In this latest edition of the Longevity and DeSci Recap, we’ll take a look back at May’s events, research, and investments to give you the latest update on what’s going on in the Longevity and DeSci world.
As the weather is heating up, so too are events surrounding longevity. Not only are there four great conferences coming up in the next few months, but organizations across the globe are securing funding, producing research, and getting results.
Upcoming conferences and events
Longevity event of the year in Dublin
Enthusiasts from all over the world will jet to an emerald isle for the most anticipated event of the season: Longevity Summit Dublin 2024. With the conference just days away, there’s still time to scoop up a ticket and join talks on rejuvenation biotechnology and longevity. This year’s speakers include Luisa G Bâcă from the National Institute on Aging, David Barzilai, founder and CEO of Healthspan Coaching LLC, Laurence Ion of VitaDAO, Brian Kennedy of the Centre for Healthy Longevity and Professor Departments of Biochemistry and Physiology at National University of Singapore, and Manuel Serrano of Altos Labs, among many others.
11th Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting
Returning to the stage this August, the 11th ARDD conference will host industry experts such as Nir Barzilai, Vera Gorbunova, and Aubrey de Grey in an exciting longevity conference. Tickets and event details are available here. The event promises to dive into topics including senolytics, stem cell research, healthy longevity, and epigenetic reprogramming.
HLTH around the world
This June 17-20th in Amsterdam, HLTH will host its European conference with renowned speakers covering a variety of health-related topics. Then it’s on to October, when HLTH will move its focus to the Las Vegas stage, covering everything from AI to nutrition to aging.
Longevity Investors Conference
Gstaad, Switzerland is the place to be for longevity investors this September. Between the 24th and 27th of that month, top-level longevity investors will gather together among the mountains to discuss the hottest longevity topics this year. People who wish to attend the exclusive event must pass a screening before being able to purchase tickets. Apply here to attend.
Tech breakthroughs & new research
Female-led biotech announces new innovative fertility research
Gameto, a biotech company focused on women’s health, recently announced novel research into cellular engineering and manufacturing techniques behind its proprietary solution Fertilo. This study looks into how ovarian support cells enhance in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in an effort to improve further understanding of fertility issues.
AI heart care is here
This May, Caristo Diagnostics published a study in The Lancet on inflammatory risk and cardiovascular events in patients without obstructive coronary artery disease. What makes this study unique is that it draws on AI technology to assess cardiac risk utilizing its CaRi-Heart® technology, which the company claims can predict cardiac events due to coronary inflammation up to 10 years in advance. This could be a game-changer for heart care.
Innovative liver treatment on the horizon?
Immorta Bio Inc, a longevity company, announced its positive results with a new liver treatment using PMSC-11 stem cell therapy. The proprietary technology behind the solution resulted in a significant suppression of liver damage in a carbon tetrachloride model, preserving albumin production and preventing spikes in liver enzymes. Due to these results, the company is now seeking further preclinical trials before proceeding to FDA approval for clinical trials.
Longevity investment news
Mitochondrial research organization raises additional $12.5 million in funding
Lucy Therapeutics, a biotech startup focused on longevity through mitochondrial research, has secured $12.5 million in funding to support its drug discovery programs. The company’s current research is centered on targeting Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Rett syndrome in a novel way. This funding round was led by Engine Ventures and Safar Partners, with new contributions from the illustrious Bill Gates, Parkinson’s UK, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Stealth mode off, development mode on
Radar Therapeutics is definitely on the radar this month, as it’s emerged from stealth mode with $13.4 million in tow. This biotech startup from Berkeley, California isn’t just about the money; rather, it’s bringing the scientific goods too. Radar Therapeutics leverages advanced mRNA technology and proprietary regulatory control elements to create precision therapeutics that can address key challenges in genetic medicine, particularly in the longevity field. This latest funding will go toward this aim and help further this company’s research.
DAOs and communities
VitaRNA by Artan Bio is ongoing right now
VitaDAO, a biotech decentralized autonomous organization, is currently in the process of tokenizing the Artan Bio IP-NFT, an innovative way to fund research projects through an intellectual property NFT. With the aim of raising $300,000 in capital, this process is open to the public until June 6th.
Gitcoin’s DeSci round wraps
With a pool of 25,000 USDC, Gitcoin’s DeSci round ran from May 8th-23rd. Comprising 23 projects spanning a variety of domains, Just DNA-Seq took home the highest amount at $6517.11. The organization focused on an open-source genomics platform that helps people sequence the DNA of their loved ones to get insights into their genetic code. With a new round of funding to be announced, this is one to watch.
Vitalia summer program announced
What could be better than sun, sand, and longevity? At Vitalia in Roatan, Honduras, people who are looking for all these things this summer are welcome to join in the latest in a series of longevity city events. Spanning July 1st-31st, participants can partake in a unique program covering such things as a bio-acc summit, human augmentation week, and a startup investor demo day. Find out more about the event here.
Other DeSci and longevity news
Berlin’s Rejuvenation Startup Summit
This month saw the long-awaited Rejuvenation Startup Summit held in Berlin. Hosted by Michael Greve’s Forever Healthy Foundation, the event saw a number of exciting talks and networking opportunities for people interested in the longevity biotech field. Hevolution’s CEO Mehmood Khan took the keynote speech, highlighting the financial challenges posed by an aging population, and how diverse approaches, such as Rockfish’s novel senolytics pathway and NaNotics’ innovative nanoparticle platform, could be part of the solution.
Lifespan.io Executive Director Stephanie Dainow also took the stage, speaking about the recent merger of Lifespan.io and the SENS Research Foundation, detailing how our shared mission plans to advance longevity. Get a closer look at all the details here.
Longevity now on your phone
Novos, a tech company focused on longevity, has just launched an AI-backed app for improving longevity. The app helps users discover their biological age and take daily actions to improve it. Find out more here.
The season of collaboration
Just as Lifespan.io announced its merger with SENS Research Foundation, 2024 is proving to be the year of working together for a common goal. QuantaIX Neuroscience has joined forces with The Sheba Longevity Center to develop new technologies in the world of brain health diagnostics. Aiming to address the needs of the aging population, the teams will look into predictive analytics, early detection and intervention strategies to improve human healthspan.
Social media pages to follow this month
Gitcoin — For people interested in the crypto side of the coin, Gitcoin’s social media follows the process of the company’s efforts in empowering communities to fund, build and protect what matters.
DeSci Berlin — Follow up on one of the most exciting conferences of the year and find out all the latest about next year’s event.
Laurence Ion (VitaDAO) — Follow the latest happenings at VitaDAO and related DeSci projects from one of the organization’s key figures.
