Key points from article :
A Wauwatosa-based biotech company, CyteGen, has raised $1 million in equity funding from four investors to advance its groundbreaking research into extending human lifespan and reversing age-related decline. Founded in 2015 by Nuray George Ugras, CyteGen operates out of the UWM Innovation Accelerator and has ties to the Medical College of Wisconsin. The company focuses on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in ageing and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
CyteGen’s research builds on the idea that exercise promotes the secretion of bloodborne proteins that help remove damaged mitochondria and replace them with healthy ones, improving "mitochondrial fitness." The company aims to identify these proteins and develop biologics to target various age-related diseases. This vision earned CyteGen a $210,000 federal SBIR grant in 2017 to further its efforts.
The company has also gained notable backing, including support from PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel through his Breakout Labs program. Thiel's team praised CyteGen's holistic approach to ageing, which focuses on addressing ageing systematically rather than targeting individual diseases. While the company is not yet ready to share the details of its research, its mission underscores the growing potential for biotechnology to reshape how we think about ageing and health.
