Cell rejuvenation trailblazer Turn Bio closes funding round
/A few weeks ago, cell rejuvenation company Turn Biotechnologies announced that it had completed an oversubscribed fundraising round.
While that is noteworthy, what really caught our attention was the list of organizations participating in the round. Two are pharmaceutical companies – Daewoong Pharmaceuticals and HanAll Biopharma of Korea – and a third is Astellas Venture Management, the venture capital unit of global drug maker, Astellas Pharma.
All this pharmaceutical industry interest in Turn Bio validates our long-term support of the company.
As a founding investor, Methuselah Foundation recognized the unique value of Turn Bio’s proprietary mRNA-based technology to restore optimal gene expression and combat the effects of aging in the epigenome. This restores cells’ ability to prevent disease or heal tissue. Apparently, several drug makers are similarly impressed by the promise of Turn Bio’s technology.
News coverage reports that Turn Bio will use the funds to get to its next state of development.
This is what we imagined when we developed the seven strategies that guide Methuselah Foundation investments, planning and policies. We came up with seven strategies because there is no single solution that will lengthen the healthy human lifespan. It will take a combination of things to help us reach our goal of making 90 the new 50 by 2030.
Turn Bio is an example of our “debug the code” strategy, which recognizes that humans are built from codes, including DNA and the “action code,” RNA. As we go through life, the codes can be damaged, compromising the ability of cells to do what they are supposed to do.
The goal of this strategy is to return the code to a youthful state, restoring the cells’ ability to function optimally. We envision a day when epigenetic reprogramming like that being developed by Turn Bio will help people to cure age-related diseases, including cancer, osteo-arthritis, heart disease and other conditions.
It is exciting to see this company – and other organizations around the world – bring to life what we imagined to be possible. Continued collaboration will enable us to live longer and healthier lives.
Join us to bring this dream to life. Donate to Methuselah Foundation.