Juvenescence is on a mission to extend human life spans to 150 years.
The market for anti-aging treatments is growing rapidly, with a current value of $110 billion but predicted to reach $610 billion by 2025, according to Bank of America. UK-based Juvenescence is relying on that growth, and it has attracted a number of supporters, as reflected by the recent completion of a $100 million Series B financing round.
The company is headed by Greg Bailey, previously a board director at Medivation and Declan Doogan, who has worked at Pfizer and Amarin. Its major backer is British billionaire Jim Mellon, and its goal is to extend human life spans to 150 years. The company was founded to invest in firms focused on longevity and sell or out-license their assets at the appropriate time to provide value to shareholders.
Juvenescence has invested in several companies such as AgeC, LyGenesis (organ regeneration) and BYOMass and is collaborating with various groups. It recently formed a joint venture with the Buck Institute focused on inducing ketosis and is partnering with AI company Insilico Medicine. It has also started its own biotech firm –– Souvien Therapeutics, which develops drugs targeting the epigenetic sources of neurodegenerative diseases.
More deals are in the works, and Juvenescence has plans for an initial public offering at some point. It also intends to develop 12 healthy aging candidates and have at least four anti-aging products on the market within five to seven years.
The company does face some competition. One example is Calico, which is owned by Google and has partnered with AbbVie. Venture capital fund BOLD Capital Partners is looking for others; it announced a $100 million fund targeting companies in the anti-aging field.