From multi-million-dollar IPOs to new pop-up cities and industry-changing research, it’s not just the leaves that are changing this fall. The season is heating up with ground-breaking deals, exciting new perspectives, and cutting-edge technology, proving that there’s more than pumpkin spice in the air.
Upcoming conferences and events
Sun, sea, and life at the Longevity World Forum
As October turns chillier in the Northern Hemisphere, the world of longevity conferences is heating up. This October 17-18, the Longevity World Forum will return, this time to Alicante, Spain for two days packed full of biomarkers, senolytics, autophagy, and socioeconomic research into longevity. Speakers for the event are set to include Steve Horvath, Alexandra Stolzing, and Toren Finkel, with tickets costing 600 Euros for in-person attendance to 75 Euros per day for streaming available here.
Big, bold, brave — this year’s HLTH in Vegas
HLTH 2024 is back. This year’s event is set to be held in the City of Lights, Las Vegas. With a bright future for longevity, HLTH features keynotes from the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and the Cleveland Clinic, and is set to cover topics such as nursing, AI, marketing, dentistry, nutrition, and aging. Information about the event and how to attend is available here.
Grab a piece of the TimePie
November 1-3 will see Shanghai host the 5th TimePie Longevity Forum. Attendees at this year’s event will have the opportunity to hear from speakers such as Juan Belmonte of Altos Labs, Vera Gorbunova of the University of Rochester, and Brian Kennedy of the National University Health System, as well as national experts in the field of longevity. Tickets to the event are available online.
Biomarkers of Aging is back
This November 1-2, the Biomarkers of Aging Consortium is set to gather at Harvard Medical School for an intense two-day event into the latest advancements in aging research. Encompassing cutting-edge presentations, discussions, networking opportunities, and packed full of learning experiences, tickets to the event are available for purchase online.
Tech breakthroughs & new research
FDA awards Neuralink Breakthrough Device Designation
Designed to speed-up access to innovative technologies, the FDA has permitted Neuralink’s use for a project coined as “Blindsight.” This latest development helps people see even in the absence of a functional optic nerve.
Spinal cord solution proposed by Lisnom Health
Exiting stealth and entering the world stage, Lisnom Health announced the launch of a potential solution designed to help people with spinal cord injuries. The technology is centered around a patented spinal cord transplant solution that aims to restore function and improve long-term recovery for patients with spinal cord injuries. Having explored the solution in animal trials, the test group reported significant improvement, offering hope in the company’s next steps.
DAOs and communities
International Longevity Day on October 1
Living longer and healthier is something to celebrate. That’s why, this October 1, longevity enthusiasts from around the world gathered together in small-scale events to celebrate International Longevity Day. Across the world a series of meet-ups, talks, and coffee chats were held in the honor of the day. Missed it? Don’t forget to join next year.
BIO Genesis Auction is underway
With just over 40 days to go, the BIO Genesis auction is underway and gives participants the ability to swap various, eligible DeSci tokens for BIO. Founded under the BIO protocol, it serves as a curation and liquidity tool of DeSci. Following this round of the event, 50% of BIO will unlock immediately, afterwards, the rest will be unlocked over a year, with BIO becoming transferable after a governance vote.
ValleyDAO offers up to $200k in research funding
For people who are thinking up global solutions, ValleyDAO is offering $200k in funding support for academic and independent translational synthetic biology research centered on climate and food security. Alongside the generous financing, the DAO also seeks to connect entrepreneurs, investors, and experts to help turn research into reality.
New pop-up city coming to Berlin this October
Zelar City, part of the famous Zuzalu ecosystem, is coming to Berlin, Germany from October 5 to November 17. During the 6-week event, longevity entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, and thinkers will come together to explore defying aging and disease. With themed weeks, topics will cover longevity research, decentralized science, AI, cryonics, and policy, with summits on weekends, aiming at expanding collaboration in the longevity sphere.
Dare to dine?
Bryan Johnson is a world-known name in the technology world, and is now making huge waves in the longevity industry. As the founder of the Blueprint program for longevity, and the “Don’t Die” anti-aging movement, which includes celebrity-attended dinners, Bryan Johnson has compared Bitcoin’s rejection of inflation to his own rejection of aging. Like fellow crypto leaders, Vitalik Buterin and Balaji Srinivasan, Johnson believes aging can be solved, and that the solution could lie in anti-aging research and funding, potentially backed by crypto technology. Lifespan’s Arkadi Mazin caught up with Johnson to deliver the latest updates straight from the source.
DeSci and longevity news and funding
BioAge Labs files for IPO (and upsizes the stakes)
Biotech pharmaceutical company BioAge Labs filed for an IPO at the start of the month, marking a new step in its development. The initial offering was suggested to be 7.5 million shares priced between $17 – $19. However, the company announced an upsizing raising the offering to 11 million shares, priced at $18 per share, which is set to raise $198 million in proceeds for further development of targeted biological therapies, including weight-loss drugs. The IPO is being managed by global names including Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Citigroup, Morgan Stanley, and Jefferies, and it is trading under the ticker “BIOA.”
The eyes to longevity’s future — Mediwhale raises $12 million
Early disease detection is one of factors that can contribute to better health outcomes in the long term. Mediwhale had this in mind when it embarked on its AI-backed chronic disease detection tool, which uses retina scans to analyze for biomarkers of disease. Now, the company has just raised $12 million in Series A2 funding to advance its technology, expanding its product pipeline, enhancing the algorithms behind it, and embarking on much-sought-after FDA approval for its Reti-CVD technology.
Furry friends to benefit for new cat longevity company
As humans seek to expand their healthspan, some are seeking the same for their fluffy companions. This September saw the official launch of the Cat Health Company, known as TCHC for short, a biotechnology company dedicated to extending the healthspan and lifespan of cats through innovative treatments. Backed in its pre-seed round by Ani.VC, Game Ventures, and pharmaceutical angel investors, this innovative company is already embarking on new partnerships, such as the one with EpiPaws, to support its work.
Social media pages to follow this month
ValleyDAO — community funding for synthetic biology research
Zelar City — brand-new pop-up event set in Berlin, Germany
Bryan Johnson — founder of the Don’t Die movement
