June 11, 2018 | By

5 COMPANIES LOOKING AT LIVING LONGER

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For all our differences, there are two things we can probably all agree on: we don’t want to die and we don’t want to talk about dying. Thanks to these 5 innovative startups, we might not have to. Watch them closely, your extended life may depend on it.

1. Unity Biotechnology

Credit: Unity Biotechnology

If Jeff Bezos is in, so are we. Unity Biotechnology is focusing on the elimination of “cellular senescence,” a kind of stress that can age healthy cells. With the use of a molecule called UBX0101, they can selectively eradicate senescent cells and aid in delaying, preventing and reversing osteoarthritis—a chronic disease that causes joint pain in 80 percent of people over 65. 

2. Precision Biosciences

Credit: Precision Biosciences

Precision Biosciences has ARCUS, a platform that uses a next-generation genome that comes from the enzyme homing endonuclease, a natural genome editing enzyme that can work by deleting, inserting or editing DNA. Whoa.

READ: DOUBLE DOSE OF NEW DRUGS FOR CANCER AND RARE DISEASES

3. Alexo Therapeutics

Credit: Alexo Therapeutics

Alexo Therapeutics is developing ALX148, a fusion protein that can aid in fighting cancer by improving antibody therapies. In 2017 they began the first phase of their clinical trials to evaluate the safeness of ALX148 in patients with solid tumors or lyphoma. The protein used is based on research done at Stanford University, an investor in this startup that has raised $61 million in funding.

4. Metacrine

Credit: Metacrine

The startup Metacrine is advancing its research of nuclear hormone receptors to treat metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and NASH (nonalcoholic steatohepatitis). The company has raised $36 million in funds and recently started a collaboration with Novo Nordisk in order to develop “Fibroblast Growth Factor 1”, that would aid in lowering glucose and insulin sensitization.

5. Navitor Pharmaceuticals

Credit: @navitorpharma / Twitter

Navitor Pharmaceuticals has raised $56.5 million to develop medicines for age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. These diseases develop when the process of a protein kinase called mTOR—which controls the appetite of your cells—is disrupted, causing metabolic, neurological, and inflammatory diseases. 

Read more about longevity startups from Nanalyze.com here.

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