14 Publicly Traded Companies Developing Longevity Therapeutics
The longevity industry has been growing throughout the past decades, attracting more attention to the healthy aging process and searching for solutions for chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. The studies in the longevity field aim to not only prolong the expected life span but to improve its quality, using various approaches, including AI for target/biomarker discovery and validation, as well as the optimization of preclinical and clinical trials.
The interactive analytical report Companies Developing Anti-Aging Drugs and Diagnostics Tools provides detailed information about 122 current players in the field, highlighting the results of clinical trials, intellectual property rights, and more. Several of these companies managed to build sophisticated drug discovery platforms and advance their drug candidates into clinical trials while performing successful IPOs. Below we summarize some of the public companies developing anti-aging therapeutics.
Disclaimer: This post is not investment advice of any kind; it is for informational purposes only. Neither BPT Analytics Ltd nor the authors of this post endorse or recommend any particular stocks or investment opportunities. Consult relevant professional service providers for any investment decisions at all times.
AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AGE)
US-based AgeX Therapeutics was founded in 2017 and has grown as a biotech company focusing on therapeutics for age-related diseases. The company went public in 2018 by distributing approximately 12.7 million shares to BioTime shareholders.
AgeX owns several proprietary technologies and platforms to generate highly defined, universal, allogeneic pluripotent stem cell-derived cells for various applications. Currently, they have three drug candidates in the preclinical studies, aiming to fight type II diabetes, cardiac ischemia, and generally aged tissues affected with degenerative diseases.
The most recent news from the end-November 2022 announced that AgeX was granted an extension of time to regain compliance with the Exchange’s continued listing standards, meaning that AgeX must comply with the financial requirements by May 17, 2023, or the company would risk running into Exchange’s delisting proceedings.
Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX)
Athersys is a US-based company founded in 1995 which developed a strong focus on regenerative medicine. The company went public in November 2022 with a $5.5 million IPO.
Their proprietary platform, MultiStem is cell therapy, an allogeneic stem cell product, which can treat multiple indications in the neurological, inflammatory, immune, and cardiovascular disease areas. Currently, Athersys has 12 pipelines, of which 5 are in the clinical stage. The most advanced program is in phase 3 clinical trials focused on treating ischemic stroke.
Biophytis, S.A. (NASDAQ: BPTS)
Biophytis is a French biotech company founded in 2006. They aim to slow the degenerative processes associated with aging and improve functional outcomes for patients suffering from age-related diseases, including severe respiratory failure in patients suffering from COVID-19.
Biophytis closed a $20.1 million IPO in February 2021.
Their most advanced clinical program is currently in phase III, evaluating Sarconeos (BIO101) as a treatment to prevent further respiratory deterioration in patients with acute respiratory failure associated with COVID-19. The same drug candidate is also evaluated in phase II clinical trials for sarcopenia, an age-related skeletal muscle degeneration.
CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR)
CohBar is a US-based developer of mitochondria-based therapeutics. The company was founded in 2007 and went public in 2015 with an $11.25 million IPO.
CohBar has a proprietary technology platform Mito+, which assists with discovering novel peptides encoded in the mitochondrial DNA and generating thousands of novel analogs. The company also has a growing IP portfolio with 15 issued patents and over 65 filings.
Their most advanced drug candidate (CB4211 ) is currently in phase I clinical trials for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and obesity. The mechanism of action is based on enhancing insulin signaling. The other three preclinical pipelines target fibrotic, inflammatory diseases, and COVID-19.
Cyclo Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: CTDH)
US-based Cyclo Therapeutics is a biotech company focused on using cyclodextrins in drug development. The company was founded in 1990 and went public in 1995.
It is a clinical-stage company with the lead drug candidate Trappsol Cyclo, which was previously shown to manage cholesterol transportation effectively. Trappsol Cyclo is being evaluated in phase III clinical trials for the potential treatment of Niemann-Pick Disease Type C1 (NPC), a rare progressive genetic disorder, and in phase II clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease.
Cyclo Therapeutics collaborates with the University of the Witwatersrand to advance and explore new opportunities for applying Trappsol Cyclo.
Denali Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNLI)
San-Francisco-based Denali Therapeutics is developing drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Founded in 2013, the company went on IPO in 2017, banking a total of $275 million.
Delani’s drug candidates are engineered with the aim of optimizing brain delivery. Biomarkers enable the clinical development plan. The company has ten active pipelines, out of which seven are in the early or late clinical phase. The mechanisms of action target lysosomal function, glial biology, and cellular homeostasis.
One of the most advanced drug candidates -- LRRK2 for Parkinson's disease -- is developed in partnership with Biogen; at the same time, a small-molecule drug, DNL788, for Alzheimer’s disease and ALS is marked by the partnership with Sanofi. Delani also has another partnership with Sanofi on the small-molecule drug for cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE).
Finally, Denali Therapeutics has two drug candidates marked by the partnership with Takeda.
FOXO Technologies, Inc. (NYSEMKT: FOXO)
FOXO Technologies is a US-based biotech company founded in 2016, merging epigenetics with artificial intelligence (AI) to improve longevity. They went public in September 2022, banking a total of $201 million.
