Last month has been a hive of activity in the longevity finance sphere, with a number of significant fundings taking place that are set to generate new lifespan solutions for the future. Highlights include Yuva Biosciences’ $7.5 million for anti-hair loss tech, Tagomics’ £6.7 million for cutting-edge disease diagnostics, and GlycanAge’s $4.2 million to fine-tune biological age metrics.
However, this month’s longevity and DeSci recap isn’t just about the money that’s financing the future. New clinical trials are underway for novel ALS drugs, man’s best friends are getting their own longevity solution, and a new AI approach has been validated in an important journal.
Upcoming conferences and events
Vitalia extended to April
The pop-up city event, Vitalia, is well underway in Honduras, with each week packed with longevity-centered events, talks, networking opportunities, town halls, co-working and a focus on working together to strengthen the longevity community. In February, the event has already delved into longevity and human improvement, startup societies, AI and technological processes, and pathways to life extension. This event is now set to be extended to April, with the final month dedicated to fostering innovation and collaboration through an exciting startup acceleration program. Anyone interested in joining before the end of the conference can apply here.
Supplements for longevity conference
Between 29th February and March 1st, the Lifespan.io team was at the Centre for Healthy Longevity Conference 2024. This year’s event focused on discussions surrounding key longevity supplements, including NAD+ precursors, fisetin, and urolithin A. Also in attendance were big names in the longevity-industry, such as David Sinclair and Nir Barzilai.
Longevity and biohacking conference
Last weekend, Cancun, Mexico played host to a fast-paced longevity and biohacking event. During these 48-hours, participants had the opportunity to listen to a variety of keynote speeches, visited over 60 longevity-focused exhibitors showcasing longevity and anti-aging technologies, participated in workshops, networked with like-minded individuals, and enjoyed a variety of social events.
Turn Around Aging
On March 8, 2024, this unique longevity conference, hosted in the German language in Munich, will bring together professionals interested in healthy longevity, extending the human health- and life-span and various novel solutions. More info on the conference is available here.
Fly-in for longevity
Finishing March 2024 in style, the Longevity Science D.C. Fly-in event will be a longevity-focused networking conference that brings together prominent figures, such as Newt Gingrich and rejuvenation technology experts, to bridge the gap between government and longevity researchers. Set at a luxury hotel near the White House, registration to this exclusive event starts at $2,000.
Refresh with the Rejuvenation Startup Summit 2024
This May 10th and 11th will see the Rejuvenation Startup Summit hosted in Berlin, Germany. This is the second such event, following on from the success of the 2022 summit which brought together over 400 participants including founders, investors, researchers, and those interested in the growth of the longevity industry. One of this year’s keynote speakers is the CEO of the Hevolution Foundation, Dr. Mehmood Khan, who has combined his clinical career, knowledge, and professional experience to lead research and development at global companies. Although the event is some time away, Early Bird tickets are available now until March 1st, 2024.
Ending Age-Related Diseases Conference 2024
Behind the scenes, preparations for the long-awaited EARD conference of 2024 are already underway. Although it’s too early yet to mention the exact details, watch this space to find out the latest news about one of the biggest events in the longevity calendar.
Longevity investment and development news
Yuva Biosciences combats hair loss with $7.5 million in seed funding
Affecting up to 50% of men and women, hair loss can impact quality of life and mental health in the long term. With this in mind, Yuva Biosciences has partnered with BosleyMD and raised $7.5 million in seed funding to advance a novel ‘densifying foam’ product that targets hair loss by restoring mitochondrial function.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key hallmark of aging and linked to numerous symptoms, such as wrinkles, hair loss and a decline in energy. Yuva Biosciences’ solution is backed by its proprietary Y100 technology, which is designed to upregulate genes crucial in mitochondrial health, and it leverages AI to sift through data on thousands of molecules to uncover the ones most effective at boosting mitochondrial levels in skin and hair cells. This latest investment, which is supported by companies such as VentureSouth, will further advance Yuva Biosciences’ work along with its partnership.
