Before we look at Altos Labs – the power point company that closed a USD 2 Billion seed round in 2022, it may be prudent to step back and survey what happened in the ten years before Altos ie from 2012 to 2022.

In 2012, Kodoy’s annual report started with, “Everyone wants to go to heaven …… but not right now”. This became the core purpose of the company … to prevent or delay death. But then someone said “Being healthy is more important than living longer”. And so the concept of health span came in ….. the age till when you are healthy in body, soul and mind.

The purveyors of ancient wisdom of course continued with “there is no death …. Just a change of body”. But the contrarians argued. “you may be reborn as a mosquito or a pig”. And so the quest for immortality continued.

When we look around, there are at least a hundred startups pursuing immortality or at least healthy longevity – with three global players out of India – Kodoy in Mumbai, Twin Health in Chennai and Kyrogene in New Delhi. For this articles, the top fifty players were mapped. Five were in stealth mode, three were India focused, eleven requested to be kept out of public glare and six – including Dave Sinclair, Retro Bio sciences, Mary Ann, Tony Robbins, Kyrogene and Ayushca – are being covered in independent blog posts.

Competitors in the era before Altos Labs

1. Juvenescence

A life sciences company geared towards the consumer health market, Juvenescence develops prescription drugs and consumer products for age management, disease prevention, and enhanced metabolic efficiency. A pioneer in cellular and tissue regeneration, the company also uses AI, machine learning, and data to accelerate the development and drive the effectiveness of new drugs. Juvenescence has raised around US$219.2 M so far in five rounds and has been valued at US$500 M according to the Financial Times. Key investors include Longevity Vision Fund, Grok Ventures, and IPGL.

2. Insilico Medicine

Formed in 2014 and domiciled in Hong Kong, Insilico Medicine develops AI technologies to accelerate drug discovery, development, and testing. As its main business model, the firm provides solutions to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies aimed at improving efficiencies in their development of therapeutics and medicines from discovery to clinical trial analysis, investors have also taken notice. To date, Insilico has raised a total of US$306.3 M after a Series C funding round that reeled in US$255 M in June 2021. Said investment round was led by Warburg Pincus with the participation of Qiming Venture Partners, Pavilion Capital, Sinovation Ventures, and CPE, among others. 

3. AgeX Therapeutics

Listed in the NYSE, AgeX Therapeutics develops innovative medicines and advanced therapeutics that seek to address human aging. Utilizing tissue regeneration technologies, small molecule drug delivery systems, and stem cell research, the firm aims to crack the code of cellular immortality to revitalize health and reverse the effects of degenerative diseases and aging in humans. After five rounds of funding, AgeX has raised around US$63.8 million. 

4. Human Longevity Inc.

Operating under the wellness service brand Health Nucleus, Human Longevity Inc. was founded in 2013 by author-entrepreneur Peter Diamandis and genomics pioneer Craig Venter. The company aims to build the planet’s most comprehensive database on human phenotypes and genotypes then use advanced AI, machine learning, and genome sequence analysis to develop new methodologies and therapeutics to treat age-related diseases, reverse the aging process, and empower people to have full, better lives. So far, Human Longevity has raised a total of US$330 M after a Series C funding round in 2019 that included Emerging Technology Partners and Celgene among its latest investors. The company managed to command a post-money valuation of $1B to US$10 B in the same year, despite previously having suffered numerous setbacks, including the departure of and subsequent lawsuit against founder Craig Venter that was later dismissed. 

5. Unity Biotechnology

PayPal’s Peter Theil and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos are two of the big names that supported Unity Biotechnology even before its IPO in May 2018. Now listed in the Nasdaq exchange, the company was formed in 2009 to develop advanced therapeutics and transformative medicines that address age-related diseases, focusing on senescent cells. Prior to its IPO, Unity has raised a total of US$290.6 M from seven funding rounds. Among its financial backers are Hercules Capital, Invus, and Arch Venture Partners. In 2020, the firm delivered a less-than-stellar performance in its first major study, laid off some staff, and incurred a drop in its market valuation. In addition to senescence, the company currently focuses on ophthalmology and neurology

6. Elevian

Seeming to adopt the playbook of Count Dracula and the vampires of Twilight Saga, Elevian develops medicines that restore youthful regenerative capacity in humans, with the potential to halt and treat a range of diseases related to aging. The company is known for conducting research that demonstrates tissue and organic regeneration capabilities acquired by older animals after being transfused with the blood of young animals. In September 2021, Elevian raised US$40 M from investors such as Leslie Ventures, Bold Capital Partners, and Prime Movers Lab. Said fund has been earmarked to finance phase 1 trials in stroke recovery. Since its founding in July 2017, the company has raised a total of US$64.3 M from around a dozen invest7ors. 

7. Hnc Life Biosciences

Boston-based Life Biosciences develops new medicines and advanced therapies that prevent, treat, or reverse multiple diseases related to aging. To achieve this, the company probes the very mechanisms of aging and has exclusive licenses with top research and academic institutions for at least three of eight well-known factors that underly the process of senescence. The ultimate goal is to therapeutically target aging itself and prolong the human lifespan. Formed in 2017, Life Biosciences has raised a total of US$124 M from two funding rounds, with LeFrak, a top real estate company in New York, as the key investor. In September 2021, the company received research funding from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF)

8. Calico Life Sciences LLC

Calico was formed in 2013 by American venture capitalist and entrepreneur Bill Maris. At the onset, Google’s Larry Page was on board which allowed Calico to hire some of the brightest minds in pharma and biotech. Apple Chairman Arthur D. Levinson serves as CEO. Levinson formerly served as CEO and chairman of Genentech, a pioneering biotech research company now owned by healthcare giant Roche. VP of Aging Research Dr. Cynthia Kenyon won the prestigious Dickson Prize in 2021. Like the Draper award, the said prize has a strong correlation with two other preeminent accolades: the Nobel Prize and the Lasker Award

9. BioSplice Therapeutics, Inc. 

Formerly known as Samumed, BioSplice Therapeutics focuses on developing the science and the techniques for tissue-level regeneration to treat cancer, osteoarthritis, and other aging-related diseases. As its new name suggests, the company’s stated mission is to restore human health via novel therapies that use alternative splicing. So far, the company has raised US$778 million from five funding rounds and 11 investors that include Sands Capital, Verition Fund Management, Ali Sabancı, and Ergun Öze.

10. BlueRock Therapeutics

Toronto-based BlueRock Therapeutics develops authentic cellular medicines and engineered stem cell therapies to cure a range of diseases, regenerate damaged tissues, and elevate the potential of human health.    Formed in 2016, the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company raised a total of $225M in its Series A funding round held in the same year. The two investors were Versant Ventures and Bayer Pharmaceuticals, with the latter acquiring Blue Rock in August 2019. The acquisition (which had an enterprise value of US$1 billion in upfront and milestone payments) bolsters the company’s initiatives in melding genetic engineering and therapeutics for applications in neurology, immunology, ophthalmology, and cardiology

11. BioAge Labs

BioAge Labs is a biotechnology company focused on identifying and developing interventions that can extend human lifespan. They use a data-driven approach, utilizing machine learning and artificial intelligence to analyse large-scale data sets to identify potential anti-aging drug candidates. BioAge Labs also conducts clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of their interventions.

12. SENS Research Foundation

The SENS Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that conducts research in the field of rejuvenation biotechnology. They focus on developing interventions to repair and reverse the damage caused by aging at the cellular and molecular level. SENS Research Foundation conducts research in areas such as regenerative medicine, stem cells, and gene therapies to extend human health span

13. Ichor Therapeutics

Ichor Therapeutics is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing interventions to combat age-related diseases. The company works on areas such as regenerative medicine, gene therapies, and small molecules to develop therapies that can target the aging process and extend human health span.

14. AgelessRx

AgelessRx is a biotechnology company that aims to develop interventions to extend human lifespan and improve health span. The company focuses on areas such as small molecules, gene therapies, and regenerative medicine to develop interventions that can slow down the aging process and delay the onset of age-related diseases.

15. Longevity Vision Fund

The Longevity Vision Fund is a venture capital fund that invests in companies that are developing technologies and therapies to extend human health span and lifespan. They invest in areas such as regenerative medicine, digital health, and personalized healthcare, with the goal of accelerating the development of longevity interventions. Since the company follows the venture studio model, it is more like a holding company rather than a pure fund – which is why it finds mention here.

16. Oisin Biotechnologies

Oisin Biotechnologies is a biotechnology company that is focused on developing therapies to selectively eliminate senescent cells, which are implicated in aging-related diseases. They are developing gene therapies that can target and remove senescent cells from the body, with the aim of improving health span and extending lifespan.

17. Rejuvenate Bio

Rejuvenate Bio is a biotechnology company that specializes in gene therapies for aging-related diseases. They are developing gene editing technologies to address age-related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease, with the goal of extending human lifespan and improving health span.

18. BioViva Sciences

BioViva Sciences is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing gene and cell therapies to extend human lifespan and improve healthspan. They are working on interventions that target age-related diseases and aim to rejuvenate cells and tissues to promote healthy aging.

19. Turn Biotechnologies

Turn Biotechnologies is a biotechnology company that specializes in developing gene therapies to address age-related diseases. They focus on interventions that can repair and restore damaged DNA, which is implicated in the aging process, with the goal of extending human lifespan and improving health span.

20. Gerostate Alpha

Gerostate Alpha is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics to extend health span and lifespan. They use a proprietary drug discovery platform that integrates computational biology, machine learning, and data analytics to identify and develop drug candidates that can target aging-related pathways.

21. Shift Bioscience

Shift Bioscience is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing small molecule therapeutics to target the aging process. They are working on interventions that can modulate the activity of specific proteins and pathways involved in aging-related processes, with the goal of extending human health span and lifespan.

22. Stealth BioTherapeutics

Stealth BioTherapeutics is a biotechnology company that specializes in developing therapies that target mitochondrial dysfunction, which is implicated in aging-related diseases. They are working on interventions that aim to restore mitochondrial function and promote healthy aging.

23. ResTORbio

ResTORbio is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing therapeutics that target the mTOR pathway, which plays a key role in the aging process. They are working on interventions that aim to restore the functional integrity of aging cells and tissues, with the goal of extending health span and lifespan.

24. CellAge

Cell Age is a biotechnology company that specializes in developing interventions to address cellular senescence, which is implicated in the aging process. They are working on therapies that can selectively remove senescent cells from the body and rejuvenate tissues to promote healthy aging.

Altos Labs as per their website

Altos Labs is an American biotechnology research company that had been founded in 2021 with the aim of advancing research in the field of longevity and life extension. The company was known for its ambitious goal of unlocking the secrets of aging and potentially achieving immortality. While Altos Labs had been shrouded in secrecy, it had garnered attention and investment due to its high-profile founders and investors, as well as its bold vision for extending human lifespan.

According to reports, Altos Labs had assembled a team of renowned scientists, researchers, and experts from various fields, including biotechnology, genetics, and computational biology, to drive its research efforts. The company was said to have been focused on conducting ground breaking research with the potential to revolutionize the field of life sciences and transform the landscape of healthcare and longevity.

Altos Labs had been founded with the aim of exploring and advancing the field of rejuvenation biotechnology, with a focus on reversing cellular aging, according to its founders. The founders had believed that recent discoveries in biology, particularly related to Yamanaka transcription factors and the integrated stress-response (ISR) pathway, may hold the key to reversing the aging process at the cellular level.

Altos Labs plans to establish research facilities in Cambridge, the San Francisco Bay Area, and in San-Diego as a first step.

