A Look at Longevity Industry: Interview with Dr. Eric Leire, CEO of Genflow Biosciences
The aging research industry has exploded in recent years. Once a fringe area of science, aging research has now gained widespread recognition for its potential to address the challenges of an aging population and extend a healthy lifespan. This growth is due, in part, to the increasing costs of caring for an aging population and the recognition of the importance of understanding the biological processes of aging. Today, researchers, biotech companies, and pharmaceutical firms are all working to develop interventions that could delay or even reverse the aging process.
In this interview, I asked Dr. Eric Leire several questions about aging research and the longevity industry. Dr. Eric Leire is CEO of Genflow Biosciences, a publicly traded UK-based biotech company with R&D facilities in Belgium and a US office in Cambridge, MA. The team at Genflow Biosciences is developing therapeutics that can potentially halt or slow the aging process in humans and dogs. The company's research focuses on a centenarian variant of the SIRT6 gene.
Dr. Eirc Leire, CEO of Genflow Biosciences
Andrii: Aging research and a general focus on longevity is a very recent trend in the pharma industry, with lots of controversies and skepticism. On the other hand, it is one of the potentially most impactful areas of medicine - if major results appear on the horizon. A vivid interest in longevity drug discovery is apparent now and is reflected in a major increase in investments and deal flow. Can you help us figure out what is happening in this area, what is hype, and what is the immediate opportunity? In other words, describe the longevity industry at a glance.
Eric: Longevity is a combination of both living longer and living a better quality of life in old age. Therefore, one of the sector’s focuses is on improving 'healthspans’ and ensuring that aging occurs more healthily; this encompasses delaying the decline we observe with aging and also delaying the onset of age-related diseases like type two diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and cancer. The signs of aging we are planning to slow down are, for example, muscle mass decreases, loss of mobility, loss of immune functions, and the onset of cognitive problems.
The longevity therapy industry can be divided into3 groups. t, A first group will include research groups that try to slow down the aging process by focusing on improving healthspan by using repurposed drugs (e.g., metformin, rapamycin, AKG…). For instance, metformin is currently a widely used drug for treating people with type two diabetes. However, it has been repurposed to improve longevity. Researchers in this area are expecting to deliver therapies in the short term. A second group will include research organizations like Genflow Biosciences aiming for more radical outcomes in slowing the aging process using more innovative methodologies such as gene therapy and novel peptides. A third group will include more ambitious organizations, like Altos Labs, because working to not only slow down but also reverse the aging process. However, they expect outcomes across a much longer timeframe.
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