability? How does muscle change as we grow older? Why do we lose muscle?”“A large percentage of women in particular over the age of 60 reported that they couldn't even lift 10 pounds. And the muscle weakness progressed as they grew older.”“The primary deficit and functional deficit as we grow older is loss of strength. And that is directly related to how much muscle we have.”“Cachexia is associated with a rapid increase in the breakdown of muscle, while sarcopenia is associated with a more gradual decrease in the rate of synthesis of muscle.”“People generally over the age of 75, have circulating markers of inflammation.”“People with type two diabetes and insulin resistance lose muscle at almost double the rate of people with normal glucose tolerance.”“If we improve strength in an older person, their spontaneous activity goes up. And their habitual walking speed goes up as well.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInDr. Bill

This week’s episode of Translating Aging features Robin Mansukhani, CEO and Co-founder of Deciduous Therapeutics, a company that aims to positively impact human healthspan by developing medicines which activate the endogenous immune mechanism responsible for the elimination of senescent cells. Today, Robin shares his insights on how senescent cells develop and how Deciduous Therapeutics eliminates them.Robin begins by explaining what causes the growth of senescent cells. He explains that not all senescent cells are dangerous and discusses the various kinds of these cells. Although senescent cells are prominent in age-related diseases, Robin explains that they are also found in younger people with autoimmune diseases such as juvenile diabetes. He goes on to talk about Deciduous Therapeutics’ approach in combating senescent cells by activating the NKT cells. He also shares his thinking about the best directions for human trials. The episode concludes with Robin describing the future of Deciduous Therapeutics, and his focus on impacting people globally in a meaningful way.In this episode, you’ll learn how senescence arises, traditional senolytic approaches, and the importance of NKT cells in eliminating these pathogenic celss.Episode Highlights:The origin of senescent cells Why are senescent cells highly pathogenic? Breaking down the different kinds of senescent cells The relationship between senescent cells and age-related diseases Senolytics and senostatics: approaches for getting rid of senescent cells Deciduous Therapeutics’ approach What happens when senescent cells overpower NKT cells? The role alpha-galactosyl ceramide on NKT cells The current hurdles Deciduous Therapeutics are trying to overcome How Robin see Deciduous Therapeutics in five yearsQuotes:“Senescent cells are cells that have been irreversibly damaged, and so they exit the cell cycle.”“It's not about the age of the person. It's more about the biological age of the organ and tissue. So we see senescence, also, in young people.”“If you can take a senescent cell that's pathogenic and make it good again, and make it functional again safely and successfully, that would be very useful.”“The approach here and our mindset going into creating this company was: there's a way that nature intended for this to happen, and it is our job to figure that out.”“Getting the first indication to work means that you'll have a runway to lots of success. But if your first one does not work, in a lot of cases, it might mean the end of the company or the end of the runway because you simply don't get enough funding for multiple clinical trials at once. So it is critical.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInDeciduous Therapeutics Website DeciduousTx.com

In today’s episode of Translating Aging, Chris welcomes Mark Hamalainen, the founder and director of LessDeath, to discuss how to encourage the influx of talents into the longevity field. LessDeath is an organization on a mission to support the growth and effectiveness of the longevity industry’s workforce. Today, Mark shares with us his experience in the longevity space, why he founded LessDeath, and what to expect at the upcoming LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp.Noting that his experience in the longevity space was propelled by his fascination as a teenager, Mark goes on to share details about leaving his Ph.D. program to get hands-on experience in the longevity world and discover the many talents represented in the industry. He speaks about founding LessDeath, what the organization hopes to achieve, the inaugural LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp and the gap this event is hoping to bridge in the industry. Included in this episode are interviews with Stephanie Dainow and Kia Winslow, camp counselors for the Longevity Summer Camp, in which they share the kinds of talent they expect to attract to the event and the kinds of activities that will take place.Episode Highlights:How Mark got involved in the longevity space The biggest issue in the longevity field The different talents prospering in the biotech field Why gene delivery and gene therapy require more technological development The challenges with getting people into the longevity biotech field How LessDeath tackles the talent issue and encourages networking The LessDeath Longevity Summer Camp Interview with Stephanie Dainow How Stephanie got into the longevity space Interview with Kia Winslow Kia’s story of getting into biotech What is next for LessDeath?Quotes:“I started a Ph.D. at Cambridge working on some gene therapy development. But I quickly got a bit disillusioned with the pace and the amount of extra work involved in grant writing, bureaucracy, and academia.”“A lot of people would prefer to work on important problems like longevity, climate change, building a multiplanetary species. But it can be difficult to know where to start, and how to build a sustainable career out of it.”“I've never liked the idea of getting older and losing my faculties and physical capabilities.”“If you want to invest your time supporting initiatives that drive measurable improvement to the human condition, but you're really not sure where to start, this is the event for you.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInLessDeath Website LessDeath.OrgApply for LessDeath Longevity Summer CampMark’s LinkedIn