As typical of a private company, the initial focus will be on basic research without immediate prospects of a commercially viable product.”

In January 2022 the company’s president, Hans Bishop, argued, that Altos Labs was working on increasing the health span of humans and that longevity extension would only be “an accidental consequence”.

Team members of Altos

Hal Barron. CEO and Founder

Dr. Barron is the CEO and Board co-chair of Altos Labs. Prior to joining Altos, he was Chief Scientific Officer and President, R&D at GSK, where he was responsible for all research and development activities across the globe including life-cycle management for all marketed products. Dr. Barron remains a non-executive director on GSK’s Board of Directors.

Rick Klausner. Chief Scientist and Founder

Dr. Klausner is currently Founder, Chief Scientist and Board Co-Chairman of Altos Labs. He is also founder and Chairman of Lyell Immunopharma, Inc. He was founder and Director of Juno Therapeutics and founder and Director of GRAIL. He is Chairman of Sonoma Biotherapeutics. Co-Founder and Chairman of Life mine Therapeutics. He is the former Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Opportunity Officer of Illumina Corporation. Previously, he was Executive Director for Global Health of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Klausner was appointed by Presidents Clinton

and Bush as the eleventh Director of the U.S. National Cancer Institute between 1995 and 2001. Dr. Klausner served as chief of the Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as well as a past president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation. He has served in senior advisory roles to the US, Norwegian, Qatari and Indian governments.

Hans Bishop. President and Founder

Hans Bishop is President, Founder, and Board Co-Chairman of Altos Labs. He has more than 30 years of experience in the biotechnology industry. Bishop served previously as the CEO of GRAIL, which was recently acquired by Illumina. From 2013 to 2018, he served as President and CEO at Juno Therapeutics, a company that he co-founded and that was acquired by Celgene. Prior to Juno, Bishop served as an Executive in Residence at Warburg Pincus. Earlier in his career, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Dendron. Bishop also previously served as President of Specialty Medicine at Bayer Healthcare and Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations at Chiron Corporation. He currently serves as the Chairman of Sana Biotechnology and as a Director of Lyell Immunotherapy and Agilent Technologies.

Ann Lee-Karlon. Chief Operating Officer

Ann Lee-Karlon is Chief Operating Officer at Altos Labs. She was former Senior Vice President at Genentech, where she and leaders in her group had oversight for >80 drug development teams in 18 years across research and early development through FDA approvals and launch. She led the anti-CD20 immunology teams, including Rituxan for autoimmune diseases and Ocrevus for multiple sclerosis. Dr. Lee-Karlon holds a BS in bioengineering from UC Berkeley, MBA from Stanford University, and PhD in bioengineering from UCSD, and completed her postdoc at University College London as a National Science Foundation Fellow. She is a board member of Eko, a digital health company applying machine learning to the treatment of heart and lung disease, and serves on the Dean’s boards for UC Berkeley and UCSD schools of engineering. She was President and Board Chair of the Genentech Patient Foundation, elected Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute.

Chief Medical Officer and Head

Dr. Herbert “Skip” Virgin, MD, PhD, is Chief Medical Officer of Altos Labs and Head of the Altos Institute of Medicine. Prior to joining Altos, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer at Vir Biotechnology, where he built and led an infection-targeted multi-platform immunology research organization and participated in the discovery and development of sotrovimab for the treatment of COVID-19.

He previously served as Edward Mallinckrodt Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology & Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine, and Director and Principal Investigator of an NIH-funded Centre for Excellence in Translational Research. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Centre.

Chief financial and Business Officer

Kevin Sin is Chief Financial and Business Officer of Altos Labs. Kevin has nearly three decades of broad industry experience spanning business development, strategy, legal, and research and development.

Prior to joining Altos, he served as the Senior Vice President and Head of Worldwide Business Development at GSK, where he was a member of the Research and Development Leadership Team and responsible for business development for all therapeutic areas, strategic technology platforms, global health, and externalization, as well as for global alliance management.

General Council and Chief Compliance Officer

Dr. Laurie Hill is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Altos Labs. She is an architect of pragmatic solutions that foster bold innovation, a builder of diverse high performing teams anchored in courage, creativity, and curiosity, and a catalyst for growth that delivers results. Dr. Hill is a bold yet pragmatic visionary for possibilities in a 4^th industrial revolution fusing physical, digital, and biological spheres to sustainably grow economies and improve lives. She has led successful global IP teams at Genentech, Illumina, Medimmune, and Life Technologies. Dr. Hill holds a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from Thomas Jefferson University. She was recognized as Luminary Leader by the Healthcare Business women’s Association in 2020.

Connie White started at Altos Labs in September 2021, and is committed to leading a People organization that is innovative and creates an amazing employee experience. White is a certified Professional Coach, and has deep experience in developing and facilitating senior leadership development programs, creating enterprise career and talent acquisition strategies, and establishing university relationships. Prior to joining Altos Labs, White worked at Genentech in the Human Resources and the U.S. Commercial functions. In past roles, She has served on senior diversity & inclusion steering committees, and has led operations and communications functions across complex organizations. White graduated from University at Albany with a B.A. in Asian Studies and History.

Founding Scientist and Director, San

During life’s early stages cells display high levels of plasticity, how tc program and rejuvenate adult and diseased cells. He is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of life, with the objective of developing universal health therapeutics to overcome human disease and aging.

Director, Cambridge Institute of Science MD

Dr. Wolf Reik is an MD and Director of the Altos Cambridge Institute of Science. He was previously Head of the Epigenetics Programme and subsequently Director of the Babraham Institute in Cambridge. He is also an honorary Professor of Epigenetics at the University of Cambridge. Dr. Reik’s lab works on epigenetic reprogramming in development and ageing. They discovered global epigenetic reprogramming and its mechanisms and impacts on mammalian development. Recently they developed new technologies for single cell multi-omics to understand cell fate decisions during development and how cell fate and function degrades during ageing. Applying epigenetic reprogramming to reset cell age they developed a protocol by which human cells can be substantially rejuvenated without loss of cell identity. Dr. Reik is a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Director, Bay Area Institute of Science PhD

Dr. Peter Walter is Director of the Altos Bay Area Institute of Science and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at UCSF. He was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator until 2022. His laboratory has produced ground breaking research related to the identification and characterization of key proteostasis networks including the Unfolded Protein and Integrated Stress Responses. In addition, Dr. Walter has the vision to leverage these observations into novel therapeutic interventions. His contributions to science have been recognized with many distinguished awards, including the 2014 Lasker Award and 2018 Breakthrough Prize. Dr. Walter has put together a select group of world-renowned experts in neuroscience, cell biology, molecular biology, microbiology, and RNA biology to make Altos Labs a reality.

SVP and Director

Dr. Hana El-Samad is Senior Vice President and Director of Science Integration, Innovation and Insights (513) at Altos Labs, where she is also a Founding Principal Investigator. Prior to joining Altos Labs, Dr. El-Samad was the Kuo Family Endowed Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics and deputy-director of the Cell Design Institute at UCSF. She is a control and dynamical systems theorist whose work generated fundamental insights into the principles of precise and robust cellular responses through the use of feedback control. Her recent work pioneered real-time measurement of feedback in living cells, synthetic feedback technologies to program cellular function, and theoretical frameworks to quantify biological homeostasis. Dr. El-Samad is the recipient of many honors and awards including a 2011 Donald P. Eckman Award, 2013 Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator, 2017 senior investigator of the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub and 2020 Fellow of the American Institute for Medicaland Biological Engineering.

SVP and Head

Dr. Thore Graepel was previously Chair of Machine Learning at UCL, and has led research teams at Microsoft Research and DeepMind. He co-invented AlphaGo, the first computer program to defeat a human professional player in the game of Go. Major industrial applications of Dr. Graepel’s work include Xbox Live’s TrueSkill system and Bing’s AdPredictor system. His work on predicting personality traits from Facebook data served as an early warning sign about privacy concerns in social media. Dr. Graepel advocates for responsible innovation and served as a Board Member at the Partnership on Al. At Altos, he is building a world-class team in computational sciences, Al and ML to enable breakthroughs in cell health and rejuvenation.

Senior Scientific Advisor MD

Dr. Shinya Yamanaka serves as senior scientific advisor to Alto:Labs without remuneration, overseeing research activities in Japan. Dr. Yamanaka is a Senior Investigator and the L.K. Whittier Foundation Investigator in Stem Cell Biology at the Gladstone Institute for Cardiovascular Disease. He is also a Professor of Anatomy at the University of California, San Francisco, as well as a Director and Professor of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University. Dr.Yamanaka earned an MD from Kobe University and a PhD from Osaka City University. He became an Assistant Professor at Osaka City University Medical School, and later an Associate Professor at Nara Institute of Science and Technology, where he eventually became a full Professor in 2003. Dr. Yamanaka attained professor position at Kyoto University in 2004, and was appointed Senior Investigator at Gladstone Institutes in 2007. Since 2008, he has been directing CiRA.

Director

Dr. Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology. Dr. Arnold received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2018) for pioneering directed evolution methods used to make enzymes for applications across medicine, consumer products, agriculture, fuels and chemicals. She was appointed Co-Chair of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology (PCAST) by President Biden in 2021.

Lead Independent Director

Dr. David Baltimore served as President of the California Institute of Technology from 1997 until 2006. He is currently President Emeritus and Judge Shirley Hufstedler Professor of Biology at Caltech. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 1975 for research in virology, Dr. Baltimore has profoundly influenced national science policy on such issues as recombinant DNA research and the AIDS epidemic. He is an accomplished researcher, educator, administrator and public advocate for science and engineering and is considered one of the world’s most influential biologists.

Director

Dr. Jennifer Doudna, biochemist and Nobel Prize winning co-inventor of CRISPR technology. Dr. Doudna is a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley. Her groundbreaking development of CRISPR-Cas9 — a genome engineering technology that allows researchers to edit DNA — with collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier earned the two the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and forever changed the course of human and agricultural genomics research. She is also the Founder and President of the Innovative Genomics Institute, the Li Ka Shing chancellor’s chair in Biomedical and Health Sciences, and a member of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Gladstone Institutes, the National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Doudna is a leader in the global public debate on the responsible use of CRISPR and has co-founded and serves on the advisory panel of several companies that usethe technology in unique ways. She is the co-author of “A Crack in Creation,” a personal account of her research and the societal and ethical implications of gene editing.

Director JD

Karl Johansson is an advisor and consultant for multi-national companies with a focus on technology, financial institutions, and energy. He currently serves as a board member or on management committee for the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, Analytical Credit Rating Agency (ACRA) (Moscow), the China- Russia Eurasia Studies Center (CREC), and the Institute for Emerging Markets Studies at the Skolkovo School Management in Moscow.

Director

Dr. Maria Leptin is the President of the ERC. Her research groups at the EMBL in Heidelberg and the University of Cologne study the biophysics of cell shape changes. After receiving her PhD at the Basel Institute for Immunology, Switzerland, Dr. Leptin moved to the LMB in Cambridge, UK, became a group leader at the Max-Planck-Institute in Tibingen and then professor at the Institute of Genetics, Cologne. She spent time on sabbaticals or as visiting professor at UCSF, the Ecole normale supérieure in Paris, and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute at Hinxton. From 2010 to 2021, Dr. Leptin was the Director of EMBO. She is an elected member of EMBO, the Academia Europaea, the German National Academy, Leopoldina, an Honorary Fellow of the UK Academy of MedicalSciences, and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the EPFL, Lausanne.

