Antoxerene, a portfolio company of contract research organisation (CRO) Ichor Therapeutics, Inc., is supporting the joint venture (JV) with $10m (€8.5m) in equity financing, as well as drug development expertise.
The majority of drug development will be conducted at New York State-headquartered Ichor Therapeutics laboratories, we were told. The firm did not reveal which age-associated drugs are the focus of the JV, nor its eventual plans for manufacture.
According to FoxBio CEO Kelsey Moody, there has been significant interest in the therapeutic applications of senolytic drugs – designed to induce death of senescent cells – and notably, with respect to age-associated disease.
“As molecular pathways unique to senescent cells have begun to be identified, we can now develop drugs to target these pathways. We are eager to work with the Juvenescence team, whose experience in drug development, technical depth, and visionary leadership will help us to deliver on the immense potential of this field,” Moody added in a statement.
The pathways of ageing have attracted interest from other firms: “Some, like the p53/MDM2 pathway, already have significant competitors moving products forward through clinical trials. Others are novel or currently un-targeted pathways,” said Moody.
In August last year, Juvenescence invested in another JV – this time with Insilico Medicine – which uses artificial intelligence to identify and developing compounds that target the effects of ageing.