On today’s episode of Translating Aging, Chris welcomes Tyler Golato and Laurence Ion to talk about VitaDAO, a collective accelerating research in human longevity and decentralized drug development.&nbsp; The pair start the conversation off by discussing their company’s roots -&nbsp; a previous business venture that sought to change the incentive structures around drug development.&nbsp; VitaDAO was created as a means to support biological longevity research through decentralized means.&nbsp;&nbsp;They go on to discuss VitaDAO’s future, how they can increase liquidity, and their goals to advance drug development.&nbsp; Golato and Ion argue that the present is a perfect time to create VitaDAO, given the current intersection between biotech, block chain, and longevity research.&nbsp; They conclude by recalling the early-life dreams that inspired them to enter this field.&nbsp;Episode Highlights:The essence of VitaDAOChanging the incentive structures around drug developmentThe partners’ passion for longevityVitaDAO’s decentralized structure&nbsp;Project sourcing and fundingIncreasing liquidityGoals to end drug developmentThe intersection of biotech, block chain, and longevityWhy Tyler and Laurence are interested in longevityQuotes:&nbsp;“VitaDAO was born out of an early concept that we had been working on at a company called Molecule, which is a company that I co-founded about three years ago with a vision of doing decentralized drug development.”“It's not completely open, completely decentralized to the point where it's paralyzing for the organization, but we try to look at the things that are most valuable to decentralize in order to make the organization as maximally efficient as possible.”“We really try to make it as easy as possible for token holders to make informed decisions about whether or not something is ultimately worth funding. We like to do so once we're at the point where we ensure that we can actually progress with a deal.”“We are distinctly different from a venture fund in terms of our endpoint is not really ROI impact, it's really impact in the space. And that comes in many different forms, in terms of taking a diversified approach to funding longevity research.”“Even if we spin out a NewCo, these contributors can vote on what projects are funded, how they are spun out, and then they can co-invest and help these therapeutics eventually come to market.”“In the long term, we really hope to be able to do a lot of things within the decentralized science ecosystem as the space broadens and has liquidity to do so through partnerships with organizations like Molecule and LabDAO.”“Certain things like clinical trials don't yet have a business model. So we can create one by having either philanthropic groups, patient groups or even a government/life insurance company that has an economic incentive to improve health outcomes.”“Crypto has long been dismissed by the incumbents.”“People who are really looking at how technology and innovation can drive humanity forward and drive the way that we govern.”“What problem is more interesting than human aging? I mean, for me, it's so philosophical; it's so poetic.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE...

On today’s episode of Translating Aging, Chris welcomes Nathan Cheng, the program director at On Deck Longevity Biotech (ODLB), to discuss how ODLB is cultivating new founders and connecting people in the longevity biotech space. Nathan writes about the longevity biotech industry in his Longevity Marketcap Newsletter, is the founder of Longevity List which aims to connect job seekers, companies and investors in the longevity industry, and is on a self-professed mission to end biological aging, Today, he tells us about the purpose of ODLB, its achievements thus far, and the bridge it hopes to build in the longevity biotech industry.Nathan begins the conversation by discussing what On Deck is and why the company was formed. He briefly narrates his journey in tech, what increased his interest in the longevity space, and the mission of the ODLB, as well as how the fellowship works towards creating founders. He goes on to discuss the obstacles many face when they get accepted in the fellowship and how ODLB works to reduce those obstacles by promoting face-to-face interactions. Also contained in this episode are brief interviews with ODLB fellows Brian Hodge and Gabe Warshauer-Baker.Episode Highlights:What is On Deck? Nathan’s journey in the longevity space On Deck Longevity Biotech’s (ODLB) mission The importance of connecting those in the longevity biotech space How mentors contribute in ODLB Does the startup culture reward extroverts over introverts? Getting into the ODLB fellowship Interviews with ODLB fellows Feats the ODLB has achieved The future of the longevity biotech spaceQuotes:“At a high level, On Deck is where people come to start and accelerate their companies. It's also a place where people start and accelerate their careers in the startup economy.”“What makes On Deck unique is that it's a huge network of interconnected program communities. So we have communities centered around specific career goals.”“ODLB’s mission is to increase the number of people working to build longevity biotech startups.”“For some people coming from the scientific domain, this whole idea of networking is foreign to them or nebulous.”“We're gonna generate new founders, but among the people who decide for whatever reason not to become founders, we also want them to be encouraged and empowered to be involved in longevity biotech in some other capacity.”“Putting ourselves on the map for people who are interested in building longevity biotech, I think that is our greatest achievement so far. ”“So I think just more efforts in popularizing this geroscience paradigm, you know, actually targeting aging, I think there's a lot to be done there as well.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInOn Deck Longevity Biotech WebsiteNathan Cheng Twitter