Director

Robert Nelsen is a co-founder and a Managing Director of ARCH Venture Partners. He joined ARCH at its founding and played a significant role in the creation, early sourcing, financing and development of more than 150 companies, including 38 which have reached valuations exceeding $1billion. Nelsen is focused on generating new ideas for disruptive technologies or business models and partnering with founding management teams and entrepreneurs to execute on these visions by advancing novel platform technologies with the overarching goal of improving health care and outcomes.

Director MD

Dr. Raj Shah is president of the Rockefeller Foundation, a global institution committed to promoting the well-being of humanity around the world through data, science and innovation. Under his leadership, the foundation raised and deployed more than $1 billion to respond to the COVID pandemic at home and abroad, launched a Pandemic Prevention Institute to prevent future health crises, and created a $10 billion Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet to help secure a just and green recovery. Dr. Shah serves on President Biden’s Defense Policy Board and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences andthe Council on Foreign Relations.

Principle Investigators

Dr. Acosta-Alvear is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at University of California, Santa Barbara. He has made several contributions to our understanding of the ISR and UPR signaling mechanisms. In his graduate work at NYU, Dr. Acosta-Alvear discovered how the UPR controls cellular developmental decisions, and as apostdoc in the laboratory of Peter Walter, he discovered conserved stress-sensing principles of the UPR stress sensor IRET and its interconnectivity with the cell’s protein synthesis machinery. Dr. Acosta-Alvear is also a co-discoverer of the small-molecule ISR inhibitor ISRIB and has collaborations with the groups of Costa-Mattioli and Walter on protein homeostasis. His group at UCSB recently discovered new signaling principles and layers of interconnectivity between the ISR and the UPR.

Dr. Simone Bianco is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos he was a research staff member and manager of the department of Functional Genomics and Cellular Engineering at the IBM Almaden Research Center. He is an expert in computer driven design of biological systems. Dr. Bianco has contributed to the design of vaccines, antivirals, antimicrobials and immunotherapies, and holds several patents in synthetic biology. He is founding PI of the NSF Center for Cellular Construction, which aims at transforming cell biology into an engineering discipline. Dr. Bianco is a TED speaker with over 1M views, recipient of IBM’s Outstanding Research Achievement Award, and an honorary visiting lecturer for the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, for his standing in the field of dynamical systems and commitment to education.

Prior to joining Altos Labs, Dr. Jin Chen was an Assistant

Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Chen is one of the leaders in the emerging field of the “microproteome”. He uncovered pervasive non-canonical translation of the mammalian genome, encoding a whole universe of novel, unannotated proteins. In addition, he developed various CRISPR-based tools and functional genomic techniques. His lab is interested in building innovative tools to explore the organizational principles of the genome and transcriptome, as well as studying the information encoded in the genome and how the expression of this information is regulated during cellular stress and aging. Before UT Southwestern, he did his postdoctoral research with Jonathan Weissman at the University of California San Francisco and received his Ph.D. from Stanford University with Jody Puglisi. He has received numerous awards for his work, including a NIH Pathway to Independence Award, Endowed Scholar award from UT Southwestern

Dr. Mauro Costa-Mattioli is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science and an adjunct Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair in Neuroscience & Director of the Memory & BrainResearch Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr Costa-Mattioli has elucidated central mechanisms underlying neurological dysfunction. Specifically, he discovered that the protein homeostasis network dubbed the integrated stress response (ISR) is a universal regulator of long-term memory formation, and its activation the main causative mechanism underlying cognitive dysfunction in a wide range of memory disorders. Dr. Costa-Mattioli discovered and characterized the mechanism(s) by which specific microbes in the gut modulate brain function and complex behaviors. His awards include the International Eppendorf & Science Prize in Neurobiology, the Searle Scholar Award, the International Society for Neurochemistry Young Investigator Award, and the UCSF Presidential Award.

Dr. Ebru Erbay is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, she was an Associate Professor in the Departments of Cardiology and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Erbay was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Bilkent University. She studies organelle stress at the epicenter of immunometabolism. Dr. Erbay demonstrated the causality of endoplasmic reticulum stress for atherosclerosis while illuminating the therapeutic potential of modulating this stress response in cardiovascular disease. She discovered a bioactive lipid that can remodel organelle membranes, rendering them resilient to hyperlipidemia-induced damage. Dr. Erbay’s current work focuses on a hyperlipidemia-induced immunometabolite that can be counteracted to prevent atherosclerosis. She received the Sabri Ulker Science Award in 2017.

Dr. Adam Frost is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was an Associate Professor and the Herbert Boyer Junior faculty endowed chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco, a Chan Zuckerburg Investigator, and a HHMI faculty scholar. The Frost laboratory studies the behavior of molecular networks that govern homeostasis. By integrating atomic-scale structure determination by cryo-EM with genetics, biochemistry, and other imaging techniques, the Frost lab determined central mechanisms governing the shapes and connectivities of cellular organelles. The Frost lab also contributes to our understanding of how cells regulate protein synthesis levels in response to cellular stress, from translation initiation control to the detection and degradation of problematic nascent proteins. Dr. Frost’s awards include the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and the Searle Scholars Award

Dr. Jodi Nunnari is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, she was a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Nunnari is a pioneer in the mitochondrial biology field. She was the first to describe mitochondria as a dynamic network in homeostatic balance and her lab described the mitochondrial division and fusion machines. Her lab has uncovered additional mechanisms underlying mitochondrial behavior, including how mitochondrial membranes are organized, how mitochondria communicate with the endoplasmic reticulum, and how the mitochondrial genome is transmitted. Dr. Nunnari is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Susanna Rosi is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Bay Area Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, she was the Lewis and Ruth Cozen Chair II, Professor in the Departments of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science and Neurological Surgery at UCSF. Dr. Rosi studies the mechanisms responsible for the cognitive dysfunctions observed after traumatic brain injury, therapeutic brain irradiation and galactic cosmic ray exposure. Her work provided the mechanistic evidence for the role of microglia in the development of cognitive deficits after brain injury based on sex. She was the first to demonstrate that modulation of the Integrated Stress Response rescues cognitive deficits after brain trauma; rejuvenates old mice by alleviating memory deficits and restoring neuronal and immune dysfunction. Dr. Rosi has been the recipient of several NCI, NIA, NINDS awards and she is a NASA investigator. Most recently she received the 2021 J.W. Osborne Award.

San Diego Institute of Science

Dr. Steve Horvath is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was a Professor of Human Genetics and Biostatistics at the University of California, Los Angeles. His research lies at the intersection of several fields including biogerontology, anti-aging clinical trials, epigenetic biomarkers of aging, epidemiology, systems biology, and comparative biology. Dr. Horvath and his UCLA colleagues published the first epigenetic clock for saliva in 2011, the first pan-tissue clock (2013), and the first pan mammalian clock (2021). He is also known for developing weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA), a widely used data mining method used in genomic applications. The recipient of several awards, Dr. Horvath has been on Clarivate’s annual list of the world’s most influential scientific researchers every year since 2018.

Dr. Peter Kharchenko is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was a Gilbert S. Ommen Associate Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School. His group has developed key methods for genomic analysis of single cells, enabling statistical separation of distinct cellular states, detection of genomic aberrations in transcriptional data, and inference of cellular dynamics from snapshots of cellular state. His group has also applied these approaches to study the organization of different tissues and the impact of diseases ranging from cancer to schizophrenia. At Atlos, Peter’s group will study how cells coordinate their activity within complex biological tissues, how these mechanisms break down in the context of aging or disease, and investigate the potential interventions that may improve tissue function. Much of the effort will be focused on development and application of novel statistical methods and computational tools for understanding tissue function, including analysis of multi-omics and spatial assays.

Dr. Morgan Levine is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, she was a ladder rank professor in the department of Pathology at Yale University School of Medicine. Levine is considered a leader in the biology of aging, most famous for generating cutting-edge methods for quantifying the system dysregulation that occurs over an organisms’ lifetime. Her work relies on interdisciplinary approaches, integrating theories and techniques from bioinformatics and cellular and molecular biology to track trajectories aging cells and organisms take over time. Her vision is to link molecular changes in aging, development, and reprogramming to dynamical features of cells and to uncover how these alterations impact homeostasis at the tissue or organ-system level. Dr. Levine has received numerous awards for her work, including the Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star Award in Aging Research in 2021 and the Nathan Shock New Investigator Award in 2020.

Dr. Zachary Levine is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was an Assistant Professor of Pathology and Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry at the Yale School of Medicine. His research interests focus on using biophysical techniques to better understand the roles of promiscuous protein assemblies in aging that evade degradation. The Levine Lab seeks to measure the heterogeneity of individual protein complexes through a combination of molecular modeling, single-molecule fluorescence, and small-molecule interventions in cells and tissues. These integrated techniques highlight the shared molecular determinants of age-related disorders and cellular senescence, leading to a mechanistic description of biological aging that is sensitive to aberrant protein aggregation. Dr. Levine is currently a Fellow of Branford Residential College, a Yale Pepper Center Scholar, a council member for the Biophysical Society’s Intrinsically Disordered Protein Subgroup, and has received numerous NIH/NIA training and research grants.

Dr. Kun Zhang is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was the Leo and Trude Szilard Chair Professor and Chairman of the Bioengineering Department at University of California, San Diego. His area of expertise is molecular engineering and biotechnology, with a specialization on genomics, epigenomics and single-cell sequencing. Dr. Zhang pioneered the development of methods on target genome and epigenome sequencing, single cell genome sequencing, single-nucleus RNA sequencing, and single-cell multi-omics sequencing. He is applying these technologies to constructing single-cell atlases for major human organs. Dr. Zhang has been a Web of Science highly cited researcher since 2019, and was elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2017 and of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021.

Dr. Pura Muñoz-Cánoves is a principal investigator at the Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, she was an ICREA Professor and Cell Biology Professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, and Senior Scientist at the Spanish National Cardiovascular Research Center in Madrid, Spain. Her discoveries have set new paradigms on how stem cells age. For instance, her lab was the first to demonstrate that at advanced (geriatric) age, quiescent muscle stem cells undergo proteostatic failure, leading to senescence, a reprogramming of their normal daily circadian functions, and eventually, to regenerative impairment. These findings have already changed the classical conception of dormancy for adult stem cells and their regenerative functions, and have ample implications in regenerative medicine and aging. Her awards include the 2015 Pfizer and 2019 Lilly prizes in biomedicine, the 2019 King Jaume I Prize, and 2021 Spain National Prize Santiago Ramón y Cajal in Biomedicine, as well as ERC awards and permanent membership in EMBO and Academia Europaea.

Cambridge Institute of Science (UK)

Dr. Maria Abad studies the interplay between stress responses and cellular plasticity. She discovered that cellular reprogramming is feasible in living organisms, and has contributed to the demonstration that tissue damage, through the induction of cellular senescence, creates a microenvironment critical for cellular reprogramming. More recently, Dr. Abad has studied the translation of small open reading frames (SORFs) located in assumed non-coding regions, and her group has identified several IncRNA-derived small proteins with important roles in cellular plasticity. At Altos Cambridge, she will aim to create a multidisciplinary and collaborative program to unravel how the proteome is shaped to cope with stress, and to identify novel cell-intrinsic and cell- extrinsic determinants of cellular reprograming and tissue rejuvenation.

Kevin Chalut is a physical biologist with a PhD in Physics from Duke University. Prior to joining Altos Labs, he was a group leader at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge. During his time there, his lab performed seminal work understanding how the mechanical environment and mechanical properties of cells affect stem cell fate choices across the lifespan, and how the mechanical environment can lead to loss of function in stem cells.

