Agetech World explores the latest investment developments in healthy ageing and longevity.
US$10m to develop cell reset therapeutics for longevity
Biotech company Junevity has raised US$10m in seed funding to accelerate its Junevity RESET platform.
The platform is based on exclusively licensed research by co-founder Dr. Janine Sengstack at the University of California at San Francisco, and uses large-scale human data and AI to identify genes that can regulate cell damage. It then develops siRNA therapeutics against these targets to return cells to health.
Junevity has confirmed it will use this seed funding to enhance the RESET platform and develop its first therapeutic candidates in Type 2 diabetes, obesity and frailty.
€35m to expand AI-enabled technology across senior care facilities globally
Agetech company Nobi has raised €35m to expand its AI-enabled technology across senior care facilities globally. Its technology includes AI-powered smart lights that have demonstrated a 51 per cent reduction in falls and 94 per cent faster caregiver response times.
The financing round was co-led by Angelini Ventures and Nexus NeuroTech Ventures, in the round also participated 15th Rock, and existing investors EQT Health Economics and EQT Dementia Fund, PMV, and Nobi’s founders Roeland Pelgrims and Bert De Haes as well as Balz Halter.
The company has confirmed that the proceeds will enable Nobi to strengthen its market leadership position in the UK and US and enhance the platform with new features to improve care home workflows.
USA$50m to transform glaucoma treatment in Australia
The Snow Medical Research Foundation (Snow Medical) has announced it is launching the Snow Vision Accelerator in partnership with the University of Sydney, with a landmark $50 million commitment from the Snow family over 10 years.
The Snow Vision Accelerator aims to fight glaucoma, the world’s leading cause of irreversible blindness.
According to the University, the Snow Vision Accelerator will build on the work of world-renowned ophthalmologist Professor Jonathan Crowston and bring together leading Australian and international research groups to develop innovative treatments that enhance the ability of optic nerve cells to withstand injury and survive, addressing a pressing unmet need for effective therapies.
PulseSight closes funding round for clinical development of AMD treatment
Ophthalmology biotech, PulseSight Therapeutics SAS, has confirmed the first closing of Series A financing that will support the clinical development of its treatment PST-611 – a treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
PST-611 is a first in class non-viral vectorized therapy for the treatment of AMD/geographic atrophy (GA), expressing human transferrin, a highly potent iron regulator.
Restoring normal iron homeostasis, the company says that transferrin has demonstrated strong beneficial effects in preclinical models, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, and preserving the integrity of the retinal pigment epithelium, with the potential of preventing retinal degeneration and vision loss.
PulseSight said that the planned PST-611-CT1 clinical trial aims at primarily confirming the safety profile of PST-611 administration and is expected to start Q2 2025.
The Series A financing remains open to new investors, to provide funds to support PST-611 Phase IIa clinical trial preparation and implementation, as well as the development of PulseSight’s wider portfolio of non-viral vectorized therapies.
BioArctic announces that Leqembi sales reach €200m
BioArctic AB’s partner Eisai has notified BioArctic that the first sales milestone according to the licensing agreement has been reached. The milestone was reached as sales of Leqembi reached €200m in Eisai fiscal year 2024. The event entitles BioArctic to a €10m payment.
Leqembi is the result of a long-standing collaboration between BioArctic and Eisai, and the antibody was originally developed by BioArctic based on the work of Professor Lars Lannfelt and his discovery of the Arctic mutation in Alzheimer’s disease.
US$43m to tackle need for predictive senior care with AI
AI-powered, care-focused SaaS company SafelyYou has raised US$43m, bringing the total funding raised by the company to over US$100m.
The company has said that the new round of funding will help support the expansion of its products, including SafelyYou Clarity, which offers senior living care providers accurate care measurement without wearables, and SafelyYou Aware, which uses the company’s dataset to provide insight into resident wellness. Additionally, SafelyYou has said it will use data to help operators predict residents’ care needs.
Telemedicine clinic Hone Health raises US$33m and acquires ivee
Telehealth clinic Hone Health recently completed a US$33m raise bringing its total funding to US$39m.
The company has said that the new investment will drive its expansion into proactive and preventative longevity care for men and women while supporting its commitment to regulatory compliance and patient safety.
With the financing, Hone acquired personalised care platform ivee, to introduce in-home healthcare services, enabling physicians and practitioners to deliver care directly to patients in their homes.