In today's episode, Chris is joined by two leaders of the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives, A4LI, the first and only 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization founded with the goal of creating social and political action around the issues of combating age-related chronic conditions and increasing our number of healthy, disease-free years.&nbsp; Sonia Arrison is a best-selling author, analyst, entrepreneur, and investor who is founder of 100 Plus Capital, Chair of the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives, co-founder of Unsugarcoat Media (acquired by Medium), and an associate founder of Singularity University. Dylan Livingston, the founder and president of A4LI, has a background in political organizing at the state and national levels.The conversation begins with our guests reviewing their journey to the world of longevity science and ultimately A4LI. They then explore many aspects of their organization including the needs it will address, the obstacles it will encounter and how it will overcome them, and its plan for succeeding in its mission. They go on to share what they have already accomplished, their ties on both sides of the aisle in Congress, Silicon Valley's current perspective on their work, and how listeners can help them achieve their mission. Drawing the episode to a close, Sonia and Dylan share their vision for what success would look like for A4LI five years down the road.In this episode, you will learn about the need for an organization such as A4LI to create social and political action around age-related conditions, and how our guests plan to fill this need both&nbsp; now and into the future.Episode Highlights:Sonia and Dylan's journey to the area of longevity and longevity science How they both came to be involved with A4LI The unmet needs that A4LI will address The obstacles it will meet in pursuing its mission and how it will overcome them The sense in which biology of aging is underfunded A4LI's plan for succeeding in its mission The Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy designation What it has accomplished already The ties it has made with both Democrats and Republicans&nbsp;Silicon Valley's perspective on their work How researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors can help A4LI Sonia and Dylan's vision of success for A4LI in 5 yearsQuotes:“Sonia has been intimately involved since the organization's inception. And I'm really happy that she is able to be the chair of the board because her leadership and guidance has been absolutely crucial.”“Essentially A4LI will be establishing a line of communication between the longevity industry and elected officials.”“There's a lot of longevity companies out there who are doing some really cool things that are going to extend our health spans. And, and so we need to make sure that the atmosphere is right for that.”“We look to kind of educate, you know, not only politicians, but also the voting public on what's possible.”“What we're saying here is, what I hear you saying is, it should be okay for a company to say we're a longevity company.”“You'd think that the government would want to fund that more, and they should, because of the e massive impact that a drug that treats aging could have.”“Even if funding is coming in from the private sector, biotech companies still stand to gain from formalized efforts, because they're going to get a smoother regulatory environment and potentially greater legitimacy for the products and ideas that they're developing. ““By simply doing what other advocacy efforts do - that is public persuasion campaigns, their advertising - I think we can really open...

Today’s guest is Dr. Morgan Levine, an assistant professor of Pathology and Epidemiology at Yale School of Medicine. She is also a Founding Principal Investigator at Altos, a new biotechnology company focused on cellular rejuvenation programming to restore cell health and resilience. Dr. Levine shares her expertise on biological aging, aging clocks, cellular reprogramming, and a peek into the research she’s currently undertaking at Altos here today.She starts the conversation by explaining the differences between biological aging and chronological aging. She then delves into topics surrounding biological clocks such as DNA methylation, and discusses her work at Altos and how this will differ from an academic environment.&nbsp; Dr. Levine finishes up by highlighting what Altos hopes to bring to science and biotech in years to come.In today’s episode, you’ll learn the difference between biological and chronological aging, the nature of biological clocks, and some of the exciting work taking place in biotechnology these days.Episode Highlights:The difference between chronological aging and biological aging What is an epigenome? How DNA methylation is measured Using aging clocks for a particular demographics How to decide if a discovery slows the biological clock Applications of clocks as it pertains to aging and longevity The costs of individual measurements Dr. Morgan’s work at Altos How Altos was founded Deciding the direction of research Understanding cellular reprogramming The future at AltosQuotes:“Age measured in chronological time was the biggest risk factor for most diseases.”“I like to think of the epigenome as almost the operating system of a cell.”“The things that we assume should affect aging, in potentially an animal model, show effects when using the epigenetic clock.”“We've actually taken the human epigenetic clock and broken them out into.. what we would call different modules.”&nbsp;“If we're measuring biological age, it should first correlate with chronological age to some degree, but not perfectly.”“We’ve become much more interested in understanding the clocks rather than developing new clocks… What’s driving the changes that are captured by the clocks, and how do those link to the outcomes they’re associated with?”“My lab is really a combination of both experimental wet lab people and computational dry lab people.”“I think&nbsp; saying we just work on aging, or just work on longevity, is really constraining us to some degree.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInDr. Morgan’s LinkedInAltos Labs Website

Today’s guest is Dr. Thomas Rando, Professor, Neurology; Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, and a pioneer in stem cell biology and the biology of aging. Dr. Rando is the Director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the co-founder and Chair of the Board of Directors at Fountain Therapeutics. In today’s episode, he shares information surrounding cell cycle, parabiosis, and replacement therapy.Dr. Rando begins by explaining why the cell cycle is important and the place of aging cells in the world of cell cycle. He explains the quiescent states of cells and how heterochronic parabiosis has been tested on animals to determine if cells in a younger animal can be used to activate those in an older animal. He also discusses how three factors impact aging: genetics, diet, and exercise.In this episode, you’ll learn the meaning and importance of cell cycle and parabiosis and how they both relate to aging.Episode Highlights:Dr. Rando’s transition from neurology to stem cell biology The importance of cell cycle Why aging cells do not repair tissues Exploring the quiescent state How heterochronic parabiosis works Chronic inflammation in older people Does exercise benefit the tissues in the body? The connection between exercise and replacement therapy The relation between diet and longevity What are ketogenic diets? Dr. Rando’s thoughts on supplementation The future of stem cell therapy Can bone marrow be used to rejuvenate older people? Can stem cell therapy treat Alzheimer's disease? Transitioning from an academic to a founderQuotes:“Why is it that we heal our injuries and wounds less well as we age?”“The older we get, the more difficult it is to activate these cells out of that state. And you can imagine that if a cell is dormant, and you can't wake it up, it's not going to do very well in terms of repairing tissues.”“There's no free lunch here. What benefits the old animal hurts the young animal.”“The only reason why a species survives and thrives and continues is because of reproduction.”“No one wants to calorically restrict for their whole life. I mean, no one wants to go through their life eating 30%.”“Anything that we can do to find a healthy diet that is palatable and sustainable, and prevents obesity will be a good thing.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInFountain Therapeutics