Dr. Martin Denzel is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Cambridge Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos, he was a research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne, Germany. He studies the molecular underpinnings of longevity using high-resolution genetic screens in multiple organisms, including worms and mice. Dr. Denzel investigates energy and protein metabolism as well as conserved stress signaling pathways that can be tuned to extend survival. To elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms Dr. Denzel employs structural biology approaches. Recently, his team showed that inhibition of the integrated stress response (ISR) extends lifespan. For his basic research, Dr. Denzel received support from all major European and German funding organizations, including EMBO and ERC. He aims to apply basic research and co-founded the start-up company Acus Laboratories.

Dr. Robin Franklin was previously Professor of Stem Cell Medicine at the Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge. His laboratory has made many pioneering discoveries on the mechanisms by which adult CNS progenitors replace lost oligodendrocytes, describing how their function declines with aging and how this can be reversed, by, for example, partial reprogramming and manipulation of physical properties of the niche. Dr. Franklin’s laboratory will develop multidisciplinary collaborative links to further explore the underlying mechanisms of adult somatic stem cell aging. He is a Fellow of both the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society, as well as the recipient of the 2017 Barancik International Prize for Research Innovation and the 2021 King Faisal Prize for Medicine.

Dr. Giovanna Mallucci is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Cambridge Institute of Science. She was previously van Geest Professor of Clinical Neurosciences and Center Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. Following her discovery of the reversibility of early neurodegeneration, her lab pioneered the understanding of the role of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) in neurodegenerative diseases and its therapeutic manipulation for neuroprotection, including discovering repurposable drugs ready for clinical trials. Dr. Mallucci’s interest in neuroprotection led to the discovery of ‘hibernation’ proteins in synapse regeneration that can be targeted therapeutically. She is Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and received the 2021 Potamkin Prize for Research in Pick’s, Alzheimer’s and Related Disorders. Dr. Mallucci is a practicing neurologist, specialized in dementia.

Dr. Eduardo Moreno is a Principal Investigator at the Altos Labs Cambridge Institute of Science. Prior to joining Altos he was a Senior Group Leader at the Champalimaud Center of the Unknown in Lisbon, Portugal. Dr. Moreno is a pioneer in the genetic and cellular study of cell competition and its role in aging and cancer. His laboratory has produced groundbreaking research related to the identification and characterization of key cell fitness determinants and has established the physiological role of fitness-based cell selection during development and aging. Dr. Moreno’s contributions to science have been recognized with several international awards, including the Josef Steiner Cancer Research Award, the Brupbacher Foundation Young Investigator Prize, ERC awards and EMBO permanent membership.

Dr. Ken Raj joins Altos from Public Health England. He will investigate the mechanisms that underpin epigenetic changes that accompany ageing. By employing human cell ageing assays he developed based on epigenetic clocks, Dr. Raj will elucidate the common denominators that link the different hallmarks of ageing. He will also explore how distinct cell populations in tissues alter in function of age. The human cell ageing assays will be leveraged to identify interventions that perturb epigenetic clocks and ageing, with the view of understanding the clock at the molecular level. Together with Steve Horvath, he will bring mouse epigenetic clocks to bear on large-scale genetic screen of mutant mice to elucidate genes associated with epigenetic ageing.

Dr. Manuel Serrano joins Altos Cambridge from the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB), Barcelona, Spain. He has been working on cellular senescence for almost 30 years since his discovery of the master senescence gene p16 and the phenomenon of oncogene-induced senescence. Dr. Serrano combines work on senescence with cellular reprogramming. His group was the first to report that reprogramming can be achieved within tissues in intact organisms and this is strongly promoted by tissue damage signals. Dr. Serrano’s team is currently focused on the identification of intermediate reversible states of reprogramming and their relevance for tissue rejuvenation. The overarching goal of his research is to find pharmacological and dietary interventions that mimic intermediate reprogramming and trigger rejuvenation.

Management Team

SVP, Finance and Procurement

David Williamson is the Senior Vice President of Finance and Procurement for Altos. He brings 25 years of finance experience in Corporate Planning, Business Development, and Business Operations, with 15 years of Research and Development finance experience in the Life Sciences industry. Most recently Williamson served as the Vice President of Global Product Development finance at Roche. Previously he was the Head of Finance for the Genentech Research and Early Development organization, overseeing all finance operations, planning and business development finance activities. Earlier in his career, Williamson spent 8 years in retail finance at Gap Inc. in various Corporate Planning and Real Estate strategy roles. He holds a B.S. in Accounting and Entrepreneurship from the University of St. Thomas.

VP, Finance and Accounting

Nimit Arora joined Altos as VP of Finance and Accounting in January 2022 and brings 20 years of finance, accounting, and operations experience with global companies in the Life Sciences and Biotechnology sector. Prior to joining Altos Labs, he served as Corporate Controller at Atara Biotherapeutics from May 2017 to December 2021, helping build and scale the finance organization for a growing public company. Before Atara, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers for 11 years serving clients in both public and private sectors in the Life Science and Venture Capital audit practice in the firm’s San Jose Office. Earlier in his career, Arora worked at Grant Thornton India and KPMG India serving clients in both public and private sectors. He holds a Bachelor’s in Commerce from Delhi University, India and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in California and Chartered Accountant from India.

VP, Scientific Operations PhD

Dr. Travis Berggren joined Altos Labs from the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, where he was Executive Director of Research Operations, providing executive oversight of shared scientific resources. He brings decades of experience to Altos in establishing and running a diverse portfolio of scientific cores and shared research resources. Early in his career, Dr. Berggren worked on DNA sequencing technology development and mass spectrometry-based proteomics. He has been active in human stem cell research for nearly 20 years, and has overseen the establishment and renovation of more than a dozen scientific cores that range from imaging, and flow cytometry to those involving multiomics, like NGS, bioinformatics, proteomics and single cell analysis.

VP, Procurement

Cheri Curry is a procurement and operations leader. For over two decades, she has served in global biotechnology and pharmaceutical organizations, and in the MENA region at a state-of-the-art international biomedical research center, during various stages of organizational development, including startups, large R&D and manufacturing operational activities, and mergers & acquisitions. Curry supports scientists to devise sustainable procurement strategies, systems optimizations, maintain strategic relationships, and provide expert negotiation skills. She co-led a COVID task force to protect critical workforce during the pandemic at GRAIL. Curry currently serves on BIOCOM’s Purchasing Group Board of Directors, is past recipient of Takeda Pharmaceuticals President’s Award and founded SEEDs Alliance bringing together 600+ biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry stakeholders to green the life sciences.

VP, Portfolio Management and Business Operations

Dr. Elkes is the VP of Portfolio Management and Business Operations at Altos Labs. He previously led portfolio strategy and planning for Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED), which delivered more than 80 drug candidates into development. He catalysed gRED 2025, a strategy to propel Genentech research and development into the future. Dr. Elkes helped shepherd the development and commercialization of immunotherapies ipilimumab and nivolumab at Medarex. Additionally, he worked as a Scientist at Exelixis and as a management consultant. Dr. Elkes studied Molecular Biology and Public Policy at Princeton and received his Ph.D. in Genetics at Harvard, and is also known for his work in the movement to end modern day slavery.

VP, Global Facilities and Site Services

Thomas Nollie has experience in the management of projects, personnel, and manufacturing plants that include ship construction and repair, plant management, multi-plant management, and engineering design. Nollie graduated from the United Stated Naval Academy where he received his BS degree. He furthered his education with a MSME, MBA, and Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering. Nollie held roles as Commanding Officer, Business Manager, Repair Officer, Project Officer for new construction of ships, and Chief Design Engineer of repair facilities. He has held positions as VP/General Manager and President/COO. Nollie has most recently held roles as Principal Managing Engineer and Director roles at multiple biotech firms.

VP, Transactions and Partnerships

J.D. Adam is the head of Altos Labs’ global transactional law practice. He is an innovative and solution-oriented business partner with deep expertise in corporate, commercial, and intellectual property matters. Prior to joining Altos, Adam spent over 11 years with Illumina where as VP, Legal he negotiated strategic partnerships and led a team of attorneys and contract analysts. He holds a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law and a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in molecular biology from Tufts University.

VP, Software Engineering

Dr. Bikash Sabata joined Altos Labs from Roche Diagnostics, where he was the VP of Software Systems at Roche Sequencing Solutions, leading the software development for the sequencing platform. He worked for Roche in several positions, including those of Head of Imaging and Software for Digital Pathology, Head of Advanced Workflow and Analytics, Head of Software for Ariosa Labs (NIPT CLIA Lab in Roche Sequencing), and Head of Architecture for Personalized Health Care (program in Roche Pharma and Genentech).

The arrival of Altos Labs

Altos Labs has been covered by several magazines including Forbes, Economist, Guardian and Financial Times.

Forbes magazine delved into whether money was a sufficient condition to buy innovation. They reported that Altos Laboratories, a biopharmaceutical startup with an initial commitment of $3 billion, had sparked a debate about the future of healthcare and the role of venture capital in driving innovation in this space. For years, biopharma has been a magnet for investment, with billions of dollars poured into the industry every year. The bio-venture business model, built on the premise that with enough capital, talented scientists and entrepreneurs can create game-changing technologies and therapies, has been a driving force behind this trend.

The launch of Altos Laboratories, however, takes this trend to a whole new level. With its record-breaking investment, the startup has become a poster child for the enormous potential that exists in biopharma and the confidence investors have in this field. But with this opportunity comes risk. Biopharma is a heavily regulated industry, with significant uncertainties in the regulatory process and the commercialization of new therapies. It requires a long-term investment horizon, and many companies fail to deliver the expected returns.

So, what does the future hold for biopharma and its investors? Will this trend of large-scale investment continue to push the industry to new heights, or will it lead to its downfall?

The answer is not clear cut. The availability of capital will play a significant role, as will the ability of companies to deliver on their promises. The regulatory environment is also a critical factor, with many companies facing substantial hurdles in bringing new therapies to market.

Despite these challenges, there is no denying the immense potential that exists in biopharma. Breakthrough therapies have the power to transform healthcare and save lives. With the right investment and regulatory support, the industry could be at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also highlighted the critical role that biopharma plays in society. The rapid development of vaccines and therapies to combat the virus has been nothing short of miraculous, and it’s clear that biopharma will continue to play a vital role in the fight against future pandemics and diseases.

Despite the risks, the Altos financing reflects the immense potential that exists in biopharma and the confidence investors have in this field. Biopharma has demonstrated that, with sufficient funding, talented scientists and entrepreneurs can create ground breaking therapies and technologies that have the power to transform healthcare and improve patients’ lives.

The Altos Laboratories financing also represents a new model for the industry, one that emphasizes long-term investment and the creation of sustainable business models. This model recognizes that innovation in biopharma requires a significant amount of capital, time, and resources and cannot be achieved through short-term thinking or quick fixes.

While the odds are against any new company, regardless of its size, the fate of Altos Laboratories could have a significant impact on the future of biopharma innovation and ultimately patient care. If the company succeeds in bringing new therapies to market and demonstrates the sustainability of its business model, it could pave the way for more significant investment in the industry and a new era of healthcare innovation.

If the company fails to deliver on its promises or encounters significant regulatory hurdles, it could have a chilling effect on investment in the industry, leading to a consolidation of biopharma companies and a slowdown in innovation.

