Startup Vitalunga creates novel oral drug to enable disease-free aging; pre-clinical studies expected to begin in near future

The Hebrew University Portfolio Company addresses modern medicine's number one problem: extending lifespan without disease and has the potential to improve quality of life for the world's rapidly growing aging population.

JERUSALEM, June 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vitalunga, the biotech startup based on the research led by Professor Einav Gross and Professor Shmuel Ben-Sasson of The Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine, has developed a novel oral drug that aims to treat and prevent aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. While many successes have been made to extend lifespan in aging adults, disease-free aging has remained a challenge. The novel drug-candidate has the potential to remarkably improve the quality of life of aging adults, Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University announced today. Vitalunga is currently raising funds in order to begin pre-clinical studies.

Aging-related diseases have a common pathogenic mechanism that results in the deterioration of cells in otherwise healthy tissues. Professor Gross and Professor Ben-Sasson's creative drug-design platform enabled them to discover a family of novel compounds that facilitate potent autophagy (a fundamental cell survival mechanism that allows cells to adapt to metabolic stress) and mitophagy (a mitochondrial quality control mechanism that prevents detrimental effects and reinstates cellular homeostasis in response to stress) in human cells. Moreover, it promotes lifespan and healthspan in the model organism C. elegans. Their manuscript, which describes in detail the biological features of the first generation of these compounds, was just published online in "Autophagy", a leading journal in the field. The discovery of these compounds led Vitalunga to the development of further more advanced novel agents, targeting prevention of aging-associated deterioration. Vitalunga's proprietary platform ensures the perpetual rejuvenation of cells in diseased tissues, enabling, for the first time, a drug-responsive, unified target for the prevention and treatment of multiple aging-related diseases. 

According to the UN's World Population Aging report, the global population of aging adults in 2019 was 703 million and is expected to surpass 1.5 billion by 2050. At a time when countries like Japan are struggling with population record highs of elderly individuals and the subsequent burdening of healthcare systems, Vitalunga's platform is a promising solution that will both minimize these burdens, while providing a better, healthier quality of life for its users. 

"Our observations in-lab of the unique properties of these molecules are extremely exciting," remarked Professor Muli Ben-Sasson. "A success of the Vitalunga drug-candidate in the clinic will mean an entry to a universe of healthy aging." 

"Professor Ben-Sasson and Professor Gross's findings have a high significance for the global aging population," said Dr. Itzik Goldwaser, CEO of Yissum. "This milestone will bring the startup one step closer to minimizing the unbearable burden that aging-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's has on individuals, their families and the health care system as a whole. Yissum is proud of this project and looks forward to Vitalunga's inevitable growth." 

About Yissum:

Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges. Yissum has registered over 11,000 patents globally; licensed over 1,140 technologies and has spun out more than 200 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, ICL, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Novartis and many more. For further information please visit www.yissum.co.il

Contact: Prof. Muli Ben-Sasson 
+972-54-23-25-254 
[email protected]

SOURCE Vitalunga

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