Dr. Marco Demaria is an Associate Professor in Cellular Ageing at the Medical Faculty of the University of Groningen. In 2018, he co-founded a start-up company, Cleara Biotech, devoted to developing anti-senescence drugs. Today, Dr. Demaria shares his insights and research on how senescence promotes aging and factors that promote the creation of senescent cells.In this episode, Dr. Demaria explains what cellular senescence means and discusses the good and bad that comes with having senescent cells in the body. He explains the role of senolytics in combating senescent cells and how senescent cells could be the cause of the severity of COVID in older people.In this episode, you’ll learn how senescent cells contribute to aging, the evolution of the senescent field, some current studies in the field, and what Dr. Demaria hopes to see in the field in years to come.Episode Highlights:What is cellular senescence?The positive and negative sides of senescent cells The role of senescent cells in agingWhat is the heterogeneity of senescence?Using senolytic drugs to eliminate senescent cellsHow does hypoxia affect senescent cells?The relation between senescence and COVID in the elderlyDr. Demaria’s progress in his study and work at Cleara BiotechThe evolution of the senescence field in the past 12 yearsExperiments Dr. Demaria would like to see doneQuotes:“A cell that is in an early senescence state seems to be different from a senescence cell in a late state.”“The next generation of senolytic drugs should definitely focus on dissecting the targets that they want to reach, because of the potential side effect of administering a general senolytic that could interfere with beneficial senescence.”“What we call senolytic drugs and compounds are mostly repurposed drugs.”“We also want to make this study of stem cell longevity in mice and in mouse tissues, because we think that might be another mechanism by which we can improve health, which is maintaining the stem cell pool because we retard the aging of the stem cells.”“There are two prominent senescence groups that are now using senolytics in the clinic for COVID-19 patients.”“There is no magic bullet so far that we have found but just because we haven't probably combined the right interventions at the right moment in the right context.”“The experiments I would like to see done are to combine approaches that target different aspects of aging.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInCleara Biotech Website

The TAME trial and beyond (Dr. Nir Barzilai)Dr. Nir Barzilai is the founding director of the Institute for Aging Research, the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging, and the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He is also the author of the book Age Later. Today, Dr. Nir brings his expertise to the podcast for a discussion regarding longevity and aging.Nir starts the conversation with a discussion on the existing regulatory frameworks that create impediments to the longevity biotech sector such as the FDA regulations. He also explores the use of metformin in combating age-related diseases, the clinical trials surrounding metformin being carried out in the Longevity Biotech Association, dealing with members of&nbsp; the government, and his perspective regarding what longevity biotech will be like in 5 years.In this episode, you’ll learn the uses of metformin and its relation to age-related diseases and what Nir hopes to see in the longevity industry in years to come .Episode Highlights:The existing regulatory frameworks that create impediments to the longevity biotech sectorWhat is metformin and its relationship with age-related disease?Targeting aging with metformin — the TAME trialHow other biomarkers would be tracked in the studyThe future of the trials and what is set to happen after it endsExamining the economics The mission of the Longevity Biotech AssociationThe longevity industry in 5 yearsChallenges that come with conversing with the Government concerning longevity and aging Quotes:“Aging drives diseases and those diseases can be delayed.”“If aging drives all diseases, then it's the mother of diseases.”“After all, what are we trying to do? We are trying to prevent a cluster of age related diseases.”“Even if metformin doubles in price because of demand, it's still going to be the cheapest drug in the pharmacy.”“There are nine studies that show that people on metformin had less hospitalization, and less mortality from COVID if they were on metformin.”“Science is not a bipartisan issue.”“We need to extend the field and extend the actual funding to do it.”Links:Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcastBIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.comBIOAGE Labs Twitter @bioagelabsBIOAGE Labs LinkedInDr. Nir Barzilai’s Twitter

Professor Steven Austad is a distinguished researcher in geroscience and the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He's also the Director of the Nathan Shock Center at UAB and the Senior Scientific Director of the American Federation for Aging Research.Today, Professor Austad joins Bob Hughes to discuss the biology of aging. He begins by narrating the discovery that sparked his interest in aging and his transition from animal behavior to the biology of aging. He discusses how these discoveries led him to the rate of living theory—the idea that the rate of aging is determined by your metabolic rate—and explains a somewhat paradoxical aspect to this theory: the hummingbird, which has a high metabolic rate, is&nbsp; relatively long-lived. He goes on to review evolutionary ideas to understand the rate of living theory, shares his striking discovery about how possums age more slowly in the absence of predation, and describes both why birds of flight live longer than terrestrial birds and the unusually long lifespan of bats.Professor Austad talks of how natural history observations can accelerate more molecular and pharmacologic insights into human health, explaining, “Evolution is smarter than you.” He shares his perspective of the research enterprise: what we do well, what we don't do well, and how we can be better. He also details where he stands on aging in the private sector and for-profit aging companies, the mechanisms of age-related decline, and gives details about his bet with Jay Olshansky about a 150-year-old person being alive by 2150. Finally, Professor Austad reveals his expectations on whether more people will live to be more than 120 or 150 in the second half of the century due to interventions, and shares what he would focus on if he was given $1 billion.In this episode, you'll learn about aging in animals and humans and the factors that determine their longevity. You also hear about aging in the private sector as well as&nbsp; comparing today's interventions to aging with evolutionary stimulus.Episode Highlights:Professor Austad's transition from animal behavior to aging The striking differences&nbsp; in aging between a South American species of opossums and mice The rate of living theory The constant heartbeat theory—understanding the impact of heartbeat rate and longevity An alternative to the rate of living theory—the evolutionary approach Professor Austad's study and discovery on the aging of possums without predator interference Why birds of flight live longer than terrestrial birds Current estimates on bat longevity and why bats have a long lifespan How natural history observations can accelerate more molecular or pharmacologic insights into human health How evolution is smarter than humans Professor Austad's view of the research enterprise Aging in the private sector and for-profit aging companies Mechanisms in age-related decline Professor Austad's bet with Jay Olshansky about a living 150-year-old person by 2150.Quotes:"The interesting thing is that project was about the sex ratio of the pups and was eventually published in Nature. And by the time it came out, I totally lost interest in that project, and I was off studying aging.""Evolution has this wonderful capacity to take a single-cell fertilized egg and have it develop into a healthy adult in some kind of species. It would seem to be just much easier to simply maintain that healthy adult once you have it, but yet it's almost ubiquitous that when aging occurs, that healthy adult gradually loses its health.""One of the...

