Repair Biotechnologies was privileged to present at this year’s Rejuvenation Startup Summit in Berlin, where our CSO Mourad Topors and I had the opportunity to participate. The event drew a larger crowd than the previous year, indicating a growing interest in the longevity industry amidst a challenging investment market for biotechnology companies.
Hosted by Michael Greve’s Forever Healthy Foundation, the Summit kicked off with an inspiring opening talk by Greve himself, emphasizing the enormous potential of the longevity industry. The industry is poised to become a major player in healthcare, with the potential to slow and even reverse the aging process. The future success of the industry depends on the development of proven therapies that will attract more interest and investment. Networking and collaboration among industry players are key to driving progress in this field.
The keynote speaker, Mehmood Khan of the Hevolution Foundation, shed light on the organization’s efforts to invest in aging research and the longevity industry. Hevolution takes a conservative approach, focusing on addressing the increasing financial burden of an aging population. They prioritize technologies that offer cost-effective solutions to extend healthy life span and improve public health outcomes. Khan emphasized the need for collaboration with Big Pharma to scale these technologies and make them accessible to a wider audience.
The Summit featured presentations from industry leaders like Otto Kanzler of Rockfish Bio, who highlighted the challenges in developing senolytic therapies to target senescent cells. Rockfish Bio’s innovative approach targets phospholipase A2 activity in senescent cells to induce apoptosis and extend life in animal models. Marco Quarta of Rubedo Life Sciences also discussed the complexities of senescence and the company’s strategy to develop more selective therapies for specific subsets of senescent cells.
Alexander Schueller of cellvie shared the company’s groundbreaking work on mitochondrial transplantation, demonstrating promising results in mitigating ischemia-reperfusion injuries. The company aims to develop off-the-shelf mitochondrial products to treat various IR injuries, with a focus on kidney preservation. Schueller highlighted the challenges in securing funding and explained the potential of using mitochondria as vectors for gene therapy.
Greg Fahy of Intervene Immune provided an update on their efforts to reverse thymic involution, a common age-related decline in immune function. Thymus transplants from young donors have shown promise in restoring immune function and extending life in animal models. Intervene Immune’s research aims to rejuvenate the thymus and boost immune function in aging individuals.
Overall, the Rejuvenation Startup Summit provided a platform for industry leaders to showcase groundbreaking advancements in the longevity field and foster collaboration to drive the industry forward.