FOXO uses advanced machine learning to examine thousands of models to find patterns of DNA methylation that measure human health, wellness, disease, and aging. The company claims its data is prepped, quality-checked, and organized via custom bioinformatics pipelines.
FOXO licensed the epigenetic clocks developed in the Horvath Lab at UCLA for use in actuarial predictive modeling and underwriting. The Mortality Predictor EEAA estimates biological aging based on human methylation patterns; PhenoAge is an epigenetic biomarker of aging that measures healthspan regarding predictions for various aging-related diseases. Finally, GrimAge is a measure of epigenetic age, acceleration of aging, that strongly measures all-cause mortality.
GenSight Biologics, S.A. (EPA: SIGHT)
GenSight is a French company developing gene therapy-based treatments for retinal degenerative diseases. Founded in 2012, the company went on IPO in 2016, banking a total of $44 million.
Besides gene therapy, GenSight also uses Mitochondrial Targeting Sequence (MTS) technology, which shuttles nuclear messenger RNA directly to the mitochondrial surface and imports newly synthesized proteins into the mitochondrial matrix. Another platform is based on optogenetics -- a biological technique that involves the transfer of a gene encodes for a light-sensitive protein to cause neuronal cells to respond to light stimulation.
Both mentioned platforms currently have five active pipelines; one of the pipelines is awaiting approval from EMA and on the final stages of trials for FDA approval.
Genflow Biosciences, PLC (LSE: GENF)
UK-based Genflow Biosciences was founded comparatively recently -- in 2020, going public in January 2022 with a $4.5 million IPO.
Genflow is dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics targeting aging in dogs and humans. Their lead compound GF-1002 is a suspension of an adeno-associated viral vector-based gene therapy for intravenous infusion.
At the same time, the non-human pipeline for the anti-aging therapy of dogs is in the preclinical stages.
Mesoblast, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MESO)
Melbourne-based Mesoblast develops biologic products for regenerative medicine applications. After being founded in 2004, the company went on IPO in 2013, banking a total of $170 million.
Mesoblast is using its proprietary mesenchymal lineage cell technology platform to develop and commercialize innovative allogeneic cellular medicines to treat complex inflammatory diseases resistant to conventional standards of care.
The company’s portfolio of Phase III product candidates comprises remestemcel-L for steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease (acute GVHD), as well as for the treatment of moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to COVID-19 infection, REVASCOR for advanced chronic heart failure and MPC-06-ID for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease.
Pluri Inc. (formerly Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc.) (NASDAQ: PLUR)
Israel-based Pluri uses placental cells and a 3D technology platform to develop cell therapies for diseases. The company was founded in 2003 and almost immediately went public.
Pluri aims to check multiple portfolio boxes, such as pharma, food tech, agri-tech, and biologics. They are creating products that improve human health and well-being and increase environmental sustainability.
Pluri’s first collaboration, based on its innovative 3D cell-based technology platform, was formed in January 2022 to produce sustainable cultured food with Israeli food giant Tnuva Group.
Scholar Rock, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRRK)
Scholar Rock is a US-based biopharmaceutical company developing new medicines and treatments for various degenerative diseases and cancer. Founded in 2012, the company went on IPO in 2018, banking a total of $75 million.
Scholar Rock uses its technology platform and structural insights to discover new medicines designed to selectively target the precursor, or inactive, forms of growth factors to avoid toxicity and improve efficacy.
The company has a portfolio with nine drug candidate pipelines, out of which four are for treating degenerative diseases. The lead candidate is apitegromab, a selective inhibitor of the activation of latent myostatin, which is currently in phase III clinical trials for spinal muscular atrophy.
UNITY Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: UBX)
UNITY Biotechnology is a US-based company targeting age-related diseases with multiple approaches. Founded in 2009, the company went on IPO in May 2018, having raised $85 million.
The main company’s approach is based on selectively eliminating or modulating senescent cells, therefore restoring aging or damaged tissues to a more functionally healthy state.
UNITY’s lead senolytic drug candidate UBX1325 is intended to target senescent cells in diseased vasculature of the eye while leaving healthy blood vessels intact. Currently at phase II clinical trials, UBX1325 is used for diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration.
The company has three other pipelines for ophthalmology and one drug candidate in the neurology field, developed in partnership with Jocasta Neuroscience.
Vaxxinity, Inc. (NASDAQ: VAXX)
Vaxxinity is a US-based biotech company founded in 2019. They are developing synthetic peptide vaccines to prevent or treat chronic diseases. The company went on IPO in November 2021, banking a total of $78 million.
Vaxxinity’s technology uses synthetic peptides to mimic and optimally combine biological epitopes to selectively activate the immune system and overcome “immune tolerance,” or the immune system's tendency to avoid attacking harmful molecules within the human body.
The company has three active pipelines for neurodegenerative diseases and two more for other chronic diseases. The most advanced drug candidate is the UB-311 program for Alzheimer’s disease, currently being on phase II clinical trials. The other drug program is at phase I, indicated for patients with Parkinson’s disease.