Dr. Nabiha Saklayen is CEO &amp; co-founder of Cellino, a personalized regenerative medicine company developing an AI-guided laser editing platform for autologous cell-based therapies. Cellino’s proprietary technology aims to make personalized stem cell-derived therapies scalable for the first time. Dr. Saklayen received her Ph.D. in Physics from Harvard University as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) International Fellow.&nbsp;In this episode, she joins Chris Patil to discuss autologous cell therapy and the strides Cellino has made in cell therapy using Machine Learning and laser technology. Dr. Saklayen talks about the challenges that come with autologous cell therapy, particularly in the manufacturing and cost aspect, and how Cellino infuses automation to make this procedure easier. She discusses how machine learning is integrated in the whole process and gives a brief insight into her career as a physicist and founding Cellino. She rounds up by discussing the future of Cellino and how Cellino strives to provide solutions in cell therapy that would change the world one patient at a time and at low cost.&nbsp;In this episode, you’ll learn what cell therapy is and how Dr. Saklayen, through Cellino, is reshaping the world of cell therapy and biotech as we know it.&nbsp;Episode Highlights:&nbsp;●&nbsp; What is cell therapy?●&nbsp; Defining autologous cell therapies●&nbsp; Examining the challenges with autologous cell therapy●&nbsp; Cellino as a thought leader in the biotech industry●&nbsp; The power of automation and laser therapy●&nbsp; How machine learning contributes●&nbsp; Dr. Saklayen’s career journey●&nbsp; Going from a blood cell to a stem cell -&nbsp; Sendai virus and&nbsp; episomal vectors●&nbsp; How to determine the success of an IPSC induction●&nbsp; The future of Cellino●&nbsp; Targeting diseases of aging●&nbsp; How Cellino is providing solutions in aging aspects●&nbsp; Cell therapies over small molecules●&nbsp; Cellino’s goal for the next five years&nbsp;Quotes:&nbsp;“Cell therapy is a therapy where you make new cells for the patient and transplant them into the body to change the outcome of a disease or trajectory of a disease.”&nbsp;“It's about throughput. It's about yield. It's about consistency.”&nbsp;“The way we automate this process is by using machine learning algorithms that have been trained to look at images of cells and tell us which cells are high quality and which cells are not.”&nbsp;“It's really amazing to be able to tap into image-based machine learning algorithms and route the autonomous self-driving car industry towards advancing a lot of the neural nets that we're using in our training.”&nbsp;“I decided I want to be closer to real-world applications.”&nbsp;“Working together as an industry is going to be very important.”&nbsp;“Where we'd like to be in five years is we want to have our platform developed to a point where we can generate high quality patient specific cells in a reproducible manner, and do that for clinical doses.”&nbsp;Links:&nbsp;Email questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected]&nbsp;Translating Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcast&nbsp;BIOAGE Labs Website BIOAGELabs.com&nbsp;BIOAGE Labs Twitter...

