Matt recently attended the 52nd American Aging Association meeting in Madison, Wisconsin, where he met with experts in geroscience. His final guest from the event, David Scieszka, a longevity entrepreneur with a background as a US Army PsyOps specialist, is currently working on his senolytics company, Vertical Longevity Pharma, based on his postdoctoral research. David, who also holds a PhD in biomedical sciences and an MBA, discusses with Matt the challenges of drug development, including investor skepticism, endpoints, dosage, and FDA approval. They also explore faster approval opportunities for companion animal use.

Key Points

This episode features Dave and Matt discussing the challenges of drug development, including investor hesitation, setting endpoints, determining dosage, managing side effects, and collecting preclinical data for FDA approval.

• Innovative Senolytic Approach: Vertical Longevity Pharmaceuticals is developing a groundbreaking senolytic drug using virus-like particles to target and eliminate senescent cells, potentially improving lifespan and healthspan.
• Promising Preclinical Results: In aged mice, the drug has shown significant benefits, including enhanced cardiopulmonary function, prevention of hair loss, and lifespan extension, particularly in females.
• Regulatory and Financial Hurdles: To advance toward human clinical trials, the company needs to conduct GLP toxicology studies and cGMP production, with an estimated cost of $5 million to achieve IND status.
• Overcoming Investor Skepticism: Despite the drug's potential, the company faces challenges in securing investment due to past failures in the senolytic field, which have made investors cautious.
• Exploring Veterinary Applications: The company is considering testing the drug in companion animals like dogs and cats, which could provide a faster route to FDA approval and showcase the drug’s effectiveness in treating age-related conditions.
• Targeting Multiple Age-Related Diseases: The drug’s ability to clear senescent cells could have broad therapeutic implications, including treating conditions like atherosclerosis, chronic kidney disease, and possibly promoting hair regrowth.