6/9/22: Issue #5

Issue #5

June 09, 2022

June 9, 2022 | Issue #5

Good afternoon. When we first started spannr this past spring, we committed to publishing this newsletter every other Thursday.Today, nearly three months since the launch, we're excited to announce that we're moving to once a week! Every Thursday, to be exact. While today marks only our fifth issue, we're looking forward to better serving the longevity community with quality research, education, and data.Thanks again for subscribing, and if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback – we're all for it. Just simply reply to this email and we'll get back to you right away.

Hevolution Foundation: Longevity's Watershed Moment?

Normally, an entity donating or investing billions of dollars into an area of research would be cause for celebration.But a recent announcement from a Saudi Arabia-based non-profit organization calling itself the Hevolution Foundation is creating quite a stir.Although technically, the organization backed with billions of dollars has stated that they were founded in 2021, details were not released to the public until it officially launched its website earlier this week.The organization’s name and reputation have swirled around the longevity community for the past year (we even covered it in our last issue), with the Hevolution name popping up in a variety of different places.Now, with the official launch of their new website, we have the chance to peek into the foundation that could change the course of humanity.Read More...

Insilico Lands $60 Million In Series D Financing

This week, Hong Kong-based Insilico Medicine announced a fresh round of funding to the tune of $60 million.Now, unlike the funding announcements we've covered in recent issues, Insilico isn't a new company coming out of stealth mode – nope, not even close. The company, which has been using AI to discover new drugs, has been turning heads in the world of biotech and longevity dating all the way back to 2014.That said, we shouldn't undermine the success it has had along the way and the highly-touted roadmap it has set forth for investors...The Backdrop:Insilico Medicine, for those unaware, was started around one central idea: that AI-assisted systems can identify novel drug targets and lead-like molecules for untreated diseases, assist in the development of new treatments, and predict how well those treatments may perform in clinical trials.AI-assisted drug development isn't anything new in the year 2022. For example, companies such as Exscientia (NASDAQ:EXAI), Atomwise, and BenevolentAI (AMS:BAI) are also chomping at the bit. Insilico, however, sits in a unique spot as data suggests its end-to-end AI platform can achieve drug discovery from the ground floor, all the way through clinical trial predictions.Insilico is also one of the few AI-based startups that has both vocally and clinically targeted aging, and age-related disease.The "Ah-Ha" Moment:In 2020, Insilico identified a novel drug target for a fatal disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) which causes small air sacs and tissues deep in the lungs to begin to stiffen up and scar, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.But the focus here is not on the drug, nor the disease... it's the process.Insilico's AI system revealed a novel target and a corresponding drug candidate in under 18 months... at a tenth of the cost (only $2.6 million) that is typically associated with similar programs. For context, the standard preclinical drug development process usually takes several years and costs hundreds of millions of dollars. The efficiency at which they can potentially take a drug to the market is nothing short of remarkable. Human trials for their IPF drug candidate, for example, already started in November of last year.Here Comes The Capital:Largely thanks to the proof-of-concept developed by the IPF project, the company's growing pipeline, and the overall excitement around AI-based drug discovery and development, Insilico has been able to attract a long list of investors.In 2021, almost exactly one year ago, the company managed to raise $255 million in a Series C. Lead investors included Warbug Pincus, BOLD Capital Partners, Pavillon Capital, Qiming Venture Partners – all of which participated in its latest round (Series D; $60 million) as well.New investors include BHR Investment and an undisclosed "large, diversified asset management firm on the West Coast of the US." Alex Zhavoronkov, Insilico’s founder and CEO, also participated in the Series D round.Although this week's raise is substantially smaller than their last round, $60 million is still an impressive feat considering today's economic environment. In today's market, it's fair to say that most biotech startups are bleeding, cutting costs, and saving capital – not expanding.What's Next?According to a statement, Insilico plans to spend its fresh capital on the following:

  • Fuel the growth of its advancing pipeline, including its lead IPF program which is currently in a Phase I study

  • To further develop its AI-based drug discovery platforms, PandaOmics and Chemistry42, that identify new targets and molecules, respectively

  • And fittingly, further develop a "robotic drug discovery laboratory," and a "robotic biological data factory"

Now, if that last bullet point made your ears perk up, you're not alone.As the name suggests, the Suzhou Biobay-based lab will be fully run by robots and there will be, according to Zhavoronkov, "no humans allowed." Instead, the lab will be equipped with autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs).Robot laboratories... Artificial Intelligence... and game-changing, end-to-end drug development at a fraction of the cost...Welcome to the world of biotech. :)

  • Altos Labs Announces Sponsored Research Agreement with Kyoto University's CiRA to Foster Cellular Rejuvenation Programming Research

  • Mesoblast Operational Highlights & Financial Results Q3 2022

  • United Therapeutics Provides an Update on Its Organ Printing Programs

  • Adicet Bio Reports Emerging Data from ADI-001 Phase 1 Trial at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

  • Celularity To Be Added To The Russell 3000 Index And The Small-Cap Russell 2000

  • VitaDAO teamed up with Foresight Institute to provide multiple crowdsourced prizes for specific, relevant scientific longevity challenges

  • Athersys Shares Fall 7% After Company Announces Restructuring, Mgmt Changes

  • Denali Therapeutics and Biogen Announce Initiation of Phase 2b Study of LRRK2 Inhibitor in Parkinson’s Disease

spannr is proud to be sponsoring (and attending!) LessDeath's Longevity Summer Camp. The camp, which is really more of a human longevity networking retreat, will take place between July 20-24th, in Nevada City, California. Applications are currently open, but close this Sunday, June 12th.Speaking of events, here are a few more to keep on your radar...