Dr. James Peyer, PhD, is the Founder and CEO of Cambrian Biopharma, a Distributed xDevelopment Company developing therapeutics targeting the biological drivers of aging.Cambrian Biopharma brings together experts, scientists, and experienced company builders in a new model of entrepreneurship related to health span and aging. Dr. Peyer was previously the founder of Apollo Ventures, a successful venture capital firm focused on the longevity biotech space. He has spoken on the topic of longevity biotech and investing for Bloomberg, The Economist, TEDx, Longevity Leaders, ETH Zurich, and the Max Planck Institute on the Biology of Aging.&nbsp;Today, Dr. Peyer joins host Chris Patil to discuss venture capitalism in the longevity space and the new models that are changing the game. After discussing his previous experiences with VC, Dr. Peyer introduces the Distributed Development Company (DISCO) model, which allows scientists to partner with an umbrella company (like Cambrian) instead of selling their discovery to a pharma company. He explains how this model allows investors to support scientists through the whole process of drug development, from initial idea to commercialization, while prioritizing the quality of the science above everything else. Dr. Peyer then goes on to give some details about Cambrian’s success so far and how it sources and supports up-and-coming talent in the longevity field. He finishes up by making some predictions about the future of biotech companies and how the DISCO model will have a big role to play.&nbsp;In this episode, you’ll learn about venture capitalism’s role in scientific discovery and development and why Dr. Peyer believes a new model is necessary to remove the inefficiencies in the current process.&nbsp;Episode Highlights:&nbsp;· &nbsp; Dr. Peyer’s experience with Apollo Ventures and why he’s moved on to Cambrian Biopharma· &nbsp; The future of the longevity space will come in two stages: reusing insights into what makes us age to build drugs for today, and using those safe and effective drugs to slow down the rate of aging in healthy people· &nbsp; In the long run, company-based models will be better than fund-based ones for the longevity space· &nbsp; The Distributed Development Company model (aka DISCO)· &nbsp; Cambrian started with three programs and has scaled up to over fourteen in two years· &nbsp; Cambrian prioritizes the quality of the science over hype· &nbsp; Cambrian has raised about $160 million since 2019, including $100 million Series C financing at the end of October· &nbsp; Cambrian sources talent through constant monitoring of the scientific field· &nbsp; The DISCO model was designed to correct inefficiencies in the process of getting funding for scientists and their discoveries· &nbsp; Drug development is a risky process, and Cambrian ensures success by carefully monitoring progress at every stage· &nbsp; Being a bona fide longevity biotech organization means being willing to support every single program from funding to commercialization· &nbsp; There are opportunities to partner with big pharma companies, but commitment to the whole process is the default· &nbsp; Cambrian’s two publicly-disclosed programs are with Vita Therapeutics, a cell engineering company run out of Johns Hopkins· &nbsp; One of the advantages Cambrian can provide to scientists is the ability to keep their discoveries as trade secrets as long as possible to maximize their patent lifespan· &nbsp; The potential for the DISCO model to be used in other fields beyond longevity· &nbsp; The possibility of failure and how Cambrian works to avoid it by being realistic and strategic and bringing expertise on board· &nbsp; DISCO works really well for asset-centric breakthroughs made by...

Professor Michael Snyder is the Chair of Genetics at Stanford School of Medicine, where his research group develops and uses technologies to study biological regulatory networks and applies these approaches to understand human variation and health. He's founded multiple biotech startups and has authored a book titled Genomics and Personalized Medicine: What Everyone Needs to Know.&nbsp;Today, Professor Snyder joins host Bob Hughes to discuss the impact of big data on human health. He reviews the results of his research, carried out on 109 people including himself, which entails collecting numerous types of health data and building an informative data profile, as opposed to the traditional approach of collecting just a few pieces of information. He goes on to share his personal story of how collecting deep data on himself helped him change his lifestyle after being diagnosed as a type two diabetic - using precision medicine to control diabetes. Professor Snyder also explores how DNA methylation can be used to track aging patterns and ageotypes, as well as the relationship between aging and Big Data collection, and also discusses health and longevity from his viewpoint, particularly from the standpoint of boosting the immune system.&nbsp;In this episode, you’ll learn how Big Data can influence our health, and why Professor Snyder believes that the transformation of healthcare begins with deep-diving into data.&nbsp;Episode Highlights:&nbsp;●&nbsp; Understanding precision medicine and personalized medicine●&nbsp; How Big Data influences individual health●&nbsp; Professor Snyder’s research results on 109 people●&nbsp; The impacts of deep data profiles●&nbsp; How Professor Snyder changed his lifestyle after deep-diving into his data●&nbsp; Using precision medicine to control diabetes●&nbsp; DNA Methylation and tracking aging patterns●&nbsp; Selection criteria for the 109 research subjects●&nbsp; Professor Snyder’s growth over the years from yeast biology●&nbsp; Human health and longevity from Professor Snyder’s viewpoint&nbsp;Quotes:&nbsp;“We're actually much more focused, I would say, on precision health, trying to keep people healthy at an individualized level, and trying to use big data to do just that.”&nbsp;“We're in a world now where you can just collect so much deeper data on people.”&nbsp;“I liken it to a jigsaw puzzle. If I want to see what the picture is in a puzzle, looking at one or two pieces of a 1000 person puzzle isn't going to tell me the picture, even 15 pieces probably won't do it. But I want to look at as many pieces as possible. And that's what big data is all about.”&nbsp;“One aspect is to collect data, the other is to do it over time.”&nbsp;“A lot of people who survived the COVID infections wind up being type two diabetics on a 4% increase, which is a pretty large number of people.”&nbsp;“Everybody has different aging patterns, and so the way we think about this is like a car. Your car as a whole gets older over time, but some parts wear out first. ”&nbsp;“Having good biomarkers for aging, we think, is a big deal.”&nbsp;“Why are we measuring 15 things? We should be measuring thousands.”&nbsp;“There's a ton of investment going into longevity these days - billions of dollars now into these new startups.”&nbsp;“Your immune system starts plummeting in your 60s, as I say, and that just leaves you more and more vulnerable anytime after that.”&nbsp;“I think we can transform healthcare. I think you'll see big changes in the next 10 years in terms of home testing, all this sort of...

