clock.bio
As humans age the chances of dying from specific diseases (cancer, coronary, neurological, etc.) increase, where the rate of aging is controlled by genetic pathways and biochemical processes conserved in evolution. Although the hallmarks of aging (including several cellular and molecular processes such as genomic instability, telomere attrition, stem cell exhaustion etc.) have been a major focus of research for many decades, the scientific pathways behind reversing aging are complex and remain elusive. Recently several approaches to cell rejuvenation have been based on partial cellular reprogramming (demonstrating that reprogramming cells to pluripotency can reverse age-related cell phenotypes), although there are still many challenges when trying to reprogram cells including the loss of somatic identity etc.
Clock.Bio is taking a new approach to cellular reprogramming in order to develop novel, anti-ageing therapeutics and drugs with technology developed at Cambridge University. Their initial goal is to identify the entire set of rejuvenation programs in human cells. They will leverage Bit.Bio’s opti-ox technology to screen for rejuvenation biology and identify repair mechanisms that can reverse the hallmarks of aging. In addition to opti-ox the company leverages tools such as CRISPR/a to modulate genes and combinations of genes, attempting to understand the full biology of reversal of aging.
Our Thesis
Aging is core to many human ailments and by reversing aging we can potentially cure age related conditions. By leaning on Bit.Bio’s opti-ox technology and by tapping into the company’s screening, synbio stack and customer relationships, Clock.Bio will be able to accelerate data collection and conduct relevant anti-ageing screens, giving them a head start in the race for anti aging solutions. Ultimately we believe that by screening for therapeutic leads (existing and novel small molecules, cell and gene therapies, etc.) and creating specific rejuvenation effects on cells, Clock.Bio are well positioned to bring a number of antiaging assets into the clinic.
We are excited to be backing the entire Clock.bio team on their longevity mission to extend healthspan by 20 years or even more. Read more about the company’s pre-seed round here as well as their white paper here.
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