UK-based longevity biosciences company Genflow has been awarded a non-dilutive grant award of €250,000 for its adeno-associated virus (“AAV”) research and development programme in Estonia.
The programme is collaboration between Genflow and IVEX – a leading biotech that has partnered with the largest universities in Estonia: Tallinn University of Technology and University of Tartu.
The two companies are focused on developing an anti-aging gene therapy platform to target nearly 100 million patients worldwide who suffer from Werner’s syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (“NAFLD”) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.
Genflow entered into a collaborative research agreement with IVEX in April 2021 to optimise the design of AAV vector delivery methods for anti-aging therapies based on Sirtuin-6.
The gene variant, found in centenarians, has been shown to have significant capabilities to repair DNA damage contributing to ageing.
Genflow and IVEX plan to create precise tools to evaluate the effect of Genflow’s gene therapy drug candidates at precision levels.
Dr Eric Leire, Founder and CEO of Genflow, said:
“We are delighted and honoured by the Estonian government’s decision to award this grant to the research programme Genflow is conducting in collaboration with IVEX Lab.
“The grant will enhance Genflow’s future therapeutic developments and boost the Company’s pre-clinical drug discovery and research initiatives, aimed at assisting people to live longer, healthier lives.”
Genflow envisions that the anti-aging gene therapy platform being developed promises a significant reduction in animal studies and will determine the optimal drug dose and formulation prior to the start of clinical trials.
Illar Pata, Chief Executive Officer and Owner of IVEX Lab OÜ, said:
“Our greatest asset in the field of gene therapy vehicle development is the clear understanding about the specificity and efficiency of therapeutic gene expression.
“The grant is supporting IVEX Lab OÜ to develop the preclinical platform for the precise assessment of drug candidates and their therapeutic performance.”
Genflow was named among Health Tech World’s Top 50 Innovators of 2022.
