Organs-on-Chips, AI ‘Life Models,’ Genetic Medicine: What’s Coming in Longevity Science and Medicine in 2025

Aging Research and Drug Discovery 2024 was undoubtedly the most significant aging and longevity event of the year. Our team spent five inspiring days in Copenhagen, in the buildings of Københavns Universitet, immersed in networking, presentations, and discussions highlighting the industry's rapid advancements. The conference provided a platform for key players in the aging and longevity sector to share their latest findings, strategies, and future directions.

Day 1: Emerging Science and Technologies

On the first day of ARDD, we attended several thought-provoking sessions at the Emerging Science & Technologies Workshop.

Emad Moeendarbary from University College London delivered a translational presentation on the mechanobiology of aging and the emergence of microfluidic organs-on-chips technologies. These technologies replicate the microenvironment of human tissues on a chip, allowing researchers to study the complex interactions between cells in a controlled setting. By simulating the physiological conditions of aging tissues, microfluidic organs-on-chips offer a powerful tool for investigating the cellular and molecular mechanisms of aging. Moeendarbary emphasized their potential to revolutionize drug testing and personalized medicine by providing more accurate models of human aging.

Another presentation worth mentioning was “Tools for analyzing, controlling, and simulating biological systems” by Ed Boyden, Y. Eva Tan professor in neurotechnology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Ed Boyden is best known for his groundbreaking work in optogenetics, a tool that has now become invaluable in neuroscience research and that has even been applied as a therapy for vision loss disorders. This talk focused on other pioneering tools being developed by the Boyden Lab, such as expansion microscopy, which allows magnifying small biological structures by physically expanding them with the use of a polymer system, or methodologies for sequencing proteins. In his talk and the subsequent panel, Boyden emphasized the importance of developing novel tools for quantifying and analyzing biological systems and highlighted the importance of bringing them into wide use, unlocking deeper insights into the functions of biological organisms and thus getting closer to understanding the intricacies of the mechanisms of aging.

Day 2: Focus on Partnerships and Regulatory Strategies

Day two began with a presentation from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in the world. The foundation owns the multinational pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, best known today for its diabetes and anti-obesity drug Ozempic. The presentation outlined the foundation's strategic focus and 2030 Strategy, highlighting three main pillars driving their investment decisions: Health, The Life Science Ecosystem, and Sustainability.

Marie Kveiborg, Novo Nordisk’s senior scientific lead, emphasized cardiometabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and regenerative medicine as the main therapeutic areas in focus under the Health pillar. Additionally, she mentioned that fundamental research, enabling technologies, and translational capacity are the leading fundamentals for the Ecosystem direction.

This was followed by a presentation from LongeVC's Georg Nebgen on "Value Inflection Points: Successful Balancing of Expectations & Reality." Georg’s presentation emphasized the trillion-dollar opportunity within the longevity and biotech sectors, particularly in targeting major age-related diseases.

The pharma industry is actively seeking new category-defining drugs, with longevity emerging as a potential blockbuster category. However, the absence of FDA-approved endpoints for longevity poses a significant challenge for reimbursement. Georg highlighted that strategic alliances and M&A are critical for pharma and biotech companies facing revenue erosion due to loss of exclusivity in key drug categories. His insights resonated with many attendees, particularly regarding the navigation of investor expectations and the realities of biotech development.

Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov of Insilico Medicine (and LongeVC's head of the advisory board) echoed these themes, emphasizing the need for longevity companies to adhere to existing regulatory frameworks while advocating for regulatory evolution to better align with longevity research needs.

One of the day's main highlights was Alex's talk on using methylation clocks for drug discovery and his special proposal to his ‘longevity research partner’ (congratulations, Alex and Dominika!).

We concluded the day with an investor panel titled "How do we build a longevity biotechnology industry?" moderated by Lisa Melton of Nature Biotechnology. The discussion featured Garri Zmudze, our managing partner, alongside industry leaders from McKinsey Health Institute, Pfizer, Healthy Longevity Clinic, Novo Nordisk Foundation, and Insilico Medicine.