Ben Kamens is the founder and CEO of Spring Discovery, a company devoted to accelerating therapies for aging and its diseases. Prior to that, Ben was the first engineer for Khan Academy, which provides free online education to millions of users around the world. Today Ben joins host Chris Patil to discuss Spring Discovery’s mission to increase healthy lifespan and dramatically reduce disease, his experience with Khan Academy and how it connected to his work in biotechnology, and overcoming challenges in the field of aging.&nbsp;Ben tells Chris about his pragmatic approach to building a company, how Spring Discovery plans to accelerate drug discovery and clinical development, and their collegial relationship with BioAge and other companies in the longevity biotech sector. Ben chats about Spring Discovery’s recent Series B funding, then offers a sneak peek into their therapeutic pipeline, and details his experience running a nonprofit clinical trial for a generic drug to fight against COVID, including what this taught him about testing drugs for age-related indications. Finally, Ben shares his favorite aspect of longevity science that his company is not currently working on, and where he sees the field of aging moving toward over the next five to ten years.To learn more about Ben and Spring Discovery’s work to accelerate drug discovery with machine learning, visit springdiscovery.com.Episode Highlights:Ben Kamens is the founder and CEO of Spring Discovery; he was also the first engineer for Khan AcademyIntroduction to Spring Discovery and how recent Series B funding will help the company advance its work to increase healthy lifespan and dramatically reduce diseaseHis initial skepticism and passion for fighting disease&nbsp;Overcoming obstacles in the field of agingBuilding value and resources as a company over timeAccelerating drug discovery and clinical developmentMachine learning approachSpring Discovery’s therapeutic pipelineBen’s involvement running a nonprofit clinical trial for a generic drug against COVID, and what this taught him about testing drugs for age-related indicationsYou can read Ben’s article “COVID-19 is the latest disease to point at our need to treat immune aging” hereFavorite aspect of longevity science that his company is not currently working onQuotes:“I couldn't think of a more important mission to try to enable than battling diseases of aging. And our mission is to give the best technology possible to these people who are doing what we think is the most important work possible.”“I came to this field as an outsider and somebody who's really a team builder, and interested in deploying the intersection of scientists and technology to try to fight disease.”“I am an extremely pragmatic person, especially when it comes to company building and entrepreneurialism.”“When you mention aging, you're immediately talking about this extremely broad array of biological phenomena, some of which are going to be relevant clinically, some of which are not.”“This presented a real opportunity to build the best company in the world at measuring the many changes that occur in us as we age.”“We've essentially taken an engineering throughput mindset to disentangling the many dimensions of age-related changes that accrue in our cells and tissues over time, and built a...

Rochelle Buffenstein is one of the world’s leading authorities on the naked mole rat, a fascinating animal that has emerged as an important model for research in longevity science. Dr. Buffenstein is currently a senior principal investigator at Calico Life Sciences, a subsidiary of Alphabet, that is seeking to better understand the biology that controls aging and lifespan.&nbsp;Today Dr. Buffenstein joins host Bob Hughes to explain why the naked mole rat is such a powerful model of successful aging. She talks about their resistance to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and neurodegeneration, and what this means for improving human health. You’ll hear about the role of Nrf-2 signaling in maintaining optimal health, looking beyond common animal model systems to understand aging more deeply, and the advantages of looking at health and longevity in naked mole rats versus mice. Dr. Buffenstein also discusses the typical hallmarks of aging and inflammation as they present in the naked mole rat, their unusual reproductive activity, and what this can teach us about human fertility.&nbsp;In this episode, you’ll learn why this unique and resilient creature is a “super organism” of sorts, and why Dr. Buffenstein believes they contain the blueprint for how to live long and successfully healthy lives.Episode Highlights:Introduction to naked mole rat as a powerful model of successful agingHow Dr. Buffenstein came to study these animals and what is unique about their aging processNaked mole rat’s reduced susceptibility to cardiovascular disease and cancerResearch on whether they are resistant to neurodegenerationCentral mechanism that provides generalized protection may be at playNrf-2 signaling pathway and its role in maintaining optimal healthThinking beyond common model systems to learn about molecular processes of agingStudying aging in a long-lived system is more pertinent to humansAdvantages of looking at slow aging process in a natural contextThe Methuselah Mouse Prize (Mprize) is being offered to the first person who can make mice live longer than five yearsUltimate cause of death in naked mole rats is unknownHallmarks of aging and inflammation process as they relate to naked mole ratNaked mole rats lack natural killer cells, which are very important for fighting virusesInnate and adaptive immune systemsUnusual reproductive activity for naked mole ratsThey have adapted to a particularly harsh and hostile environmentDr. Buffenstein believes they contain the blueprint for how to stave off many of the adverse effects of agingQuotes:“A naked mole rat is a mouse-sized rodent that stands out as an especially powerful model of successful aging, primarily because it is known to live an incredibly long time. It seems to be exceptionally resistant to most age-associated diseases like cancer and cardiovascular disease. And even reproductive senescence.”“We believe that given this phenotype that these animals are a very good example that aging does not need to be inevitable, and that they hold the blueprint for how to live long and successfully healthy lives.”“I got my first grant, looking at how it is that they're able to live 17 years. Little did I know then that these animals would be exceeding 39 years of age in my care.”“The fact that these animals don't seem to show any age-related change in cardiac function to me is remarkable. If we could understand the mechanism behind that, we might be able to come up with ways to improve human heart function and human health.”“[Naked mole rats] seem to be resistant to just about everything.”“We think that the mechanisms that protect them against...

