Harnessing AI-powered virtual cells to reverse aging

Aging is the largest driver of disease

Aging mechanisms are common to the major modern diseases. By harnessing AI-powered virtual cells, 51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø has opened a path to a pipeline-in-a-pill rejuvenation therapeutic, whilst enabling partners to advance disease-optimised rejuvenation therapeutics.

Hallmarks if aging
CDC Underlying Cause of Death database, 2005-2014
Parent holding a babies small hand

Aging is reversed between generations

Each of us developed from a single cell passed down by our parents, yet we’re not born at our parent’s age and we begin our post-development lives in full health. The biology inherited from our parents is safely scrubbed, renewed and restarted, with evidence of a in the embryo shortly after conception.

Principal component Skin & Blood DNA methylation clock

51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø has decoupled cell rejuvenation from a tumor-inducing pathway

Yamanaka factors (OSKM) rejuvenate multiple cell types and extend the lifespan of disease models, but are optimised to activate a tumor-inducing pathway, posing safety concerns for therapeutic development.

51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø's proprietary aging clock (AC3) and AI-powered virtual cell have overcome this challenge, discovering novel genes that rejuvenate gold-standard epigenetic age in real fibroblasts (left), maintain cell identity (centre, left) and decouple the tumour inducing pathway (below).

Fibreblasts

World leaders in AI virtual cells and cell aging clocks

51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø has assembled a world-class team of scientists that bridge machine learning and cell biology.

AI virtual cells
Bo Wang
Bo Wang

Senior advisor, Prof University of Toronto, Inventor of the cell simulator single-cell-GPT (scGPT)1

Cell aging clocks
Brendan Swain
Brendan Swain

CSO and founder, PhD University of Cambridge, Inventor of the first accurate cell aging clock

Brendan received his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, where his focus was on basic research. First as an intern and then as a founder, Brendan began to prototype single-cell transcriptomic aging clocks, helping forge a new direction for 51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø. Since 2021, Brendan has led 51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹Ù꿉۪s science team in the search for new rejuvenating interventions, with the belief that these discoveries could have a massive impact across healthcare.

Lucas Camillo
Lucas Camillo

Head of ML, MPhil University of Cambridge, Inventor of the most accurate aging clock2

Cell aging clock
Gene rejuvenation IP chart

51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø is progressing 52 cell-rejuvenation targets

51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø's proprietary aging clock (AC3) and virtual cell reduce years of experiments to weeks, identifying 150 genes individually sufficient to reverse the aging of real cells in vitro, and 40 genes individually sufficient to accelerate the age of real cells in vitro (above, left). 52 are progressing to further validation, a subset of which are druggable, link to specific diseases of aging and offer early development paths to complementary partners (above, right).

Careers

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Assets and asset-combos

Leadership team

  • Daniel Ives
    Daniel Ives

    CEO and founder, PhD University of Cambridge, previously postdoc at Francis Crick Institute

    Daniel received his PhD from the University of Cambridge where he focused on the role of mutations in the mitochondrial genome, embracing computational biology to discover a novel therapeutic approach for a rare mitochondrial disease.

    Daniel followed his PhD supervisor to the Francis Crick Institute and in 2017 founded 51³Ô¹ÏÍø¹ÙÍø, beginning a scientific journey from mitochondria to mouse aging clocks to single-cell aging clocks and, finally, to now: leveraging single-cell aging clocks inside AI-powered virtual cells to explore the combinatorial space of interventions for cell rejuvenation.

  • David Prior
    David Prior

    Chair, Global Senior Advisor at Lazard, previously NHS Chair
    2018-2022

  • Laurence Reid
    Laurence Reid

    Non-exec director, previously CEO Decibel Therapeutics, CBO Alnylam Pharmaceuticals

    Laurence has had a successful career in Biotech in Boston (Millennium, Alnylam, Warp Drive, Decibel Tx, Garuda Tx) as CBO and more recently CEO. Laurence excels in mapping new platforms and modalities to strategy for clinical translation and financing.

  • Jill Reckless
    Jill Reckless

    Translation advisor, CEO RxCelerate, previously Senior Research Associate University of Cambridge

    Co-founder and CEO of RxCelerate. Provides strategic vision to RxCelerate Group. Over 20 years’ experience of translational biology and leading drug discovery programmes covering a wide area of therapeutic indications.

  • Tony Kouzarides
    Tony Kouzarides

    Scientific advisor, Director Milner Therapeutics Institute, Cofounder CEO Vellos, Prof University of Cambridge

    Tony Kouzarides is Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Cambridge, a senior group leader at the Gurdon Institute and director/co-founder of the Milner Therapeutics Institute. His research lab at the Gurdon is interested in epigenetic modifications and their involvement in cancer. The Milner Therapeutics Institute has a mission to connect academia and industry to drive University research into therapies.

    Tony is a co-founder of Abcam plc, a publicly trading research reagents company in Cambridge, a co-founder of Chroma Therapeutics, a drug discovery company based in Oxford and a co-founder and director of STORM Therapeutics, a drug discovery company based in Cambridge. He is founder and director of Cambridge Gravity, a University entrepreneurial organization and a founder of Conquer Cancer ("Vencer el Cancer"), a cancer charity in Spain.

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