Day 3: Industry Giants and Emerging Innovations

The third day featured a presentation from L'Oréal, which has recently increased its focus on longevity and skin aging research. L'Oréal shed light on their internal research initiatives and strategic partnerships aimed at addressing skin aging. In January 2024, the company invested in the Swiss biotech company Timeline through BOLD, their venture capital arm. Timeline, which raised $66 million in a Series D round, specializes in longevity with its Mitopure technology, used in supplements and skincare.

This was followed by Andrew Adams from Eli Lilly, who provided a deep dive into the company's genetic medicine efforts, particularly through the newly launched Lilly Seaport Innovation Center in Boston. Opened in 2024 with a $700 million investment, the facility focuses on developing RNA and DNA-based therapies targeting diseases like diabetes, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular conditions. This center serves as a key hub for Eli Lilly's genetic research, advancing cutting-edge technologies such as gene therapy and RNA interference to address complex diseases at the genetic level.

The day underscored the increasing interest of major corporations in the longevity space and their commitment to advancing research and development in this area.

Day 4: Startup Pitches and Cutting-Edge Research

Thursday's agenda was packed with innovation, starting with the startup pitch contest. Emerging companies presented their solutions and developments to a panel of judges that included LongeVC's Sergey Jakimov. Ani Biome, a portfolio company of LongeVC pursuing a microbiome-centric approach through personalized bioactive supplements, participated, showcasing its work on microbiome modulation through AI, presented by the company co-founder Nika Pintar.

The evening featured an insightful presentation by Vittorio Sebastiano of Turn Biotechnologies, a LongeVC portfolio company working on mRNA medicines formulated to fight disease or repair damaged tissue. This was followed by David Sinclair's keynote, which provided updates on his Information Theory of Aging. His theory suggests that aging results from the loss of cellular information that helps cells maintain their identity and function. According to Sinclair, this information loss isn't due to genetic mutations but rather the disruption of the "epigenetic" layer of instructions that tell genes when to turn on or off. Over time, as this epigenetic information becomes corrupted, cells lose their identity and malfunction, leading to the aging process. His research explores ways to restore this lost information, potentially reversing aging and rejuvenating cells.

The highlight of the day was the Pharma Panel on preclinical development, featuring Peng Leong from BioAge Labs, David Glass from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Johan Luthman from Lundbeck, Alex Zhavoronkov from Insilico Medicine, and Jonathan Matthew Wilson from Eli Lilly. The panelists discussed the latest advancements in aging research, the regulatory landscape, and the industry's expectations moving forward. During the panel, Eli Lilly publicly announced its commitment to being a longevity company, marking a significant shift in the pharmaceutical industry's approach to aging research.

Day 5: Geroprotectors, IL11 Inhibition, and Advances in Aging Research

On the final day of ARDD 2024, Alexey Moskalev, one of the leading gerontologists in Eastern Europe, delivered a talk on natural geroprotectors. Moskalev, a leading figure in the field of aging and longevity, holds positions at George Mason University and multiple institutions in Russia, including the Komi Scientific Centre and the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. His research highlighted the potential of geroprotectors in mitigating the effects of aging, offering insights into the mechanisms of biological systems that could be harnessed to extend lifespan.

The day also featured a mid-day talk by Anissa Anindya Widjaja from Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, who presented her findings on IL11 inhibition. Her recent paper has garnered significant attention in the longevity community, outlining how IL11 impacts age-related diseases and lifespan through a critical pathway involving ERK, AMPK, and mTORC1. The study suggests that inhibiting IL11 could improve healthspan and lifespan, with promising implications for the development of new therapies targeting aging.

The closing talks were delivered by LongeVC advisor, Vadim Gladyshev from Harvard Medical School, who discussed organ aging and rejuvenation, and Steve Horvath, who shared his latest research on DNA methylation studies and its implications for understanding maximum lifespan across species. Both talks underscored the importance of continued research in unlocking the biological processes of aging.

ARDD 2024 demonstrated the growing momentum in the longevity field, with increasing interest from both established players and startups. The conference underscored the importance of collaboration, regulatory alignment, and continued innovation in advancing longevity research and translating it into viable therapeutic solutions. As the industry evolves, events like ARDD provide forums for knowledge exchange and strategic alignment among key stakeholders.

We would like to thank everyone for the great conversations, inspiring meetings, and insights. LongeVC was a proud sponsor of this year's Aging Research and Drug Discovery Meeting, and we look forward to meeting you all again in 2025.