£6.7 million raised for innovative disease and diagnosis
Innovative disease diagnostics company Tagomics has just announced the close of a successful funding round to accelerate its multiomic platform for disease insight and diagnosis. Totalling £6.7 million, this funding builds on the company’s £1.6 million pre-seed round with investors including Calculus Capital, Illumina Ventures, and IQ Capital and grant funding from Innovate UK. Backed by the latest funding, Tagomics will further develop its research and development into improved cancer and other disease diagnosis and treatments using “omics” technologies, including genomics and fragmentomics.
GlycanAge announces $4.2 million in seed funding
UK-based start-up GlycanAge has announced the success of a $4.2 million funding round led by LAUNCHub. The latest funding will go toward scaling the company’s business and research into measuring biological age and diversify into the diagnostics market with disease-specific tests for early detection with later plans to diversify its longevity offering.
Additional $21 million in funding for New-York based biotech start-up Ezra
In its latest funding round, AI-backed medical imaging biotech Ezra has garnered an additional $21 million in financing, bringing its total funding to $41 million. The recent boost to funds will go toward the company’s innovative technology that makes MRI body scans for cancer more accessible and affordable, and able to detect the disease earlier.
$2 million in funding for preventative longevity healthcare
Mito Health is a digital longevity clinic that leverages technology to deliver a prophylactic approach to healthcare. This $2 million funding will support novel approaches to care, including personalized health plans, risk assessments, and comprehensive biomarker testing aiming to extend healthspan and lifespan.
Tech breakthroughs & new research
Man’s best friend benefits from longevity
Rejuvenate Bio has just announced a new partnership with a global animal health company to develop a gene therapy for canine osteoarthritis. This condition is prevalent among dogs, with almost 25% affected during their lifespan. The partnership seeks to capitalize on Rejuvenate Bio’s technology to find a long-term solution while seeking out similar treatments that could be utilized to solve other challenges in canines.
PandaOmics AI validated by Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling
The AI-driven platform PandaOmics, designed by Insilico Medicine, has recently been validated in a paper in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling. This innovative technology is an AI-driven platform for therapeutic targeting and biomarker discovery. It draws upon datasets while analyzing genes, pathways, and targets to highlight potential longevity-related solutions. Already being used in Phase 2 clinical trials, this technology could prove effective in future drug discovery and targeting.
DAOs and communities
VitaDAO noted as one of the top DAO startups in Q1 2024
Tracxn, a technology platform designed to help investors discover prospective startups, recognized VitaDAO, the longevity biotechnology DAO, as the second best investment DAO after OrangeDAO, a protocol DAO. VitaDAO’s recognition marks confidence in alternative ways to fund longevity and biotechnology science.
Starting a longevity city
With the innovative pop-up city event Vitalia currently ongoing, Lifespan.io went behind the scenes to find out the details of the event from Niklas Anzinger and Laurence Ion. Here is the latest video on the pop-up city and how it came about.
Dr. Steve Horvath of Altos Labs speaks on novel anti-aging interventions
Catch up with the latest in artificial intelligence in research, its challenges, and potentials with the principal investigator of longevity start-up, Altos Labs. Dr. Horvath talks about epigenetic clocks to identify novel anti-aging interventions, research, and how molecular biomarkers of aging can be used.
World Longevity News
New AI-backed ALS drug clinical trials soon underway
4B Technologies and Insilico Medicine have just announced the completion of patient enrollment for a new clinical trial for a novel amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) drug. This solution, currently known as FB1006, was discovered and developed using AI technology. With a double-blind dosing study in August 2024 and a one-year clinical observation planned, the companies are hopeful that the power of AI will continue to advance their work and shed light on potential novel solutions for disease.
Social media pages to follow this month
Rejuvenate Bio — the company’s X (Twitter) account covers the latest news and innovations, including new trials and project funding.
DeSci World — follow for wider insights into decentralized science technology.
Jellyfish DAO — combining film and longevity. Jellyfish DAO’s X account seeks to promote the creation of healthspan-related media.
View the article at lifespan.io
