Juvenescence and Buck Institute launch company to target heart disease

Author: Eleanor Garth | Published on: May 13, 2022 | Last updated: May 13, 2022

Selah Therapeutics will focus on developing first-in-class novel ketone-based therapies for chronic diseases of aging, with heart disease as primary focus.

Juvenescence and the Buck Institute for Research on Aging have announced a new joint venture with the formation of Selah Therapeutics Ltd. The company will focus on developing first-in-class novel ketone-based therapies for chronic diseases of aging of which its first therapeutic focus is heart disease, with secondary interests in neurological diseases.

Longevity.Technology: Increasing and improving longevity is a huge undertaking and it is right that the language we use should reflect these lofty goals. Juvenescence is the state of being young, and the Hebrew word selah can mean forever, or in some texts, a time to pause and reflect.

Selah Therapeutics is based on research conducted on ketones in the labs of Eric Verdin, MD, John Newman, MD, PhD and Brianna Stubbs, PhD at the Buck around energetics and intracellular signalling pathways, and the ketone platform that Juvenescence has built around its JuvLife Division’s product Metabolic Switch.

Ketones are produced during ketosis, the metabolic state in which the body burns fat for energy rather than carbohydrates, producing ketones which are then used as fuel. Ketosis is a natural metabolic state that has mechanisms directly impacting hallmarks of aging – this is backed up by preclinical and preliminary clinical data that support its benefits in multiple indications.

The science of ketosis promises lucrative opportunities in a wide range of therapeutic areas, and the global keto market is expected to rise to $14.75 billion by 2027, but it’s not just about losing weight, as this new company plans to demonstrate.

“Selah’s mission is focused on developing and commercializing products that have strong scientific evidence that will transform the treatment to patients with heart and neurological diseases,” says Jeff Madwed, Executive Director of Juvenescence’s JuvTherapeutics Division.

Selah Therapeutics is based on research conducted on ketones in the labs of Eric Verdin, MD, John Newman, MD, PhD and Brianna Stubbs, — Eric M. Verdin, President of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging

“We believe that the deep expertise in the science of ketones from both Juvenescence and the Buck, along with an extensive library of novel and proprietary compounds identified by Drs Verdin, Newman and Stubbs that have unique qualities will provide improved well-being to the patient as a prescription therapeutic for heart disease [1].”

“We are delighted to be building on our existing relationship with Juvenescence in this new venture,” said Eric Verdin, MD, Buck President and CEO. “This is an area of great unmet need and we are hopeful that we will be able to bring an important new therapeutic option to cardiovascular patients [1].”