From encapsulated cell therapies to gene-driven breakthroughs, a new wave of biotech is targeting the biology of aging.
Heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s – each treated as its own battle. Aging, meanwhile, sat in the background, accepted but not addressed, but that perspective is starting to feel outdated. A new wave of biotech companies is asking a different question: what if aging itself is the underlying condition?
The shift is pulling serious capital. The longevity biotech market, valued at $9.86 billion in 2025, is projected to reach nearly $29.7 billion by 2034 [1]. Investors are starting to believe aging can be treated, not just endured. And increasingly, the tools of choice are living cells, not pills.
One of the more unusual approaches comes from Vilnius-based Avaí Bio, a microcap biotech trying to do something deceptively simple: restore a protein your body already makes, but loses over time.
The protein is called α-Klotho. Think of it as a kind of systemic regulator. As levels drop with age, risks rise across the board, from cardiovascular issues to cognitive decline.
Instead of delivering α-Klotho as a traditional drug (which would require constant dosing and still struggle to stay stable), Avaí Bio is working with Singapore-based biotech Austrianova through a joint venture, Klothonova, to produce it continuously inside the body.
Here’s where it gets interesting. They’re using genetically modified cells – essentially reprogrammed to act like tiny factories – and placing them inside protective capsules. These capsules are small enough to sit in the body but are designed to shield the cells from immune attack.
Think of it like installing a long-term, self-sustaining “protein generator” under the hood. Instead of taking something every day, your body hosts a system that keeps producing it.
“We look forward to sharing the latest data from Klothonova’s progress in α-Klotho production from encapsulated cells at this prestigious forum,” said Brian Salmons, CEO of Austrianova.
The company is set to present new data at the Second Annual Klotho Conference this September, a gathering that includes Dr Makoto Kuro-o, the scientist who first identified the Klotho gene and helped put it on the map as a longevity target.
Now, why does this protein keep coming up in aging research? Klotho has become something of a recurring character in longevity science, not because it does one spectacular thing, but because it touches many systems at once.
In animal models, higher levels are linked to longer lifespans and better overall function. When it’s missing, signs of aging accelerate: vascular damage, bone loss and cognitive decline. That breadth is what makes it compelling. Aging isn’t a single pathway, so therapies that act broadly, even indirectly, are drawing attention. However, translating that into humans is the hard part. Proteins break down. Delivery is tricky. Effects are complex.
That’s why approaches like encapsulated cells are gaining traction as a way to solve the “how do you keep this working over time?” problem.
A broader pattern across the industry
Zooming out, Avaí Bio’s strategy starts to look like part of a pattern. California-based Lineage Cell Therapeutics is working on scalable cell platforms for diabetes, tackling one of the field’s biggest bottlenecks: how to produce enough therapeutic cells to make treatments viable at scale.
US-based biotech Ocugen, meanwhile, is taking a gene therapy route. Its latest data showed a 46% reduction in lesion growth in a form of age-related macular degeneration, a meaningful signal in a condition where progression is often the norm.
Global biopharma Vertex Pharmaceuticals is further along the curve, advancing a stem-cell-derived therapy for Type 1 diabetes. In early data, most patients were able to reduce or even eliminate insulin use, a result that starts to hint at functional reversal, not just management.
And then there’s Florida-based regenerative medicine biotech Longeveron, which is targeting frailty, one of the least glamorous but most defining aspects of aging. Its stem cell therapy showed improvements in physical condition after nine months, pointing toward something longevity science often overlooks: strength, mobility and resilience.
Metabolism is another thread connecting many of these efforts. Avaí Bio’s second program, Insulinova, focuses on diabetes – not just as a disease, but as a driver of aging. Poor metabolic health accelerates damage across organs, compounding over time.
It’s a reminder that longevity is about slowing the accumulation of damage, and metabolic dysfunction is one of the fastest ways that damage builds. In that sense, treating diabetes is also treating aging. The lines are starting to blur.
From promise to something more tangible
It’s still early. Many of these programs are in clinical trials, and biotech history is full of ideas that looked promising until they met reality. Something feels different now, though. The field is no longer circling around aging; it’s stepping into it directly, armed with tools that didn’t exist a decade ago. Cells that can be engineered. Genes that can be modified. Proteins that can be produced on demand.
If these cell-based approaches deliver even part of that promise, longevity will start to look like a product category rather than just a concept.
