Key points from article :
BioAge Labs has raised more than $120 million in funding to target the molecular causes of aging.
"... total capitalization of the longevity biotech sector is only about one percent of the market cap of the public companies in the other sectors of pharma" - Kristen Fortney, co-founder and CEO.
2022 highlights include:
- new class of NLRP3 inhibitors developed in-house
- established a new biobank that will accelerate discoverery of new aging mechanisms and targets
- positive topline data from Phase 1b trial of its compound BGE-105 - a first-in-class apelin receptor agonist
BGE-105 significantly prevented muscle atrophy vs. placebo during 10-days bed rest.
Loss of apelin activity is a key aging mechanism that drives multiple diseases and morbidities.
BGE-105 Phase 2 trial for prevention of ICU diaphragmatic atrophy and critical illness myopathy planned to start later this year.
BioAge’s AI-driven analyses showed that NLRP3 inflammasome activity rises with age and is associated with all-cause mortality and cognitive decline.
Then performed DNA-encoded library (DEL) screening to create a novel class of molecules that potently inhibit NLRP3, some of which can cross the blood–brain barrier.
Company aims to file an investigational new drug (IND) application in 2023.
Has partnered with Norwegian company Age Labs to gain exclusive access to samples and health records from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) biobank, collected from more than 100,000 subjects over more than 25 years of lifespan.
Will apply machine learning methods to omics data to reveal the key molecular mechanisms of healthy human longevity.
