BioAge’s human aging data platform demonstrates that HIF pathway is linked to healthspan and lifespan.
Longevity focused biotech firm BioAge Labs has announced an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Taisho Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialise Taisho’s clinical-stage Hypoxia-inducible factor-prolyl hydroxylase (HIF-PH) inhibitor to target multiple diseases of aging. The inhibitor, called BGE-117, is part of an emerging class of compounds that have been demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated in over 20,000 subjects in clinical trials.
Based on its proprietary human aging data, BioAge believes that BGE-117 can potentially treat multiple diseases of aging by activating HIF-1 target genes involved in biological processes such as tissue regeneration, erythropoiesis, glycolysis, glucose uptake, vascular remodeling and angiogenesis. Inhibition of HIF-PH increases HIF pathway activation and has the potential to increase resilience, repair and regeneration across multiple body systems.
BioAge CEO, Kristen Fortney, a speaker at this week’s Longevity2020 online conference, said, “This is a significant milestone for BioAge that enables us to initiate our first clinical trial of BGE-117 to evaluate the impact of HIF activation on several measures of aging in elderly patients. Our proprietary human data platform shows that HIF signaling is a key longevity pathway that drives regeneration, healing and resilience.”
BioAge’s AI-driven platform is built on longitudinal human aging samples with multi-omics phenotyping and has revealed multiple pathways and mechanisms that can be targeted to positively impact human healthspan and lifespan.
Under the terms of the agreement, BioAge will make an upfront payment to Taisho, who is entitled to receive development and commercial milestone payments plus royalties based on annual net sales. BioAge will be responsible for all development, manufacturing and commercialisation of BGE-117 worldwide while Taisho has an option right for co-commercialisation in Japan and several countries in Southeast Asia.