Ultimately, the future of biopharma innovation will depend on the complex interplay of investment, regulation, and innovation. While the current market turbulence raises concerns about the sustainability of such massive investments, the potential rewards of successful biopharma innovation are too great to ignore. As such, investors and industry leaders must continue to strike a balance between risk and reward and remain committed to the long-term vision of transforming healthcare through innovation.

In the early 2000s, there was a shift in the bio-venture industry towards a more specialized approach, with venture teams composed of experts in science and medicine, as well as finance. This approach proved to be more effective in developing drugs and bringing them to market, and resulted in more successful investments.

The financial crisis of 2008 had a significant impact on the bio-venture industry, with many investors pulling back from risky investments. This led to a decline in funding for early-stage biotech startups, making it more difficult for new companies to get off the ground.

In recent years, the bio-venture industry has experienced a resurgence, with record levels of investment in biotech startups. This has been driven by a number of factors, including advances in technology and an increased understanding of the science behind diseases, as well as a growing demand for new treatments and therapies.

The industry has also seen the emergence of new funding models, such as venture philanthropy and impact investing, which aim to support innovative research and development in the biotech sector. These models are focused on creating positive social and environmental impact, as well as financial returns, and are attracting a new generation of investors to the industry.

Overall, the evolution of bio-venture has been marked by a series of challenges and opportunities, and has required a flexible and adaptive approach to investment and innovation. As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see what new models and strategies emerge to support the development of innovative new therapies and treatments.

The Altos mega-startup is a testament to the evolution of bio-venture and the impact of financial markets on the industry. With the surge of available financing from the Fed, venture firms were able to increase early-stage financings and recruit top talent from the pharma industry. This created a model tailored to drug development that yielded impressive results, including record profits for investors and life-saving treatments for patients.

The COVID pandemic only accelerated the trend, with hundreds of clinical trials launched within months and a pipeline of new and repurposed medicines that has grown to over 850 in two years. The most innovative of these, mRNA vaccines, were approved in less than a year and have saved millions of lives and trillions of dollars.

However, the rise of Altos also highlights the risks of an illiquid economy and the potential consequences of the Fed’s monetary policies. With unprecedented levels of financing available, there is a risk of overcapitalization and underperformance, as seen in the dot-com bubble of the early 2000s. It remains to be seen whether the current surge in bio-venture will yield sustainable results or whether it will be another bubble that eventually bursts.

Forbes concluded that while mega-startups like Altos Labs may have the potential to consolidate resources and scale up drug development, they also run the risk of reducing innovative diversity. Startups, on the other hand, are disposable and can afford to take risks and experiment with different ideas, even if most of them fail. The bio-pharma model succeeded because of a change in the financial environment that allowed for manageable losses to increase. It remains to be seen whether the current economy can sustain a community of multi-billion-dollar startups in the long run.Top of Form

It is true that having a large bank account can be a powerful tool for recruiting top talent in the drug development industry. However, too much money can also make managers and developers risk-averse, leading to a lack of innovation and experimentation. The bio-venture model has been successful precisely because it allows for a diversity of ideas and approaches, and accepts that most of them will fail. This willingness to take risks is what drives innovation in the industry. While the founders and investors of mega-startups like Altos Labs may talk about their desire to improve patient care and pursue novel treatments, the reality is that financial gain is often a significant motivating factor. It remains to be seen whether such large-scale investments will actually lead to breakthroughs in drug development, or whether the bio-venture model will continue to be the most effective approach for innovation in the industry.

The origin of Altos Labs

The much revered MIT Tech Review deemed it fit to cover Altos Labs in substantial detail. Their article covered several aspects of Altos Labs.  Founded by billionaire investor Yuri Milner, Altos is focusing on research that seeks to reverse the aging process and extend human life. In October of 2020, Milner hosted a two-day scientific conference at his mansion in Los Altos Hills, where a group of scientists gathered to discuss how biotechnology could be used to make people younger. The conference focused on radical attempts at “rejuvenating” animals, with the goal of extending their lifespan and improving their health. Attendees were tested for Covid-19 and wore masks as they participated in the conference in person, while others joined virtually.

Altos Labs is reportedly planning to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in research and development, with a focus on exploring cutting-edge technologies like gene editing and cellular reprogramming. The company is said to be recruiting some of the top scientists in the field, including Hal Barron, a former executive at pharmaceutical giant Roche.

While the prospect of extending human life is certainly enticing, some experts have raised concerns about the potential risks and ethical implications of such research. Critics argue that the focus on longevity may detract from other important areas of scientific inquiry, and that the benefits of such research may only be available to the wealthy elite.

Despite these concerns, Altos Labs represents a new frontier in biotechnology research, and has the potential to revolutionize the way we think about aging and the human lifespan. With the backing of a billionaire investor and some of the brightest minds in the field, it remains to be seen what breakthroughs and discoveries Altos Labs will achieve in the coming years.

Biological reprogramming is a process that involves manipulating cells in a lab to rejuvenate them. Scientists believe that this technology could be extended to revitalize entire animal bodies, and ultimately, lead to the prolongation of human life. Altos Labs is looking to establish several institutes in different locations around the world, including the Bay Area, San Diego, Cambridge, UK, and Japan.

The company is recruiting a large cadre of university scientists, offering them lavish salaries and the promise of unfettered blue-sky research on how cells age and how to reverse that process. By recruiting top talent from the scientific community, Altos Labs hopes to push the boundaries of anti-aging research and find breakthroughs that could lead to longer, healthier lives.

However, some experts have expressed concerns about the potential risks of such a venture. They worry that putting too much money into too few hands could reduce innovative diversity and make drug developers risk-averse. In addition, the high financial stakes could make it difficult for investors and managers to take serious innovation risks.

Altos Labs was founded after a scientific conference held at Yuri Milner’s super-mansion in Los Altos Hills, where a group of experts gathered to discuss how biotechnology could be used to make people younger.

The company has been incorporated in both the US and the UK, with plans to establish several institutes in places including the Bay Area, San Diego, Cambridge, UK, and Japan. Altos is recruiting a large cadre of university scientists with lavish salaries and the promise that they can pursue unfettered blue-sky research on how cells age and how to reverse that process.

Some people briefed by the company have been told that its investors include Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person, who recently stepped down as CEO of Amazon. Technology Review confirmed that Yuri Milner and his wife Julia have invested in Altos through a foundation.

The company is expected to draw comparisons to Calico Labs, a longevity company announced in 2013 by Google co-founder Larry Page. Like Calico, Altos has hired elite scientific figures and given them generous budgets. However, it has been questioned whether Calico has made much progress in the field of longevity.

Among the scientists said to be joining Altos are Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a Spanish biologist at the Salk Institute, and Steve Horvath, a UCLA professor and developer of a “biological clock” that can accurately measure human aging. Shinya Yamanaka, who shared a 2012 Nobel Prize for the discovery of reprogramming, will be an unpaid senior scientist and will chair the company’s scientific advisory board.

Altos’ ambition and the calibre of its recruits are impressive, and the company has the potential to make significant breakthroughs in the field of longevity research. However, some experts warn that the pursuit of immortality could have unintended consequences and that we must carefully consider the ethical implications of such research.

Despite the potential risks associated with the research, Altos Labs is pushing forward in the field of biological reprogramming, with the hope of reversing the aging process and ultimately prolonging human life. While the concept of reversing aging may seem like science fiction, Altos is attracting top talent from around the world with its promise of unfettered blue-sky research and lavish salaries. Izpisua

Among the scientists joining Altos is Shinya Yamanaka, who shared the 2012 Nobel Prize for the discovery of reprogramming. Yamanaka’s breakthrough discovery showed that cells can be instructed to revert to a primitive state with the properties of embryonic stem cells with the addition of just four proteins, known as Yamanaka factors. Altos Labs also includes Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a Spanish biologist at the Salk Institute, in La Jolla, California, who has made headlines for his research mixing human and monkey embryos and for predicting that human lifespans could be increased by 50 years.

Despite the promise of this technology, experiments in mice have shown that reprogramming can result in the development of teratomas, or embryonic tumours, and other unpredictable outcomes. However, Altos Labs is undeterred and is willing to take on the risks associated with this research in pursuit of the ultimate goal of reversing aging.

Altos Labs is also drawing comparisons to Calico Labs, a longevity company founded in 2013 by Google co-founder Larry Page. Like Altos, Calico hired elite scientific figures and gave them generous budgets, but it has been questioned whether the company has made much progress. Calico has also started a lab focused on reprogramming, publishing its first preprint on the topic earlier this year.

Altos Labs has been backed by Yuri Milner, a Russian-born billionaire who made his fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru, and his wife Julia, who have invested through a foundation. Reports also suggest that Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person and former CEO of Amazon, is among the investors.

While the pursuit of eternal youth may seem like a far-fetched idea, Altos Labs is attracting some of the brightest minds in the scientific community and is committed to pushing the boundaries of what we know about the aging process. Only time will tell if Altos can achieve its ambitious goals, but the company’s ability to attract such top talent is certainly impressive.

The company has been described as a way to rejuvenate cells in the lab and potentially revitalize entire animal bodies, which could ultimately lead to longer human lifespans. Investors reportedly include Yuri Milner, a Russian-born billionaire who made a fortune on Facebook and Mail.ru, and Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest person, who stepped down as CEO of Amazon in July 2021. Milner and his wife Julia have invested in Altos through a foundation.

Altos is certain to draw comparisons to Calico Labs, a longevity company announced in 2013 by Google co-founder, Larry Page. Calico also hired elite scientific figures and gave them generous budgets, although it has been questioned whether the Google spinout has made much progress.

Among the scientists said to be joining Altos are Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a Spanish biologist at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, who has predicted that human lifespans could be increased by 50 years, and Steve Horvath, a UCLA professor and developer of a “biological clock” that can accurately measure human aging. Shinya Yamanaka, who shared a 2012 Nobel Prize for the discovery of reprogramming, will be an unpaid senior scientist and will chair the company’s scientific advisory board.

Initially, Milner’s interest in reprogramming was philanthropic. After a meeting at his home, a non-profit called the Milky Way Research Foundation, sponsored by Milner, awarded three-year grants of $1 million a year to several longevity researchers. The proposals were considered by an advisory board including Yamanaka and Jennifer Doudna, who shared a Breakthrough Prize in 2015 and later a Nobel in 2020 for her co-discovery of CRISPR genome editing. However, sometime during 2021, a new plan emerged to make the research move even faster by turning the idea into a well-funded company, which is now Altos. This effort took shape under the direction of Richard Klausner, the one-time chief of the National Cancer Institute and now an entrepreneur known for organizing large, and lucrative, financial bets on new biotechnologies.

While the potential benefits of anti-aging research are clear, there are also concerns about the ethical implications and the potential for wealthy individuals to extend their lives at the expense of others. The results of early mouse experiments were promising, but also raised concerns about the potential for tumours and other unintended consequences. As the pursuit of longer lifespans continues, it will be important to balance the potential benefits with ethical considerations and to ensure that any breakthroughs are accessible to all.

Altos aims to use the technique of cellular reprogramming, which was developed by Shinya Yamanaka, to revert cells to a primitive state with the properties of embryonic stem cells. Milner initially supported the research philanthropically through the Milky Way Research Foundation before turning the idea into a well-funded company. Altos has hired several high-profile researchers, including Richard Klausner, Peter Walter, and Wolf Reik, and is offering them sports-star salaries of $1 million a year or more, plus equity, and the freedom from the hassle of applying for grants. Altos has raised at least $270 million, according to a securities disclosure filed in California, and may have additional wealthy tech figures and venture capitalists as investors. Altos is not expecting any immediate revenue but aims to fund researchers to conduct “great science” and understand rejuvenation.

