The Genomics of Longevity
This article was originally published in Start Up
Executive Summary
A group of drug discovery companies believes it has found a way to use scientific discoveries about the genetics of aging to develop novel drugs for specific diseases. These companies begin with insights from animal models of longevity and long-lived human populations, which they hope will help them discover new targets for age-related diseases. Several companies have rallied around calorie restriction, an intervention known to increase lifespan in laboratory animals, and are characterizing genetic and phenotypic changes associated with calorie restriction. Others believe they have found key genes that regulate aging, and hope to use this knowledge to develop drugs for such age-related as diseases as cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. The challenges for companies will be to validate mechanisms implicated in aging, and then link them to specific diseases. However, the diseases of aging are some of the toughest drug development categories; they're often progressive diseases that develop over the course of years, and proving that drugs slow down disease progression or prevent onset involves tough endpoints.
You may also be interested in...
Profiles of Two Iconoclasts
In recent years, most venture capital firms have focused on investing in companies with well-developed product pipelines. In this issue of START-UP, we profile two trendsetters: Fred Cohen, managing director at Texas Pacific Group Ventures; and Christoph Westphal, formerly a partner at Polaris Ventures and now vice chairman and CEO of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Both men are physician scientists turned investors, who have tapped into their scientific and clinical knowledge to make investments in "high concept" discovery stage companies. And although the investments are intriguing, it's too early to say whether or not the strategies adopted by these two men will yield returns for their backers.
Profiles of Two Iconoclasts
In recent years, most venture capital firms have focused on investing in companies with well-developed product pipelines. In this issue of START-UP, we profile two trendsetters: Fred Cohen, managing director at Texas Pacific Group Ventures; and Christoph Westphal, formerly a partner at Polaris Ventures and now vice chairman and CEO of Sirtris Pharmaceuticals. Both men are physician scientists turned investors, who have tapped into their scientific and clinical knowledge to make investments in "high concept" discovery stage companies. And although the investments are intriguing, it's too early to say whether or not the strategies adopted by these two men will yield returns for their backers.
Evotec Goes Wholesale
VC firm Oxford Bioscience's deal with Evotec gives its portfolio companies discounted access to the German biotech's screening and chemistry services--but with no obligation.