Jinfiniti raising $5m as it prepares to launch new biomarkers test panel that measures genomic instability, epigenetic alteration, inflammation, cellular senescence, oxidative stress, tissue damage, and key micronutrients.

Augusta University spin-out Jinfiniti is preparing to launch a unique blood-based biomarkers testing panel that it claims will give users actionable insight into their aging health. We spoke recently to the company’s founder Professor Jin-Xiong She, to find out what sets his test apart from others in the Longevity testing market.

Longevity.Technology: With companies leveraging biomarkers ranging from DNA methylation and glycomics to epigenetics and facial analysis, the measurement of our Longevity status is an increasingly busy space. But, while accurately measuring our biological age is clearly a desirable objective, it doesn’t necessarily give us the hard information we need about its implications for our health. By targeting multiple health biomarkers in a single panel, Jinfiniti may well be on to something.

We will be hearing more from Jinfiniti in the weeks ahead, as the company pitches to a panel of investors in our new Start-up Showcase video series. Stay tuned!

When Dr She originally had the idea for starting a company, it was based on a diagnostic testing approach for age related disease – especially for complications of diabetes and cancer. However, the path to commercialising this kind of test is not an easy one.

“We realised that, if we focused on disease diagnosis, it would take a very long time for the company to generate revenue, because of the regulatory procedures, which can take a very long time,” says She. “We would like to start generating revenue and hopefully become profitable in a much shorter period of time.”

A chance meeting with a functional medicine doctor in Florida convinced She that a change in focus was needed.

“He was very interested in using proteomics to see if he could improve his practice using aging biomarkers,” he recalls. “And that was great, because, back in 2010, I started having an interest in how to help people identify functional deficiencies and how to use nutritional supplements to deal with the root causes of age-related diseases. So that’s when we switched our focus to a longevity test and how we can improve the health of people by making recommendations for nutritional supplements and lifestyle changes based on testing results.”

“… since we started developing the test, I have been able to identify the deficiencies that I have and what are the best ways that I can intervene to improve my overall health …”

Jinfiniti spun out from Augusta University with $500,000 in seed funding, and the company started operating in 2018. The company’s key product is its AgingSOS testing kit, which measures nine key blood biomarkers to provide a detailed overview of a person’s aging health. The product is about to enter beta-testing and is expected to give users a clear idea of how lifestyle changes, diet and supplements are impacting our health.

“I take a number of supplements and I didn’t know if what I was taking was right for me or what wasn’t working for me at all,” says She. “But since we started developing the test, I have been able to identify the deficiencies that I have and what are the best ways that I can intervene to improve my overall health. And it has been very interesting and has helped me tremendously, so now I’m making this available to anyone who is interested.”

Jinfiniti plans to implement a direct-to-consumer model, a B2B model, which will target organisations developing supplements and therapeutics, and a B2B2C model, which will targets functional medicine clinics that can use the test to improve patient outcomes.

“We know that any drugs or supplements are not going to work for every person, so we can help identify the clients or the patients who will respond best to treatments,” says She, pointing out that the test can help monitor and assess the efficacy of treatments. “The development of anti-aging products is a long game and you may have to wait for four decades before you know whether you are actually increasing the longevity of people.

So, a key need for the industry is how to assess the outcome of any therapy as soon as possible. And that’s where biomarkers come into play.”

“Biological age tests and epigenetic clocks don’t tell us exactly what’s wrong with a person who has accelerating aging, they don’t identify the deficiencies that the people may have or what are the best ways to intervene.”

While measuring biological age is one way of determining whether an anti-aging treatment is working, Dr She feels that’s only one part of the picture, although he is quick to point out that he still sees the value in biological age measurement. Indeed Jinfiniti has already partnered with Epimorphy to provide its myDNAge epigenetic testing to consumers.

“We may be able to measure the biological age relative to chronological age, but what’s the biological meaning?” he says. “Biological age tests and epigenetic clocks don’t tell us exactly what’s wrong with a person who has accelerating aging, they don’t identify the deficiencies that the people may have or what are the best ways to intervene.”

“We’re providing a unique solution for people to improve their health, to prevent, or at least delay, age-related diseases, and increase their healthspan and lifespan as a consequence.”

This is where Jinfiniti comes in, with its focus on testing the molecular and cellular functions that are key to the aging process. The company’s first blood test panel measures genomic instability, epigenetic alteration, inflammation, cellular senescence, oxidative stress, tissue damage, and key micronutrients. Jinfiniti will soon add biomarkers for key proteins that regulate the aging process: AMPK, SIRT1, mTOR and Klotho.

“These functions are the underlying causes of aging and many, if not all, age-related diseases, including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease, and even infectious diseases such as COVID-19,” says She. “Age is a surrogate marker of the underlying subhealth of an individual – they may have more inflammation, they may have more oxidative stress, they may have more senescence, and these are the functions that we measure in our test panel. We’re providing a unique solution for people to improve their health, to prevent, or at least delay, age-related diseases, and increase their healthspan and lifespan as a consequence.”

Jinfiniti is now gearing up for the launch of its beta testing program, which it hopes to start by early September and be ready for its full commercial launch by early next year.

“We are running through samples from hundreds of healthy individuals so we can establish the baselines for each biomarker,” says She. “Our website is not complete, but we are already receiving requests from people who understand what we’re doing – the difference between what we are doing and a genomics-based approach – even though we’re not providing much information yet.”

The company is still running on its seed funding, but Dr She is now beginning to look for new funding to take the company through its initial launch.

“To do the launch marketing properly, we really need financial support of around $1.5 million,” he says. “But we also want to start the process for getting FDA approval on some of the tests as soon as possible, so we’re probably looking for a total of about $5 million for our first round.”

Longevity.Technology: Like what you hear? We will be hearing more from Jinfiniti in the weeks ahead, as the company pitches to a panel of investors in our new Start-up Showcase video series. Stay tuned!