Altos Labs’ philosophy is centered around curiosity-driven research, providing researchers with the freedom to explore and be bold. According to Manuel Serrano, who plans to join Altos Labs, the company’s focus is on understanding rejuvenation, with any potential revenue being a long-term goal rather than an immediate one.

Serrano, who was among the first scientists to genetically engineer mice to produce Yamanaka factors in 2013, believes that the process of introducing the factors is simple, even if it is not fully understood. While the mice developed tumours as their cells reverted to an embryonic stage, the work hinted at the possibility of reversing time inside a living animal.

Investment in anti-aging techniques is increasing, with many startups and private companies pursuing research in this area. Some experts believe that government funding agencies may not be able to keep up with the pace of this research, and private investment may be needed to accelerate progress. Martin Borch Jensen, the chief scientific officer of Gordian Biotechnology, plans to give out $20 million worth of rapid turn-around “Impetus” grants using funds from donors to speed up research in this area. The major challenge in this field is to find ways to safely rejuvenate animals without causing harm and to develop drugs that can be used in the clinic without introducing oncogenic genes.

“There’s a big bet now,” Jensen says. “It’s ‘Let’s see if reprogramming works. Let’s see if molecular clocks can be biomarkers.’ If it does work, it’s going to have a huge impact.”

Ocampo says that while reprogramming is an interesting scientific concept, it is not yet ready for clinical use. He argues that there are still too many unknowns about the safety and effectiveness of reprogramming to make it a viable therapy for aging-related diseases. Furthermore, Ocampo believes that the commercial focus on reprogramming may be a distraction from other potentially promising anti-aging approaches.

“I think the concept is strong, but there is a lot of hype. It’s far away from translation,” he says. “It’s risky and it’s a long way from a human therapy.” One problem is that reprogramming doesn’t just make cells act younger but also changes their identity—for instance, turning a skin cell into a stem cell. That is what makes the technology too dangerous to try on people yet.

Indeed, the potential of reprogramming technology is undeniable, even if there are still many unknowns and challenges to overcome. It is important to strike a balance between the excitement and potential of the technology and the need for rigorous testing and regulatory oversight to ensure safety and efficacy. Only time will tell if the investment in reprogramming technology will pay off in the form of new treatments for age-related diseases, but the possibility of such breakthroughs is certainly tantalizing.

That’s correct. Reprogramming is a process that occurs naturally during embryonic development, where the DNA of the fertilized egg is reset, leading to the creation of a new organism. This process is well-studied and understood, and has been reproduced countless times throughout evolution. It is this natural process that scientists are trying to harness and apply to rejuvenate cells and tissues in older animals.

It seems that Jeff Bezos has a personal interest in longevity research and his investment in Altos Labs indicates his commitment to this area. In his final letter to Amazon shareholders, he shared a quote about the importance of actively working to stave off death and the idea that living things must actively work to prevent their demise. While it’s unclear how much he has invested in Altos, it’s evident that he sees the potential in this field of research.

It’s possible that Bezos sees anti-aging and age-reversal research as a means of preserving individuality and uniqueness, both for individuals and for companies. By slowing or reversing the effects of aging, people and organizations may be better equipped to maintain their identity and purpose over a longer period of time.

Altos was covered by industry websites like fiercebiotech

Despite the much-anticipated launch of Altos Labs and the hiring of Hal Barron as its CEO, funding for longevity research has dropped in 2022, according to a report by U.K.-based research and investment firm Longevity.

In 2021, the longevity sector reached a record high of $6.2 billion in funding. However, this number dropped to $5.2 billion in 2022, despite the launch of Altos Labs, which was expected to inject significant investment into the field.

Jeff Bezos is widely believed to be a key backer of Altos Labs, which aims to use cellular reprogramming to develop anti-aging therapies. Cellular reprogramming involves resetting cells to a more youthful state, potentially reversing age-related damage.

However, while the concept of rejuvenation has attracted significant interest, the report suggests that investors may be hesitant to back the field due to regulatory challenges and the long timeline for clinical trials.

In addition to Altos Labs, several other longevity startups have received notable funding in recent years, including Unity Biotechnology, Insilco Medicine, and Metacrine. However, Longevity’s report suggests that the overall funding trend may be slowing down.

Despite this, many researchers remain optimistic about the potential of longevity research to extend human lifespan and improve quality of life in old age. As the field continues to evolve, it remains to be seen whether funding will rebound in the coming years and help accelerate progress in this promising area of research.

Despite the buzz surrounding the launch of Altos Labs and the high-profile appointment of Hal Barron as CEO, funding in the longevity sector for 2022 appears to be lower than expected, according to a report by UK-based research and investment firm Longevity. The report reveals that the sector only attracted $5.2 billion in funding in 2022, down from the record high of $6.2 billion in 2021. The report also highlights that the top five deals were all in the US, with Altos Labs leading the way with a $2 billion launch. Maze Therapeutics secured $190 million for preclinical precision medicines for Pompei disease and others, Retro Biosciences raised $180 million for anti-aging biotech, and AI-powered drug designer Recursion Pharmaceuticals received $150 million in funding.

Little is known about Altos Labs, except for its prestigious leadership team, which includes Hal Barron, its hefty initial financing, and its goal of “restoring cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life.” The funding, therefore, suggests that investors remain cautious about the longevity sector, despite the recent high-profile launches and deals

The longevity sector is attracting significant investment, with billions of dollars flowing into startups focused on anti-aging and cell rejuvenation research. However, a new report by UK-based research and investment firm Longevity suggests that funding for the sector has dropped in 2022 compared to the record high of $6.2 billion in 2021.

The report indicates that the top five deals in 2022 were all in the US, with Altos Labs leading the pack with a massive $2 billion launch. This startup, widely believed to be backed by Jeff Bezos, is focused on restoring cell health and resilience through cellular rejuvenation programming to reverse disease, injury, and disabilities.

Maze Therapeutics, a precision medicine company focused on developing treatments for Pompe disease and other conditions, secured $190 million in financing. Retro Biosciences, a biotech company focused on anti-aging research, raised $180 million in initial funding, while Recursion Pharmaceuticals, which uses artificial intelligence to design new drugs, raised $150 million.

While the longevity sector is still attracting significant investment, the drop in funding in 2022 suggests that investors are becoming more discerning and focused on companies that have a clear and defined goal. The high-profile launch of Altos Labs, with its star-studded leadership team, may have set the bar too high for other companies in the sector, which may struggle to attract funding without a clear and compelling vision.

Economist magazine had a more balanced view

The article discusses the announcement of Altos Labs, a startup with $3 billion in funding, and its ambitious goal of developing an “elixir of life” to prolong human life. The article notes that while other companies and individuals have attempted to tackle this challenge in the past, many have yet to generate a product, and some have even fallen out or gone quiet. The article also mentions rumours that Jeff Bezos may be one of Altos Labs’ investors.

The world of startups is full of promising ventures, but only a few manage to make a lasting impact. Among them are a group of startups that are focused on understanding the process of cellular aging. These startups have assembled an impressive team of scientists to help them unlock the secrets of aging. Their mission is to find solutions to age-related diseases such as cognitive disorders, neurodegeneration, diabetes, metabolic problems, and cancer. While their work may not necessarily extend human lifespans, it could certainly improve what is called “health span” – the period of life during which people are healthy and active.

 It is rumoured to be the best financed startup in history. The founders of Altos Labs, Rick Klausner, Hans Bishop, and Yuri Milner, have dreamed up a product that is an elixir of life. Although this may seem expensive, it could be worth it to increase the health span of people. The firm announced itself and its modus operandi on January 19th, after months of preparation. The field of cellular aging has attracted many billionaires, such as Dr. Milner, and Dr. Klausner, a former head of America’s National Cancer Institute.

The quest for an elixir of life has been pursued by many startups in the past, but few have succeeded. Google’s (now Alphabet) Calico Life Sciences, founded in 2013 with Larry Page as an investor, has yet to generate a product. Human Longevity, launched in the same year by Craig Venter and Peter Diamandis, has also gone quiet after the founders fell out. However, Altos Labs, with its $3bn funding and star-studded scientific cast, hopes to succeed where others have failed. Altos Labs aims to tackle cellular ageing, potentially helping to combat cognitive disorders, neurodegeneration, diabetes, metabolic problems, and cancer. While this may not greatly extend average lifespans, it could improve health span, increasing the years of healthy living. There are rumours that Jeff Bezos is one of Altos Labs’ investors, as the pursuit of life prolongation seems particularly attractive to those who already have everything.

Altos Labs hopes to develop an “elixir of life” that could potentially reverse the process of cellular aging and combat diseases such as cognitive disorders, neurodegeneration, diabetes, and cancer.

While others have attempted to achieve similar goals in the past, including Calico Life Sciences and Human Longevity, Altos Labs’ founders are deadly serious about their mission. They have identified two key biological discoveries that may hold the key to their success and have recruited a team of renowned scientists to pursue their research.

The team includes Dr. Rick Klausner, former head of America’s National Cancer Institute, and Yuri Milner, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist with interests in various technological fields. They have also enlisted the expertise of Hans Bishop, the former CEO of GRAIL, a cancer-detection company, to lead the business operations of the company.

Despite its lofty goals, Altos Labs faces significant challenges in its pursuit of extending human life. While the potential benefits are immense, the scientific, ethical, and practical implications of achieving such a feat are profound. Nonetheless, the team at Altos Labs remains undeterred, convinced that their research could transform the future of human health and well-being. the combination of Yamanaka factors and the ISR pathway could potentially allow for the reprogramming of cells to a younger, healthier state. The idea is that by activating the ISR pathway, cells can be pushed into a state where they are more responsive to the effects of the Yamanaka factors, which can then reset the cells to a more youthful state.

The ISR pathway, on the other hand, is a defence mechanism cells use to protect themselves against stress. When cells encounter stress, such as DNA damage or viral infection, the ISR pathway is activated, and the cells halt the production of new proteins while simultaneously upregulating the expression of stress-response genes.

While the science behind this idea is still in its early stages, the founders of Altos Labs are betting big that they can turn this theory into a reality. The company is reportedly planning to build a network of research labs around the world, and has already recruited a star-studded team of scientists to help them in their quest, including Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, a prominent stem cell biologist, and Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics.

Altos Labs is not the only player in the field of anti-ageing research, but it does have some advantages over its competitors. Its founders are well-respected scientists and entrepreneurs with a track record of success, and its funding is unprecedented. However, the field of anti-ageing research is notoriously difficult, with many promising avenues of investigation leading to dead ends. Only time will tell whether Altos Labs can deliver on its promise of extending human health span, but the potential rewards are immense if they can.

Together, the Yamanaka factors and the ISR pathway form the basis of Altos Labs’ approach to tackling the problem of aging. The team hopes that by understanding these biological processes more deeply, they can develop therapies that will slow down or even reverse the aging process in humans. The implications of such a breakthrough would be enormous, potentially allowing people to live much longer, healthier lives.

However, there are many challenges to overcome before this vision can become a reality. It is still unclear how these processes can be safely activated in humans without causing harmful side effects, and more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms involved. Nonetheless, the massive investment in Altos Labs demonstrates the potential that investors and scientists see in this field, and it will be fascinating to see what progress is made in the coming years.

