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- Issue #42
Issue #42
Issue #42
March 16, 2023 | Issue #42
Good evening. Welcome back to another issue of Spannr.In this week's newsletter:🤔 Rethinking retirement and pensions🐕 Promising longevity treatment advances to clinical trial stage🏋️ Cambrian's new pipeline company🌐 Good reads from around the web
Retirement Riots: Coming To A Country Near You?
In France, the government's proposed pension reform bill, which includes raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64, has sparked widespread protests and strikes.While the government argues that this move is necessary to prevent long-term deficits caused by longer life expectancies and a rise in the number of pensioners, many people are understandably upset about having to work longer.But this is likely just the beginning.With the baby boomer generation starting to retire en masse, combined with a steadily declining fertility rate, national pension plans around the world are approaching a crisis.Our latest article explores some of the key factors contributing to this crisis and looks at the ways in which the longevity industry can help.
New Longevity Treatment Receives Green Light for Clinical Trial
Loyal, a clinical-stage veterinary medicine company, has received "protocol concurrence" from the FDA for its companion dog longevity study. Loyal aims to develop drugs that can extend the healthspan and lifespan of dogs, and their clinical trial will determine if their drug can achieve this goal safely.📌 This study is the first of its kind to be accepted by the FDA and marks a significant milestone for Loyal, as it paves the way for the development of the first FDA-approved drugs designed to extend lifespan and healthspan in dogs.If successful, Loyal's drug will be available to dogs across the US.Last year, we wrote an entire exposé on Loyal, knowing just how much of an industry game-changer the company could be.Studying and developing drugs that focus on dog aging, as Loyal’s CEO, Celine Halioua, puts it, "may be one of the best ways to help the broader public conceptualize and then demand human aging drugs, too.”
Cambrian BioPharma has launched a new pipeline company, Amplifier Therapeutics, with $26 million in funding.The company aims to develop ATX-304, a pan-AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) activator which it recently acquired from the Swedish biopharma company, Betagenon AB, the discoverer of novel AMPK activators.AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a vital energy sensor that regulates energy in the body and declines with age. Amplifier believes their lead AMPK activator, ATX-304, has therapeutic potential in metabolic conditions, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and kidney diseases. According to Cambrian's CEO, James Peyer, "AMPK is one of the most sought-after drug targets in aging research.”Cambrian Bio, a DisCo which we previously covered when they funded Oviva Therapeutics, adds Amplifier to their more than a dozen novel therapeutics in its pipeline.
AgeX Therapeutics (AGE) received another loan from Juvenescence, this time in the amount of $10 million. The money (with shareholder approval) will be used to finance the restructuring and purchase of Serina Therapeutics, and to potentially spinoff Reverse Bioengineering into a separate, publicly traded company
Fount, a 1:1 health and performance consultant, announced a $12 million Series A fundraise from Amity Ventures, Elysian Park Ventures, Not Boring Capital, Allen & Co, Champion Hill Ventures, and other angel investors. Learn more about Fount in Packy McCormick's overview of the company here.
Everything Wrong with Mouse Studies (Niko McCarty)
Google introduces Open Health Stack for developers (TechCrunch)
Denied by AI: How Medicare Advantage plans use algorithms to cut off care for seniors in need (STAT)
Researchers Say Exercise is More Effective Than Antidepressants (Fitt Insider)
The same skeletal changes that allowed humans to walk upright make us vulnerable to knee osteoarthritis as we age (The Harvard Gazette)
A recent metformin study casts doubts on longevity indications (Peter Attia)
Is The World Nearing Peak Population? (RealClearPolitics)
UVA Discovers Anti-Aging Detox Approach That May Help Us Live Longer (UVAHealth)
We have a huge salt problem. Millions will die without action, WHO warns (Washington Post)
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