AI summary
Introduction to Dr. Noah Davidson
- Dr. Noah Davidson, the speaker, earned his PhD in bioengineering from MIT and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard in George Church’s lab, focusing on gene therapy and aging.
- He is the Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Rejuvenate Bio, a biotechnology company that emerged from Harvard and Church’s lab.
- Davidson expresses excitement about translating longevity science into therapeutics aimed at making people younger and healthier.
Societal Crisis of Aging
- Davidson highlights a societal crisis concerning aging, where spending on individuals aged 65 and older exceeds spending on those under 18 by a trillion dollars.
- Despite representing only 35% of the population, older adults account for 50% of healthcare expenditures, primarily due to chronic age-related diseases.
- He critiques the healthcare system for its focus on treating individual diseases rather than addressing the underlying issue of aging itself, referring to it as “sick care” rather than healthcare.
- Davidson underscores the need for therapeutics that target aging, which is the highest risk factor for developing chronic diseases.
- He notes a positive trend in increased investment in longevity science, which may lead to beneficial developments in the near future.
Outline of Presentation
- Davidson outlines his talk, which will cover two platform technologies developed by Rejuvenate Bio aimed at addressing the complex problem of aging.
- He mentions plans to enter the veterinary market and highlights existing corporate partnerships in that sector.
- Lastly, he discusses the challenge of bringing a generalized therapy to market, which requires targeting specific age-related diseases for clinical trials.
Team at Rejuvenate Bio
- Davidson introduces his co-founder, Dan Oliver, who has a background in MBA and is passionate about translating science into practical therapeutics.
- Their partnership began during Davidson’s post-doctoral work, where he transitioned from a traditional academic career to entrepreneurship.
- Davidson mentions his dog, Bear, as the inspiration for starting Rejuvenate, emphasizing the relevance of veterinary applications in their research.
- He acknowledges the contributions of George Church and Dr. Katherine Hy, both influential figures in gene therapy and aging research, who support their mission.
Therapeutic Goals
- The primary goal of Rejuvenate Bio is to utilize gene therapy to target aging directly and treat multiple age-related diseases.
- Davidson emphasizes the need for permanent solutions to chronic problems like aging and age-related diseases.
- He mentions the necessity of creative clinical strategies and business models to tackle the complex issue of aging therapeutics.
Longevity Associated Genes
- Davidson introduces the first platform technology focused on longevity-associated genes, which are derived from research showing which genes extend lifespan in mice.
- The therapeutic aims to treat various age-related diseases and enhance healthspan, having demonstrated effectiveness in multiple conditions such as heart failure, diabetes, and obesity.
- He references a seminal paper he published during his post-doctoral fellowship that highlighted the therapeutic potential of specific gene combinations.
- The combination of anti-TGF-beta1 and FGF-21 was shown to effectively treat multiple age-related diseases, including kidney failure.
Epigenetic Reprogramming
- Davidson discusses the second platform technology centered on epigenetic reprogramming, which has shown potential to double the remaining lifespan of elderly mice.
- This technology can significantly extend lifespan even in mice with pre-existing health issues, demonstrating its potential impact on aging therapies.
- Collaborations with other labs have shown that epigenetic reprogramming can improve visual acuity and regenerate nerves in mice.
- Davidson explains the challenges of translating this technology to humans, particularly the complexity of using multiple viruses for gene delivery.
- To address these challenges, they developed an inducible system that can deliver multiple genes within a single AAV, enhancing safety and effectiveness.
Clinical Applications
- Davidson outlines their approach to targeting specific diseases such as ALS and FSHD through the reprogramming technology, which aims to restore youthful characteristics to aging cells.
- He emphasizes the importance of developing therapies that can address the needs of older patients, rather than targeting younger populations.
- The veterinary market is a significant focus, with ongoing clinical studies in pets demonstrating the effectiveness of their therapies.
Veterinary Market Initiatives
- Davidson highlights the prevalence of mitral valve disease in dogs, which affects about 7% of the canine population, indicating a substantial market for their therapeutic interventions.
- Rejuvenate Bio has established multiple partnerships with leading animal health companies to develop and commercialize their therapies.
- A long-term study has shown that their therapy can delay disease progression in pets by one to two years, demonstrating significant clinical benefits.
- Davidson expresses enthusiasm about upcoming partnerships and the potential for their therapies to be brought to market within the next couple of years.
Human Therapeutic Development
- For human therapeutics, Rejuvenate Bio is focusing on FGF-21, which has shown promise in treating chronic diseases and is well-studied for its safety and efficacy.
- FGF-21 has demonstrated the ability to improve various health parameters, including cardiac health, metabolic function, and immune response.
- Davidson discusses the therapeutic’s potential to address arrhythmias and other cardiac conditions, emphasizing its advantages over traditional gene replacement strategies.
- The company aims to target specific cardiac diseases as part of their strategy to expand their therapeutic applications beyond aging.
Future Directions and Market Potential
- Davidson concludes by discussing the multi-billion dollar market potential for their therapies, particularly in gene therapy and metabolic health sectors.
- He highlights the importance of targeting large patient populations to maximize the impact and accessibility of their treatments.
- Davidson expresses optimism about the safety and efficacy of their therapies, which could facilitate regulatory approval and widespread adoption.
Q&A Session
- During the Q&A, Davidson addresses questions regarding the effectiveness of their therapy on various arrhythmias and discusses observed side effects.
- He notes that while the therapy has not been tested on all arrhythmias, it is expected to be effective for many due to its mechanism of action.
- Davidson emphasizes the promising safety profile of FGF-21 gene therapy based on data from both animal studies and initial trials in pets.
- He also discusses the potential for biologics to activate FGF-21 and the challenges associated with achieving therapeutic levels through such methods.