Longevity investment bulletin: Juvena, eGenesis, Springs Rejuvenation

The latest longevity updates from our investment news desk.

Juvena Therapeutics announced four key new leadership appointments, including Chief Corporate Development Officer, Senior Vice President of Discovery, Vice President of Preclinical and Nonclinical Development and Vice President of Data Science.

The biotech, which is building a computational platform to map the therapeutic potential of secreted proteins, also revealed its oversubscribed Series A funding round has reached a total of $60 million.

“With this talented management team on board along with the outstanding experienced scientists and engineers who have joined our growing team, we will continue to scale our platform and pipeline to develop innovative treatments to rejuvenate lives for patients in need,” said Dr Hanadie Yousef, CEO and co-founder of Juvena.

Check out our recent interview with Juvena’s Hanadie Yousef HERE.

eGenesis appoints CTO

eGenesis, a biotechnology company developing human-compatible organs and cells for the treatment of organ failure, has appointed Dr Knut Niss as Chief Technology Officer. Niss is a seasoned biotechnology executive with more than 20 years of experience spearheading the development and manufacturing of novel therapies across cell and gene therapy, regenerative medicine and oncology.

“We are pleased to welcome Knut to the team and are confident he will help us advance our goal of transforming the treatment paradigm for organ failure,” said Dr Michael Curtis, CEO of eGenesis. “Synthetic biology and gene engineering are core components of our approach to developing high-quality, transplantable organs that ultimately save lives. Knut’s extensive experience pioneering cell and gene therapies further bolsters the company’s deep technological know-how.”

Now is the time to invest in longevity

We spoke to serial entrepreneur and investor Petr Sramek, co-founder and managing partner of LongevityTech.fund. The fund is now accepting new investors for its second fund, with a target fund size of $50 million up to a maximum of $100 million USD.

“Now is the right time to start investing in longevity, both in order to benefit from more favourable valuations, but also to help companies at a critical stage in the development of this market,” Sramek told us.

Stem cell therapy for long COVID

Los Angeles-based stem cell therapy clinic Springs Rejuvenation announced a new therapy for patients suffering from long Covid. The clinic pioneers stem cell solutions to help tackle a range of chronic health issues – from cognitive impairments and cardiovascular disease to joint injuries and autoimmune conditions.

“There is currently no known cure for Covid-19 and treatments are focused on relieving symptoms and supporting the respiratory system,” said lead physician Dr Charles Pereyra. “Stem cell therapies may offer a new way to repair damaged tissue and organs, boosting the immune system, and reducing inflammation.”

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Long-term Phase 2 analysis

Humacyte announced the publication of a long-term analysis of the Company’s Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating the bioengineered Human Acellular Vessel (HAV) as a conduit in patients with symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). The clinical-stage biotechnology platform company is developing universally implantable bioengineered human tissues and advanced tissue constructs and organ systems at commercial scale.

“With an increasing global prevalence of PAD and more than 200 million people living with the disease, there still remains a major unmet need for long-term solutions,” said Dr Laura Niklason, CEO of Humacyte. “Key findings of this publication show that the HAV was durable and performed well in a medically complex patient cohort for long-term treatment of PAD. The HAV is designed to be available off-the-shelf, has the potential for a regenerative capacity and low infection risk, all of which are particularly important in this patient group.”

Longevity in Davos

Aging was on the agenda in Davos, thanks to the Longevity Investors Lunch, a satellite event focusing on longevity and rejuvenation during the World Economic Forum. The lunch took place on 18th January and discussed the latest technologies and research among prominent scientists, academia, entrepreneurs and investors.

“We are very proud to be one of the first ones to bring the important topic of longevity to Davos,” says Marc P Bernegger, Founding Partner at Maximon and the organiser of the Longevity Investors Conference in Gstaad. “We are already looking forward to the Longevity Investors Conference, where we will have the opportunity to continue the important conversations we started in Davos and involve more longevity leaders on stage who will talk about important developments in the longevity industry as well as investment opportunities in the field.”