The company plans to establish research groups investigating various aspects of the problem at three campuses in Cambridge, the Bay Area of California, and San Diego, each led by Wolf Reik, Peter Walter, and Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, respectively. Dr Reik specializes in epigenetic gene regulation, which is how the Yamanaka factors operate, while Dr Walter studies the behaviour of proteins inside cells and has been involved in mapping the ISR pathway. Dr Izpisua Belmonte is deeply involved in studying the Yamanaka factors and was the first to spot their ability to rejuvenate without a full factory reset, opening up the possibility of using them for medical purposes beyond stem-cell therapies and organ regeneration.

The Altos do team also includes Dr Alejandro Ocampo, who worked with Dr Izpisua Belmonte on experiments with Yamanaka factors and partial cell resetting, and Dr Manuel Serrano, who studies ageing at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, in Barcelona. Together, the team hopes to develop drugs that can reactivate the ISR pathway and reset cells in situ. They are optimistic about their chances of success, but they are also aware that, given the complexity of biology, progress may be slow. If it works, though, their approach could lead to treatments for a range of age-related conditions, including Parkinson’s disease, arthritis, and heart disease.

Dr Walter, on the other hand, will bring his expertise in protein behaviour to the table, which is essential for understanding the intricate mechanisms of the ISR pathway. His research has focused on how proteins interact with each other and how they respond to cellular stress. This knowledge will be valuable in developing therapies that can reset the ISR pathway when it malfunctions.

Finally, Dr Izpisua Belmonte’s research, His work has shown that it is possible to turn back the clock on aging cells and restore them to a more youthful state, which has significant implications for treating age-related diseases.

Together, these three researchers and their teams will work to unravel the complex interplay between the Yamanaka factors and the ISR pathway and develop new therapies to restore health to sick cells and revitalize aging ones. It is a daunting task, but one that has the potential to transform the field of regenerative medicine and change the way we think about aging and disease.

The task facing Dr Graepel is not just one of sorting and interpreting data, however. It is also a matter of turning that data into practical applications, and for that Altos has hired a former executive of GSK, Tariq Kassum, as its chief medical officer. Dr Kassum’s job is to take the insights gained by the scientists and work out how to turn them into treatments for real patients. He has his work cut out for him, but the potential rewards of rejuvenating ageing cells, and perhaps even reversing some of the damage done by disease, are enormous. If Altos succeeds, it could usher in a new era of personalised medicine, tailored to the specific needs of individual patients, and open up new avenues of research into some of the most pressing medical problems of our time.

If it all sounds ambitious, that is because it is. Altos is a company with deep pockets, backed by some of the richest people in Silicon Valley. Its founders hope that their approach will offer a better way to extend healthy life than the current patch-and-mend system, which focuses on treating individual diseases as they arise rather than tackling the underlying causes of ageing. If they succeed, the implications for medicine-and for society as a whole-could be profound. But as with all moon shots, the odds are long. Nonetheless, as Dr Milner himself has noted, it is the trying that counts.

It is part of a growing trend. But it is the first to focus so squarely on the ISR and its regulation. If its researchers can find a way of boosting the ISR’s efficiency, the rewards will be huge. Age-related diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s will become less common, and the quality of life for the elderly will be improved. The challenges, though, are formidable. And if Altos scientists are successful, they will have to persuade regulatory authorities that their approach is safe.

The hope is that by providing a centralized hub for researchers from different disciplines to work together, Altos will be able to make progress in the field of ageing and age-related diseases faster than would be possible otherwise. This is important because the world’s population is rapidly ageing, which is causing an increasing burden on healthcare systems and economies around the globe. If Altos can successfully develop new treatments or preventative measures for age-related illnesses, it could have a major positive impact on society. But as with any ambitious scientific endeavour, success is far from guaranteed, and it may be many years before any concrete results emerge from Altos efforts.

But Mr Nelsen has other reasons for optimism. He is impressed by the range and depth of expertise the firm has assembled. And he sees the growing influence of computational biology in general, and AI in particular, as key to delivering on the promise of rejuvenation. “I think what Peter [Diamandis] and Yuri [Milner] are betting on here is that they have got the best minds in the world,” he says. “If anyone can do it, they can.”

And yet the question remains: can Altos make good on its grand ambition? The goal of living for centuries is, quite literally, the stuff of science fiction. Many have tried to turn it into science fact, with little success. But if anyone can do it, perhaps it is the team at Altos. With some of the world’s top scientists and a bottomless pit of funding at their disposal, they may just crack the code of ageing and unlock the secret to living longer, healthier lives. The world will be watching closely as they embark on this monumental journey.

Dr Reik, for one, is looking to tweak the expression of genes known to be involved in Alzheimer’s disease in the hope of pushing back its onset, and potentially even reversing it. Dr Walter is interested in trying to maintain the efficiency of the cellular machinery that reads genes and turns them into proteins. Dr Izpisua Belmonte, meanwhile, is looking at ways to re- generate damaged tissues using the Yamanaka factors. And these are just the opening shots in a campaign that could run for many years.

Calico Life Sciences, a company founded by Google in 2013 to tackle the problem of ageing and age-related diseases, has not yet produced any breakthrough products. It remains to be seen whether Altos will have more success, but the founders are confident in their approach and believe that the combination of cutting-edge science, top talent, and ample funding will lead to significant advances in the field. Only time will tell if their faith is justified.

Mr Barron has already said that the company will be transparent about what it is doing, and will publish papers in the scientific press, a commitment that Calico has been criticised for failing to keep. And he is al- so keen to collaborate with other companies and academic groups, and to develop a network of biotechnology startups that are working in fields relevant to Altos mission. In short, he says, Altos will be a collaborative, transparent, science-led endeavour. Whether that will be enough to solve ageing remains to be seen, but it has the makings of an interesting experiment.

As a result, disposable-soma theory suggests that resources are allocated preferentially to the body’s reproductive systems, while maintenance and repair mechanisms for somatic cells (those not involved in reproduction) receive lower priority. In other words, ageing is not just the result of a passive accumulation of damage over time, but rather an active process of trade-offs between reproduction and maintenance. If this theory is correct, it could mean that attempts to intervene in the ageing process may be limited by fundamental biological constraints.

Some scientists believe that ageing is simply an unintended consequence of the evolved mechanisms that help us survive and reproduce, and therefore it may be difficult to intervene in the ageing process without affecting other essential biological functions. However, others believe that ageing is a malleable biological process that can be targeted and slowed down or even reversed, given enough research and understanding. Altos Labs’ ambitious plan to tackle ageing and rejuvenation will certainly be an interesting experiment to watch unfold.

Indeed, the question of whether it is possible to reset the clock on aging is a fascinating one, and Altos approach may shed light on this. While there are doubts about how controllable the underlying biology of aging really is, there is hope that new insights and technologies can lead to breakthroughs in this area. Altos focus on developing therapies that target aging at the cellular and molecular levels, rather than treating specific diseases, could be a promising avenue for extending healthy lifespan. However, as with any ambitious scientific endeavour, success is not guaranteed, and it will be interesting to see how Altos research progresses and what insights they uncover.

the scientific community is eagerly watching Altos Labs and its approach to aging. The success of the company would not only be ground breaking in terms of scientific advancement but could also have a significant impact on society and the economy, such as increasing the retirement age, reducing healthcare costs, and improving the quality of life for older adults. However, it remains to be seen whether the company’s ambitious goal of reversing aging can be achieved and how long it will take to see tangible results.

the potential implications of Altos Labs’ research are immense, and their success could indeed change the landscape of aging and healthcare. However, it’s important to keep in mind that the scientific challenges of reversing aging are significant, and it’s unlikely that the process will be quick or easy. It may take years or even decades to develop viable anti-aging treatments, and there could be unforeseen obstacles along the way. Nevertheless, the pursuit of such breakthroughs is a noble and worthwhile goal, and many in the scientific community are excited to see what Altos Labs will achieve in this field.

Guardian UK covered the Altos CEO

GSK’s chief scientific officer is jumping ship, dealing a blow to the drugmaker as it seeks to rebuild its pipeline of new medicines and gears up for a corporate split in the summer.

Hal Barron, the highly regarded US scientist and veteran of Roche and Genentech, was one of the GSK chief executive Emma Walmsley’s key hires a few months after she took the helm in April 2017.His departure, after four years in the job, comes at a critical time as GSK is under pressure from the activist investor Elliott Management, a New York hedge fund, to improve its operational and share price performance.

Barron, 60, will join the biotech Altos Labs, based in the San Francisco bay area, which reportedly counts the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos among its backers. Barron will stay on GSK’s board as a non-executive director, providing advice on research and development. He will be replaced as GSK’s chief scientific officer by Tony Wood on 1 August.

The Palmore Gordon analyst David Cox said: “Dr Hal Barron arrived with great fanfare a few years ago and is highly regarded in the industry. The fact that GSK is in the process of spinning off its consumer health business means there is a lot of pressure on R&D (and M&A) to come up with new innovative products for what will be the ‘new GSK’ post-split. They need to get R&D right and do not have the best track record in recent times.”

The drugmaker insists that despite Unilever’s £50bn approach, its plans are on track for a summer stock market flotation of the consumer health venture it has with Pfizer.

GSK has resisted pressure from Elliott to sell off the business and said it had rejected three bids from the Marmite and Dove maker because they “fundamentally undervalued” the business and its prospects.

As the head of R&D, which is vital to a drugmaker, Barron is the highest-paid executive at GSK. He received a total package of $11.2m (£8.2m) in 2020, while Walmsley was paid £7m, the company’s most recent annual report shows.

One of his biggest ideas has been to leverage the immune system to attack multiple diseases, and using genetic data to identify new drugs. Walmsley brought him in to shake up the company’s $6bn research division and tackle a culture that she described as “too slow and rather bureaucratic” in July 2018. A year earlier, she had already set out plans to tighten the drug portfolio and focus on “winners” – potential blockbuster medicines with annual revenues of more than $1bn. However, last summer Elliott still attacked GSK’s culture as “overly bureaucratic”.

Graham Parry and Sachin Jain, analysts at Bank of America, said: “Wood has a solid background in discovery, especially in small molecules at Pfizer and more recently in broader discovery/development at GSK. However, he is less well known to investors and, despite his broader role at GSK, we expect investors to initially view him through the lens of his medicinal chemistry background and look for evidence of breadth beyond this when he takes the reins.”

Walmsley described Wood, who joined GSK from Pfizer in early 2017, as an “outstanding scientist who is highly respected inside and outside GSK” and who had been a “key partner to Hal in delivering our R&D approach”.

She said Barron’s appointment to Altos Labs was a “unique opportunity” for him but added that GSK would continue to benefit from his expertise on the board and in support of R&D.

Altos Labs, created last year, has been hiring scientists from around the world to spearhead its efforts to explore the biology of cellular rejuvenation programming with the goal of reversing disease.

Financial Times too has a view

Barzilai is one of many scientists and investors who are increasingly optimistic about the potential of anti-ageing drugs. The field of longevity research has gained momentum in recent years, with significant investments from tech billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Peter Theil.

Barzilai himself has been working on a drug called metformin, which is already used to treat type 2 diabetes. In clinical trials, metformin has shown promise in extending lifespan and preventing age-related diseases like cancer, heart disease, and cognitive decline.

But metformin is just one of many potential drugs being explored by scientists in the longevity field. Researchers are also studying the effects of senilities which target and eliminate senescent cells that accumulate in the body as we age, and NAD+ boosters, which aim to restore levels of a molecule that declines with age and is crucial for energy production and DNA repair.

Despite the excitement and promise surrounding the field of longevity research, there are still many challenges and unknowns. Developing and testing new drugs is a long and costly process, and there is still much to learn about the underlying biology of ageing and age-related diseases.

