Welcome back for the latest edition of the Longevity and DeSci Recap. This March has seen a swarm of activity as the longevity and DeSci world has sprung to renewed life. Between the many upcoming conferences, latest investment news, and innovations happening at the Vitalia pop-up city in Honduras, the longevity world could be set to see even more exciting news and discussion in the coming months.
For now, let’s recap this month’s goings-on and explore how the longevity and DeSci scene is looking this March.
Upcoming conferences and events
The HEALinc Future Health Summit is coming soon
From April 28th to 30th, longevity enthusiasts will descend on the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas for a summit focused on regenerative medicine, longevity tech, and health innovations. Among the experts speaking at the event is Dr. Brian Kennedy. Tickets are available now, with tickets starting at $150 for Bahamian citizens and residents, $275 for virtual attendance, and $550 for general entrance.
The Rejuvenation Startup Summit is back in Berlin
The 2nd ever Rejuvenation Startup Summit is returning to Berlin. With the last event garnering 400 participants, this year’s Summit is set to be packed with longevity founders, investors, researchers, and enthusiasts. Tickets to the event are available online.
The Global Synthetic Biology Conference comes to California
Topics such as synthetic biology, DNA technologies, cellular therapies, biology-based construction materials, and agricultural innovations are on the table for discussion at the Global Synthetic Biology Conference this March 6th-9th in San Jose, California. Ticket sales start at $2,995, with discounts available for specific groups.
The Longevity Summit returns to Dublin this June
In a four-day event this summer, the Longevity Summit is returning to Dublin. Over the course of the summit, some of the world’s leading experts in rejuvenation biotechnology and longevity will join together and discuss the hottest topics this year. Speakers are set to include Dr. Irina Conboy, Dr. Brian Kennedy and Dr. Matthew “Oki” O’Connor among others. Tickets are available here.
Longevity Investors Conference, 5th Edition
As the leaves start to fall in September, the 5th edition of the Longevity Investors Conference will be underway in Switzerland. Over the course of 2.5 days, the world’s longevity investors will gather together at a 5* hotel in Gstaad, Switzerland to discourse on the world’s leading longevity challenges. Tickets to the event, including early-bird discounts, are now available here.
Longevity investment and development news
Hevolution’s $20 million investment into aging therapies
Aeovian Pharmaceutics is set to receive $20 million from the Hevolution Foundation as part of its Series A financing extension, which is reported to total $50 million. The latest investment by the foundation will go toward advancing Aeovian’s work on selective mTORC1 inhibitors and support innovations in the development of longevity therapies. Here are the latest details from the Lifespan.io team.
$45 million investment for humanity’s best friend
Loyal, a longevity biotech company developing medications for dogs, has just announced the completion of Series B funding for a total of $45 million. This brings its total fundraising efforts since 2019 to $125 million with the aim of bringing FDA-approved longevity drugs for dogs to the market in the near future.
£3.7 million raised to accelerate senotherapeutics platform
SENISCA, a University of Exeter spin-off project turned biotech, has raised £3.7 million in its latest funding round. There is now a total of £7.1 million for accelerating the development of an RNA-based senotherapeutics platform. The proposed solution aims to treat age-related diseases by reprogramming senescent cells and is set to fuel the preclinical development stage of the project.
Rejuve.Bio launches crowd fundraising on NetCapital
Seeking to further boost longevity investments, Rejuve.Bio (an AI biotech company) has announced the launch of fundraising via NetCapital. This latest round seeks to extend its capacity and offers investors the chance to join its mission of expanding the human healthspan.
Easing the pathway to longevity investment
Maximon, Marcuard Heritage, and GenTwo have joined forces to make investing in longevity in Europe easier by launching a new investment opportunity focused on longevity. Open to professional investors through Maximon’s portfolio of longevity companies, this opportunity utilizes actively managed certificates (AMC) to make this possible. This move means the investment threshold for investing in longevity has been reduced from CHF 500,000 to CHF 10,000, making it more accessible for a wider range of investors.
Tech breakthroughs & new research
From pig kidneys to 3D hearts: transplantation is evolving
March 2024 saw the first successful transplantation of a pig kidney into a human patient. Although this is still in its initial stages, the move towards xenotransplantation could be set to reduce mortality for people on waiting lists for vital organs. Additionally, researchers at Tel Aviv University reported the “printing” of the world’s first 3D heart, using the patient’s own cells and biological material, moving the prospect of bioprinting one step closer to becoming a reality.
Positive results from Nanoscope Therapeutics
Following the positive outcomes of the Phase 2b RESTORE trial of MCO-010 for retinitis pigmentosa, Nanoscope Therapeutics is hopeful that achieving significant vision improvement is the true light at the end of the tunnel. In its first successful trial with a mutation-agnostic gene therapy for a genetic disease, the initial results have been proving positive, with few serious adverse effects. Following this initial success, the biotech plans to move ahead with an FDA application for its plans to provide a novel treatment for patients with permanent vision loss.
DAOs and communities
Vitalia wraps up with a start-up demo day
For the past couple of months, longevity enthusiasts have been visiting and living at Vitalia, a pop-up city located in Roatan, Honduras. With a focus on developing governance for the longevity sphere, the event has advanced into the development of spin-off start-ups that seek to advance the healthspan. This event’s themes include gene therapy and editing, cybernetics and organ replacement, DeSci, accredited ingestors, human challenge and off-label trials, and insurance, financial and crypto models. More details on the start-ups can be found here; keep an eye on these names for the future.
Vitalik Buterin on the Crypto-Longevity & Network State Nexus
As Vitalia, the pop-up city, draws to a close, Vitalik Buterin, founder of the Ethereum network, talks about the dynamics between technology, science, and society and their role in shaping the future of human health and its governance. This 50-minute YouTube video is one to watch for any DeSci and longevity fans seeking to get a sense of the future of the sphere.
World Longevity News
Latest on the Million Molecule Challenge
As the name suggests, the Million Molecule Challenge is a huge project. The team behind it, Ora Biomedical, a longevity biotech dedicated to developing small molecule therapeutics, chatted with Lifespan.io’s own Arkadi Mazin about the project’s progress and how it’s possible to test one million molecules. Get the latest updates here.
Biomarkers of Aging Challenge launched
Aiming to innovate and validate the next generation of aging biomarkers, bridge computational and biological sciences, and improve clinical research, the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium has launched the Biomarkers of Aging Challenge. In three phases, the challenge will focus on predicting chronological age, mortality, and multi-morbidity. For more details or to enter, visit the dedicated site.
Social media pages to follow this month
Laurence Ion: VitaDAO and Vitalia founder Laurence Ion is one of the key figures in the DAO movement.
Niklas Anzinger: Niklas is the founder of Infinita VC and Vitalia; follow him for the latest financing and development updates.
David Sinclair: Professor and scientist Dr. Sinclair is a leading expert in longevity.
