Dallas is part of a consortium of cities in Texas vying to be the site of a future national headquarters of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This new government agency will support the development of high-risk, high-reward biomedical and health research to drive breakthrough solutions and real-world impact.

Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio have formed a consortium and responded to ARPA-H’s request for a proposal to consider the lone star state as one of the agency’s three national headquarters, leading to an influx of jobs, funds, talent, and clout in the industry. ARPA-H will be a new agency under the National Institutes of Health, and its three headquarters will operate as a hub and spoke to create a nationwide network of partners to support the needs of ARPA-H programs and its mission. It will be led by biotech development veteran Renee Wegrzyn and armed with a $2.5 billion budget.

The NIH has established that the first hub will be near Washington, D.C., focusing on stakeholder engagement and operations. Another hub will focus on customer experience and drive testing, adoption, access, and trust of ARPA-H projects. The third hub will be an investor catalyst to make the ideas a reality.

Headquarters locations will likely benefit from an infusion of capital, talent, and energy in the biomedical sector. San Antonio and Austin both have strong cases to make. San Antonio has more inexpensive property, the largest military health complex in the nation, three national disease centers, and the only NIH National Primate Center with the highest level of biosafety laboratory. Healthcare and bioscience are San Antonio’s largest economic sector. Austin is one of the top emerging markets in the country for life sciences and is anchored by the University of Texas, with over 50 research units dedicated to the life sciences and a strong pipeline for those entering the life science field.

But the consortium management firm working with the three Texas cities has proposed Dallas as the site for Hub No. 2, focusing on the customer experience program. Dallas was recognized by commercial real estate giant CBRE as an emerging life science market, and has a growing presence in the life science talent pipeline. UT Southwestern, TCU’s medical school, and the University of North Texas Health Science Center partner well with other local universities to build a talent pipeline. Pegasus Park has also established itself as a regional hub for life science and biotech innovation, with the country’s first BioLabs location and several other organizations in the industry taking up residence there over the past few years. The CMF has proposed Pegasus Park as the host site for ARPA-H.

Pegasus Park is a 26-acre, 750,000-square-foot campus renovated in 2020, complete with a biotech and life sciences hub, a social impact hub, commercial tenants, and entertainment and dining venues. The development also has rights for an additional 1 million square feet. Just minutes from two international airports, downtown, and Dallas’ Southwestern Medical District, it is an ideal place for a life sciences agency.

The hub’s goal is to enhance clinical trials and reach representative populations. According to the CMF, Pegasus Park has enough space, an ideal location with convenient access to transportation, equipment, a network of talent, and political support to accommodate the hub’s needs. In essence, the hub should be at Pegasus Park for the same reasons BioLabs, Health Wildcatters, UTSW, and several other companies in the biomedical space have chosen to call the development home.

Biotech innovation is already well underway at Pegasus Park. BioLabs is the key operator of the development’s 37,000 square-foot co-working laboratory and office facility for life science startups and has a flexible lab, training, and office space, six private labs, 90 open benches, workstations, lab space, conference rooms, tissue culture suites, a microbiology suite, and other standard lab equipment. The demand is more significant than expected; BioLabs is well ahead of schedule in filling up its space.

“Dallas is home to top-tier universities, corporate partners and investors, and premier healthcare systems with one of the best academic medical centers in the country for commercializing new biomedical technologies and providing exceptional care to patients,” says Tom Luce, CEO of Biotech Initiatives at Lyda Hill Philanthropies. “The city’s ability to attract scientists, entrepreneurs, and investment funds is hard to beat. Paired with Dallas’ emergence as a key hub for biotech and life sciences in the country and Pegasus Park’s ability to offer existing flexible space and a convenient location to the city’s medical district and two airports, including the second largest international airport in the world, Dallas and the North Texas region add significant value towards Texas as an ARPA-H site location.”

Reports show that there will be stiff competition for the headquarters, with Georgia, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania all making their case as well. ARPA-H will make a decision about its hub locations this fall.

The post What Is ARPA-H and Why Does Texas Want it in Dallas? appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post This UTSW Graduate Wants to Lengthen Your Lifespan One Disease at a Time appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Dallas County Plans $52 Million Bio Lab Development Near Southwestern Medical District appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Expert: Five Ways DFW Can Nurture the Biotech Boom appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Learn About DFW’s Biotech Boom at <i>D CEO’s</i> Next Healthcare Breakfast Panel Event appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post DFW Is in the Midst of a Biotech Boom appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Caris Life Sciences’ New Blood Test May Change How We Detect Cancer appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post New England-Based Biotech Lab to Join Pegasus Park appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Will Pegasus Park Be Dallas’ Next Biotech Hub? appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post CPRIT Awards $6 Million for Research at UT Southwestern and UT Dallas appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post Eosera Doubles Its Footprint in Fort Worth appeared first on D Magazine.

