The Longevity Summit Dublin 2024 featured a compelling keynote by Matthew (Oki) O'Connor, co-founder of Cyclarity Therapeutics, a biotech company at the forefront of developing therapies for ageing-related diseases. O'Connor's talk cantered on the role of 7-ketocholesterol (7KC), a toxic form of oxidized cholesterol that contributes to cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis. His company, Cyclarity Therapeutics, is pioneering novel cyclodextrin-based therapies aimed at removing 7KC from arterial plaque, offering a potential breakthrough in reversing the damage caused by ageing in cardiovascular tissues.

Key Points:

• 7KC and Cardiovascular Disease: Matthew O'Connor, founder of Cyclarity Therapeutics, explained how 7-ketocholesterol (7KC), a toxic form of oxidized cholesterol, plays a critical role in the progression of atherosclerosis, contributing to arterial clogging and cardiovascular disease.
• Cyclodextrin-Based Therapy: Cyclarity Therapeutics has developed enhanced cyclodextrin-based therapies that target and remove 7KC from foam cells, aiming to rejuvenate these cells and potentially reverse the build-up of arterial plaque.
• Transition to Clinical Trials: O'Connor announced that Cyclarity Therapeutics is preparing for Phase 1 clinical trials in Australia, focused on testing the safety and effectiveness of their 7KC-targeting drug for treating cardiovascular disease.
• Advancing Beyond Existing Therapies: Unlike current treatments that focus on blood thinning or lipid reduction, Cyclarity's drug targets the root cause of cardiovascular damage—7KC—offering a groundbreaking approach to reversing plaque buildup and arterial damage.
• Broader Applications: The technology developed by Cyclarity Therapeutics could extend beyond cardiovascular disease, with potential applications in treating Alzheimer’s, stroke recovery, and other age-related conditions, broadening the scope of their innovation.
• Collaboration and Future Vision: O'Connor highlighted Cyclarity Therapeutics' openness to partnerships and collaborative research, exploring other disease targets, and utilizing AI for drug design, signalling a bold future for damage-reversal therapies in ageing science.