New funding for AI and computer vision Longevity drug discovery start-up.
The saying goes: “Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.” Well, Fountain Therapeutics will certainly be looking to drink deeply following a multi-million dollar funding injection to further the development of therapies to reverse cellular age.
The biopharmaceutical company is creating a pipeline of therapeutics to treat age-related diseases by reversing cellular age. Fountain Therapeutics uses a transformative platform combining cellular models of aging with the latest in AI and computer vision in order to identify novel targets and potential therapeutics to advance the treatment of age-related health conditions. The new funding stream will be used to bring on board new knowledge and expertise by expanding the already impressive leadership team.
Proceeds will also be used to advance the novel therapeutics which are identified by the team through preclinical testing in animal models.
The closure of the latest round of $6m Series A-1 financing brings Fountain Therapeutics’ total Series A funding to $11m. This round was led by Khosla Ventures, along with participation from Nan Fung Life Sciences. Fountain had previously closed on a $5m Series A financing with Nan Fung Life Sciences back in May 2018.
Fountain Therapeutics’ CEO John Dimos, Ph.D said the funding demonstrated clear support and confidence in the firm’s technology platform and experienced team. Also on the leadership team are co-founders Thomas Rando, M.D, Ph.D, who is a professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, Joseph Rodgers, Ph.D, who has extensive experience in the field of aging biology, and Tom Cheung, Ph.D, whose research at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology aims to increase understanding of adult stem cell function in the context of tissue regeneration, disease and aging. Fountain has also attracted a raft of high-profile scientists, advisors, chemists and engineers.
“Over the last two years, we have built and validated our platform technology, which includes an AI-based drug screening platform and animal models for disease modeling and preclinical testing,” added Dr Dimos. “Today, thanks to the help of our investors, we are in a strong financial position to rapidly discover and develop a pipeline of novel therapeutics to target and reverse the biological process of aging with the potential to improve the quality of life for our aging population.”
Meanwhile, Dr Rando said that, having worked in the field of aging research for more than two decades, he was now confident that there was enough scientific evidence to “demonstrate that aging itself can be approached therapeutically to improve quality of life.”
He added: “Fountain’s technology allows us to solve the challenges of aging with an unbiased and phenotypic-driven approach. This, together with the outstanding team of experts in aging research, places the company in a unique position to reveal new possibilities and radically transform the landscape of drug discovery and development for the treatment of age-related health conditions.”
The new funding should help Fountain to advance its technologies, techniques and understanding of how cells age in order to create therapies to help us live not just longer lives, but to be able to have a higher quality of life for a longer period of time.
As Fountain cell biologist Jessica Johnson sums up perfectly: “Imagine not having to live our later years with the toll that aging takes on our health.”
