About

Advancing Neuroprotective Therapies for Neurodegenerative and Retinal Degenerative Diseases

At AgeisBio, we are passionate about developing neuroprotective therapies to reduce the burden of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.  

Our Research and Discoveries

Founded in 2016, AgeisBio embarked upon an investigation into the biology of aging and identified an underlying cause that is a fundamental driver of NDDs.  Specifically, we explored how different types of stress have opposite effects on human longevity. Stress that induces regulated oxidative signaling is a driver of longevity, while unresolved stress and impaired oxidative signaling are drivers of aging and degenerative disease.  In our research, we created cellular phenotypes of aging and degenerative disease including phenotypes exhibiting DNA damage, ER stress, oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, senescence and pro-apoptotic.  We discovered a target pathway to regulate oxidative signaling and demonstrated that modulation of our target pathway reverses these phenotypes of NDDs.  

The Challenge of Neurodegenerative Diseases (NDDs)

NDDs, such as Alzheimer's in the brain and AMD in the eye, impose a significant burden on society in terms of morbidity and cost.  Age is the greatest predictor of the onset of NDDs.  The percentage of senior citizens in the overall population is projected to grow to 46% by 2050.  Given its cost and morbidity, this growing burden of NDDs presents a significant challenge facing humanity that must be met.  

Prior drugs for NDDs have had low success rates as they typically address only a single aspect of an NDD, like targeting inflammation in Alzheimer's.  However, NDDs are complex, multi-factorial and often idiopathic in origin, so fundamentally new approaches are necessary to meet these societal challenges.

AgeisBio's Approach  

AgeisBio aims to overcome this shortcoming of conventional approaches by developing "rejuvenation" therapies. Instead of focusing on a single facet of a disease, rejuvenation therapies attempt to improve the overall health of cells and tissue by reversing multiple aging phenotypes and repairing aging damage.

Natural products, such as curcumin and resveratrol, possess properties that promote longevity as primarily demonstrated in preclinical studies. As such, natural products have garnered great interest in their potential to treat NDDs.  Through our research into the biology of aging, we explored the mechanisms of action from which natural product compounds act as drivers of longevity, and we discovered that select natural products, including curcumin and resveratrol, regulate oxidative signaling through our target pathway to confer their benefits in longevity.  We're evaluating protein binding of select neuroprotective natural product compounds to develop safe and effective synthetic lead molecules that exhibit good drug-like properties.

Our Vision & Future Directions

AgeisBio applies a multi-disciplinary approach to drug development by integrating systems and translational biology with principles of cellular and molecular biology, along with computational techniques.  Our first application is in ophthalmology, where we're developing a general neuroprotectant to combat retinal degenerative diseases.  We are currently developing a lead compound from which we'll demonstrate efficacy in preclinical models of dry-eyed AMD and diabetic retinopathy.  We've initiated our first external funding round and invite potential investors and biopharmaceutical partners to engage with us in an early conversation.

We are committed to making a significant impact on those suffering from NDDs and reducing the economic and societal burden of these diseases.  Join us on our journey to develop innovative therapies that promote longevity and improve the quality of life for millions.