But Barzilai remains optimistic, believing that the potential benefits of anti-ageing drugs are too great to ignore. “The world is ageing, and if we can change that trajectory, we can change everything,” he says. “We are on the brink of something that is going to be transformative.”

However, as science and medicine continue to advance, the idea of extending lifespan and delaying the effects of ageing is becoming less of a fantasy and more of a possibility. Barzilai and other researchers in the longevity field believe that ageing is not an inevitability, but rather a process that can be slowed or even reversed through medical interventions.

While metformin is just one example of a potential anti-ageing drug, there are many others being explored by researchers and companies in the longevity field. These include drugs that target specific ageing pathways, such as senescent cells or inflammation, as well as treatments that use gene editing or stem cells to repair damaged tissue.

Despite the excitement around these potential breakthroughs, there are also ethical and societal considerations to take into account. If lifespan extension becomes a reality, it could have significant implications for healthcare, retirement, and social structures. It also raises questions about who would have access to these treatments and at what cost.

As Barzilai and others continue their research, it will be important to address these questions and ensure that the benefits of anti-ageing treatments are shared equitably and ethically.

Indeed, the focus on improving health span is becoming increasingly important as the global population continues to age. As we live longer, it becomes crucial to find ways to stay healthy and active for as long as possible. This is where the field of longevity research comes in – it aims to develop interventions that can slow or even reverse the biological processes of ageing, thereby extending both lifespan and health span.

Scientists like Barzilai believe that the key to achieving this goal lies in targeting the biological pathways that drive ageing at the cellular and molecular level. By understanding these mechanisms, researchers can identify potential drug targets and develop new therapies that can slow or even reverse the ageing process.

Metformin is just one example of a drug that has shown promise in this regard. Originally developed as a treatment for diabetes, studies have suggested that it may also have anti-ageing effects, possibly by activating cellular pathways that promote longevity. Barzilai’s upcoming clinical trial will be a major test of this hypothesis, and could pave the way for the development of new drugs that target ageing as a whole.

While the dream of immortality may remain elusive, the prospects for extending healthy human lifespan are becoming increasingly promising. With continued research and development in the field of longevity, we may one day be able to enjoy longer, healthier lives than ever before.

Indeed, the potential benefits of longevity research go beyond the realm of individual health and could also have significant economic and societal impacts. By extending health span, the period of life during which individuals are healthy and productive, longevity research could reduce healthcare costs and increase productivity in the workforce. As the population continues to age, these benefits become even more crucial, making the pursuit of longevity research all the more important. However, it is important to note that while longevity research has the potential to address some of these issues, it is not a panacea and must be approached with caution and ethical considerations.

The lack of funding for longevity research is a major hurdle for scientists like Barzilai, who are seeking to find ways to extend healthy human lifespan. The focus of healthcare investors is usually on short-term returns, and since metformin’s patent has already expired, its potential for profitability is limited. Governments, on the other hand, prioritize research into specific diseases rather than aging as a whole. This leaves longevity researchers in a precarious position, searching for funding to continue their work and make progress towards the goal of extending healthy lifespan. However, with the potential benefits of such research being significant, including reducing healthcare costs and increasing productivity, it may be time for investors and governments to reconsider their priorities and invest in the future of longevity.

Yes, many tech billionaires have stepped in to fund research into longevity and aging. Jeff Bezos, for example, has invested in Unity Biotechnology, a company focused on developing medicines to extend human health span. Yuri Milner has invested in the Longevity Vision Fund, which supports startups working on age-related diseases and life extension. Larry Page and Sergey Brin have both invested in Calico, a research and development company focused on combating aging and associated diseases. These tech billionaires have the resources to invest in long-term research that may not provide short-term returns, and their involvement in the field is seen as a positive development by many longevity researchers.

Indeed, the interest and investment from tech billionaires and other high-net-worth individuals could be a game-changer for the longevity field. With their long-term vision and willingness to take risks, they have the potential to fund research that traditional healthcare investors may shy away from. This could lead to breakthroughs in the science of ageing and ultimately benefit humanity as a whole. However, it remains to be seen whether this interest will translate into significant funding for longevity research, or whether it will remain a niche area of investment.

Wareham’s concerns highlight a potential ethical dilemma as the longevity field advances. While the idea of living longer and healthier lives is appealing, the distribution of access to potential life-extending treatments is a significant concern. If only the wealthy can afford access to these treatments, then the resulting disparity between the rich and poor could worsen. Additionally, political power could become further concentrated in the hands of the wealthy, with dictators and other authoritarian leaders using life-extending treatments to maintain their grip on power. These issues suggest that ethical considerations must be carefully considered as the field of longevity research moves forward.

Christopher Wareham, a bioethicist at Utrecht University, raises concerns that future advances in longevity science could create an elite class of designer elderly, widening the gaps between the rich and poor in health, wealth, and power. He argues that the longer individuals live, the more their wealth compounds, and the wealthier they become, the more political influence they wield. Thus, any breakthrough in the field could potentially exacerbate existing inequalities.

Hevolution is not as funded but the funders have more appetite

As vanity projects go, Altos is not alone. Saudi Arabia plans to spend $1 billion a year discovering treatments to slow aging

Anyone who has more money than they know what to do with eventually tries to cure aging. Google founder Larry Page has tried it. Jeff Bezos has tried it. Tech billionaires Larry Ellison and Peter Thiel have tried it.

Now the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which has about as much money as all of them put together, is going to try it.

The Saudi royal family has started a not-for-profit organization called the Hevolution Foundation that plans to spend up to $1 billion a year of its oil wealth supporting basic research on the biology of aging and finding ways to extend the number of years people live in good health, a concept known as “health span.”

The sum, if the Saudis can spend it, could make the Gulf state the largest single sponsor of researchers attempting to understand the underlying causes of aging and how it might be slowed down with drugs.

The foundation hasn’t yet made a formal announcement, but the scope of its effort has been outlined at scientific meetings and is the subject of excited chatter among aging researchers, who hope it will underwrite large human studies of potential anti-aging drugs.

The fund is managed by Mehmood Khan, a former Mayo Clinic endocrinologist and the onetime chief scientist at PepsiCo, who was recruited to the CEO job in 2020. ““Our primary goal is to extend the period of healthy life span,” Khan said in an interview. “There is not a bigger medical problem on the planet than this one.”

The idea, popular among some longevity scientists, is that if you can slow the body’s aging process, you can delay the onset of multiple diseases and extend the healthy years people are able to enjoy as they grow older. Khan says the fund is going to give grants for basic scientific research on what causes aging, just as others have done, but it also plans to go a step further by supporting drug studies, including trials of “treatments that are patent expired or never got commercialized.”

“We need to translate that biology to progress toward human clinical research. Ultimately, it won’t make a difference until something appears in the market that actually benefits patients,” Khan says.

Khan says the fund is authorized to spend up to $1 billion per year indefinitely, and will be able to take financial stakes in biotech companies. By comparison, the division of the US National Institute on Aging that supports basic research on the biology of aging spends about $325 million a year.

Hevolution hasn’t announced what projects it will back, but people familiar with the group say it looked at funding a $100 million X Prize for age reversal technology and has reached a preliminary agreement to fund a test of the diabetes drug metformin in several thousand elderly people.

That trial, known as “TAME” (for “Targeting Aging with Metformin”), has been touted as the first major test of any drug to postpone aging in humans, but the study has languished for years without anyone willing to pay for it.

Nir Barzilai, a researcher at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in New York who conceived of the TAME trial, told an audience in London this April that Hevolution had agreed to fund one-third of its cost.

That agreement, if it’s finalized, would be an endorsement of what’s called the “geroscience hypothesis”—the still unproven idea that some drugs, by altering basic aging processes inside cells, may be able to delay the onset of many diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s.

The term “geroscience” was popularized by Felipe Sierra, the former head of the division of aging biology at the US National Institutes of Health, who was recently hired to be Hevolution’s chief scientific officer. Reached by email, Sierra declined to comment, but he has previously called geroscience the observation “that aging is by far, and I mean by far, the major risk factor for all chronic diseases.”

The Saudi government may be partially motivated by the belief that diseases of aging pose a specific threat to that country’s future. There is evidence that people living in the Gulf states “are aging faster biologically than they are chronologically,” according to materials prepared by Hevolution and viewed by MIT Technology Review.

Basically, the country is being beset by diseases of affluence brought on by rich diets and too little exercise. Even though Saudi Arabia has a relatively young population, with a median age of around 31, it is experiencing increasing rates of obesity and diabetes. In a 2019 study in the Saudi Medical Journal, Saudi public health officials said the country’s prosperity had led to an “urgent need to establish prevention and control programs.”

Hevolution was chartered by royal order in December 2018, and its chairman is Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman. Also on the board are Evgeny Lebedev, a Russian-British businessman; the American billionaire Ron Burkle; and Andrew Liveris, the former CEO of Dow Chemical, according to the Hevolution promotional materials viewed by MIT Technology Review.

The timing of the royal decree suggests the project may exist partly to burnish the reputation of Saudi Arabia and bin Salman, which had nosedived in October 2018 owing to the assassination of a Washington Post journalist by a hit squad that the US says acted on orders from the prince. The murder of the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, caused Joe Biden, at the time a candidate for president, to call Saudi Arabia a “pariah” state with “very little social redeeming value in the present government.”

The actions of the Saudi autocrat mean US research organizations will have to weigh whether they should take Hevolution’s money, which is likely to be offered via a US non-profit arm that Khan’s team is establishing.

Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X Prize Foundation, which organizes high-profile technical competitions, confirmed in a text message that he explored whether Hevolution might become a sponsor of a planned $100 million age-reversal prize, which is expected to feature scientific teams competing to rejuvenate animals. Those discussions have not moved forward. Another person familiar with the X Prize said it had secured other sources of funding.

One group that decided accepting Saudi money would not be a problem is the American Federation for Aging Research, a non-profit representing geroscience researchers, including Barzilai, that has been trying to raise $55 million to carry out the TAME trial for several years.

“The board looked and found there are many institutions around the US that take money from the Saudis, and that we could too. That was the bottom line,” says Stephanie Lederman, who is the federation’s executive director. “This is an opportunity for thousands of people to benefit—initially the scientists, and then the population of the world. It could be a lot of people living healthier longer.”

Eight years ago, Barzilai won attention for his efforts to persuade the US Food & Drug Administration to permit the first-of-a-kind study. Since aging itself is not easily measured, nor even considered a disease by regulators, the target of the TAME trial is instead to see if taking metformin can delay the onset of a range of age-related diseases.

The investigators say they hope to enroll 3,500 people over 65 at 16 US centre and then, after five or six years, determine whether they have less heart disease, dementia, and cancer than people who haven’t taken the drug.

Metformin is an old drug, but it drew interest because a large study of British medical records showed that diabetics taking it were living longer than expected—even longer than healthy people.

Other drugs cited as possible general-purpose anti-aging compounds include rapamycin, an immune suppressor shown to extend the life span of laboratory mice that has also been tested in pet dogs. So far, however, no drug has been proved to delay aging in humans, and some early experiments haven’t fared well. In 2019, human tests of a version of rapamycin flopped after the drug failed to boost elderly people’s resistance to respiratory infections.

No one knows if metformin will work either. One long-term study of diabetics, published this year, found the drug didn’t result in any protection against heart problems. But even if metformin doesn’t delay aging, the trial could carve a path for other geroscience drugs to enter human studies. Lederman says she expects the trial to finally get underway if the Saudi money comes through. “It’s mind-boggling to me that it’s been so hard to fund,”

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