Earlier this year, the University of California San Francisco launched the Bakar Aging Research Institute (BARI), a scientific community that aims to translate breakthroughs in aging research across many disciplines into new approaches and treatments that help people remain healthy and vibrant in later life. Here to tell us about the Institute are Professor Leanne Jones, who moved from UCLA to UCSF to serve as Director of BARI, and Associate Professor and Associate Director of BARI, Saul Villeda. Today Dr. Jones and Dr. Villeda join host Chris Patil to discuss the mission and structure of the Institute, as well as their goal to bring people from different campuses together to push forward the field of aging research as a whole.Dr. Jones and Dr. Villeda talk about the collaborative culture at UCSF, lowering barriers to resources across disciplines, and what inspired the idea behind the Institute. They explain how they plan to foster communication between basic scientists, clinicians, and healthcare workers to enhance translational medicine, as well as the pathway to commercialization for BARI, and the value of building a community around improving human health together. Finally, Chris asks Dr. Jones and Dr. Villeda about the greatest challenges they’ve had to overcome in starting the Institute, their top priorities moving forward, and what they’re most excited to achieve through BARI over the next five to ten years.Episode Highlights:Mission and structure of the Bakar Aging Research Institute (BARI)Responsibilities and benefits of membership in the institute&nbsp;Connecting researchers across campuses&nbsp;Network creation and community creationSpirit of community will help attract other institutions to collaborateProviding central resources and lowering barriers to researchWhat inspired the Institute and founding vision of Barbara BakarHow BARI will enhance and promote translational medicine, translational applicationsImproving communication amongst scientists, clinicians, and healthcare workers who are interested in treating problems related to agingQB3 is a University of California hub for innovation and entrepreneurship in life sciencePath to commercialization for BARIValue of communicating with the community and including everyone in the conversation about improving human healthBiggest challenges Dr. Jones and Dr. Villeda have had to overcome in getting BARI startedBuilding a tangible community through a hybrid system of virtual/in-person interactionsTop priorities moving forward and what they hope BARI will achieve in the next five to ten yearsInvesting in the community and helping people jumpstart their research programs (e.g., Sandler Fellows Program)Quotes:“Our mission is broad, and really focused on building networks and community around aging. And, as we've said, improving the outcomes for older adults.”“It's exciting to think that our original vision of bringing people together from across all of the campuses is really coming to fruition.”“The requirement is that you're a full-time faculty member or equivalent at UCSF, and membership brings an ability to have first priority for funding opportunities, as well as the core resources that we're building up currently.”“What we quickly realized is that there are a lot of existing resources that people just don't know about. There was no centralized place, where you could just send an email and say, Hey, is anyone in...

Gene therapy screening to discover aging targets (Martin Borch Jensen -&nbsp; Gordian Biotechnology)Gordian Biotechnology is a San Francisco Bay Area biotech company that has created the first in vivo therapeutic screening platform aimed at drug development for complex diseases of aging. Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Martin Borch Jensen joins the show today to discuss Gordian’s unique in vivo pooled screening in animals, as well as which indications they are targeting, their strategy to bring drugs to market, and how Gordian is currently tackling the challenges inherent to animal models. Martin also speaks about his passion from an early age to help fight age-related disease, and making the transition from academia to entrepreneurship, giving up a K99 fellowship at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging to make the jump into biotech.You’ll also hear about Martin’s involvement in multiple efforts to promote longevity science and bring new people into the field, including his apprenticeship program, the newly announced Longevity Impetus Grants program, and recording his “Science of Aging” seminar. Next, Martin shares what’s next for Gordian as they get ready to scale to the next level, which areas of longevity science he is most interested in but not currently working on, and how he predicts the field will evolve over the next five to ten years. For more information on Martin’s apprenticeship program and Impetus Grants application process, please visit MartinBorchJensen.com or follow him on Twitter.Episode Highlights:Dr. Martin Borch Jensen is the co-founder and CSO of Gordian BiotechnologyGordian Biotechnology created the first in vivo therapeutic screening platform to radically improve drug development for complex diseases of agingMartin is also involved with an apprenticeship program and a newly announced grant program to catalyze rapid progress in aging researchHow Gordian’s unique in vivo pooled screening in animals worksThey’re focused on removing the diseases of aging, beginning with their three lead indications, NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or fatty liver), osteoarthritis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosisHow Gordian compiles their gene librariesWhile other companies start with in vitro models and then figure out ways to test them in living animals, Gordian starts with the second step&nbsp;They deliver hundreds of gene therapies at once to a single animalThe drugs that they ultimately develop won't necessarily be gene therapy, but instead whatever is most appropriate to pursue the indication once they know the target (small molecule drugs, antibodies)What a cell needs depends on what a cell isGene therapy has plenty of advantages, but the cost is very highHow Gordian is overcoming challenges that are inherent to animal modelsOlder mice are much more expensive and are rarely used in aging researchAnimal models can actually be useful if the animal has progressively developed a disease in the same way humans do, and has similar biologyExample of studying osteoarthritis in horses, because the load-bearing structure of their joints is much more similar to humans, as is their cartilage thicknessGordian’s strategy to bring drugs to marketMartin’s transition from academic to entrepreneur and what inspired him make the jump to biotechHe gave up a K99 fellowship at the<a...

Description:On Translating Aging, we talk with the worldwide community of researchers, entrepreneurs, and investors who are moving longevity science from the lab to the clinic. We bring you a commanding view of the entire field, in the words of the people and companies who are moving it forward today. The podcast is sponsored by BioAge labs, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies to extend human healthspan by targeting the molecular causes of aging.