Key points from article :
Birgit Schilling - Buck Institute for Research on Aging - discussed the role of cellular senescence in bone aging.
Abdlkadar Rahmo - SMSbiotech - presented on the merits of in vitro human cell and tissue models of aging, with a focus on organoids derived from patient tissue samples.
Adam Kaplin - MyMD Pharmaceuticals - presented on their inhibitory molecule that targets TNF-alpha and other important cytokines in inflammation and oxidative stress.
Reason presented on recent progress at Repair Biotechnologies - using gene therapy able to reverse atherosclerosis in animal models. Aim to conduct first pre-IND meeting with the FDA later this year.
Peter Fedichev - Gero - presented on their analysis of aging and disease, with a view of regulatory systems and disturbance of homeostasis.
Robin Mansukhani - Deciduous Therapeutics - clearing senescent cells by adjusting behaviour of the immune system. The company is focused on natural killer T cells and use small molecules to provoke into recognizing and destroying senescent cells.
Doug Ethell - Leucadia Therapeutics - discussed progress towards a small implantable device that restores cerebrospinal fluid drainage through the cribriform plate behind the nose to treat neurodegeneration.
Michael Fossel - Telocyte - has sufficient funding to conduct clinical trials of telomerase gene therapy as a treatment for various diseases of aging including Alzheimer's disease.
Jerry McLaughlin - Life Biosciences - use an AAV delivered OSK cocktail to trigger partial reprogramming. Targeting retinal damage and aging Aiming for an initial clinical trial to start in late 2024.
Louis Hawthorne - NaNotics - silica nanoparticle decorated with binding agents and covered by a shield layer that can efficiently remove specific molecules from the bloodstream without interacting with cell surfaces. Moving to human trials in 2024.
James Peyer - Cambrian Bio - suggests we need to build new types of long-term research and development organizations, ones with sufficient funding to run multi-disease prevention trials over a longer timeframe than is presently possible.
Lorna Harries - SENISCA - platform for adjusting age-related dysregulations in RNA processing in order to suppress the burden of cellular senescence. Initially targeting idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Marco Quarta - Rubedo Life Sciences - works on a machine learning platform to identify senescent states associated with specific tissues and conditions, and then screen new senolytic small molecules. Aiming for an initial clinical trial in 2024.
Viktoria Kheifets - Alkahest - discussed the current state of the art in altering levels of specific blood factors in order to suppress detrimental metabolic changes characteristic of aging. They see blood plasma as a master communication highway.
Szilard Voros - G3 Therapeutics - big data analysis of omics and epidemiological databases of thousands of individuals assessed over time, to rationally design entire clinical programs targeting age-related diseases., from the mechanistic target through to predicted odds of success of a clinical trial of a small molecule targeting that mechanism. The company has built a vast set of data, down to the level of expression patterns in specific issues, and uses that data to move therapeutics towards the clinic.
Andrei Gudkov - Roswell Park Cancer Center - presented a contrarian position on senescent cell biochemistry. Dormant harm may only be realized when cells are forced to proliferate.
Joshua McClure - Maxwell Biosciences - has a broad anti-inflammatory platform derived from innate immune system antimicrobial peptides discovered using big data analysis of heterochronic parabiosis studies.
Hans Keirstead - Immunis - culturing stem cells in order to produce a secretome as a drug that can improve immune function, reducing immunosenescence and inflammaging.
Hanadie Yousef - Juvena Therapeutics - used proteomic analysis of secretomes from various cell types known to promote regeneration in order to identify regulatory molecules that are enriched in scenarios of regeneration. Hope to start clinical trials by the end of 2024.
David Furman - Buck Institute for Research on Aging - (i) large omics database of human imune aging lead to the inflammatory age (iAge) clock, and (ii) acceleration of aging that occurs as a result of time spent in microgravity - Cosmica runs drug discovery programs.
Noah Davidsohn - Rejuvenate Bio - intend to take its gene therapies beyond the present correction of rare genetic disorders into a broader set of age-related conditions. Aims to expand out into a broad veterinary market for dogs to support clinical development for human use.
Alexander Picket - Juvenescence - discovery of a small population of humans with a loss of function mutation in PAI-1 and who appear to exhibit a longer life expectancy. This gene lives at the border of immune function and fibrinolytic system responsible for clotting.
Pankaj Kapahi - Buck Institue for Research on Aging - found a way to reduce methylglyoxal levels, a precursor of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), in the body using a cocktail of supplements. Led to a spinout company Juvify Health.