Peyer came to Texas to continue to work with Dr. Sean Morrison, who was recruited from Michigan with a Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas grant to continue his research at UTSW. Peyer finished his Ph.D. here in Dallas before focusing on fighting aging and lengthening healthy years, an interest he had held since high school.

Although the default for someone with his background was to stay in academia, Peyer wanted to ask a question that had been nagging at him. Why had so many incredible discoveries in the science of aging been unable to make it to market? There were dozens of ways to extend the life of mice, but few had made it to human trials. Biologically, a mouse is closer to a human than a worm, so why hadn’t these discoveries made the next step?

Peyer set up meetings with pharmaceutical investors and asked them why treatments for extending lifespan had yet to gain any traction. What he found out would guide the rest of his career.

“When these scientists that made these fundamental discoveries would go to an investor or a pharma company and say, ‘Hey, we figured out how to slow down aging in a mouse. Can we test the human?’ That pharma or VC firm would say, ‘Oh, we can’t run a clinical trial on this. It’s going to be too hard. Just go back to the lab and keep doing basic research.”

Proving that treatment extends healthy years takes decades of research and funding. In an industry that is already high risk and high reward with years of lead time before going to market, funders weren’t too excited about extending the timeline for a profit. But the moment lit a fire under Peyer. He had to find another angle to make it happen.

After a stint at McKinsey and starting a venture firm to help professors turn their discoveries into biotech companies, he took the helm as CEO of a few early-stage companies and moved to Germany for several years to continue that work.

When he returned to New York, he founded Cambrian Bio to realize his long-term goal. Cambrian would be the first pharmaceutical company to develop drugs that extend healthy lifespan. His angle? He would do so through preventative medicine addressing the causes of death: cancer, cardiovascular health, Alzheimer’s, and the weakening of the immune system.

Addressing society’s most significant and long-standing health issues seems like a tall order, but the company is gaining traction. Cambrian Bio has raised around $160 million since its founding in 2019 to develop multiple assets that increase longevity.

Peyer helped make the connection between funders and scientists, who had been talking past each other regarding addressing lifespan. When a researcher makes a vital discovery to prevent cancer, they often work to develop the cancer treatment. Peyer’s strategy was to see cancer prevention treatment in the context of extending lifespan and building a company full of research to address individual causes of death like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

Venture firms are more likely to fund research addressing diseases in the current ecosystem, like cancer or diabetes, rather than treatments that take on the intractable issue of aging and longevity. Peyer calls it a stepping stone indication, where the company steps from a single disease to take on aging.

So how does that work? One example is Cambrian’s pipeline company which was introduced earlier this year. The company is called Amplifier Therapeutics and is developing a drug called ATX-304 that activates sensors in the body that pull sugar from the blood into the cells and mobilize fat to produce energy, which happens when we exercise or fast. Our body’s ability to activate that sensor decreases as we age, so taking a pill replicating exercise allows us to fight metabolic conditions like cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer later in life, increasing one’s healthy years.

This treatment could be a game changer and healthy life-extender for those with metabolic conditions or who cannot exercise. One of the best things we can do to extend our life is exercise, but this drug will allow those unable to do so to get some benefits. The drug is currently in Phase IB of human trials.

Peyer sees potential for the drug to treat obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. “You can take this pill and get the benefits of cardiovascular exercise,” Peyer says. “It’s like going for a run and putting your body in that metabolic state on a regular basis. You’re getting moderate exercise all the time.”

Cambrian’s goal is to help individuals have longer, healthier lives, but there is also a macro application. When the social security system was first built, people didn’t live as long as they do now. In 1934, there were 45 contributing workers to every beneficiary, but with fewer children and longer lives, that number is now three workers for every beneficiary. In 2021, it began to pay out more than it brought in, and unless there are changes in its funding mechanisms, it will be unable to meet 100 percent of benefits by 2034.

Peyer sees extending healthy years, or “healthspan,” as a way to increase the number of contributing workers who can contribute to society and social security longer than they would have otherwise. “Our economic future depends on taking people over 65 or 70, keeping them healthy and active, and empowering those who want to continue contributing.”

The idea of living forever is a philosophical dilemma and scary thought for many, but the general public is much more responsive to a question about preventing Alzheimer’s than one about extending lifespan. Peyer says it has been about making the story more mundane and using these individual disease treatments to build an arsenal against aging.

“This makes societies stronger. It makes my life better by having my parents less likely to get sick and die of horrible diseases,” Peyer says. “That personal plus societal benefit is the one-two punch that makes this field so exciting right now.”

The post CPRIT Awards $15.4 Million to OncoNano For HPV-Caused Cancer Treatment appeared first on D Magazine.