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Round up: Joint venture to advance Klotho-based therapies, and more
Agetech world explores the latest business and investment developments in the world of ageing and longevity.
Joint venture to advance Klotho-based therapies
Nevada-based Avant Technologies and Singapore-based biotech company Austrianova are entering into a joint venture and license agreement to establish Klothonova – a new company focused on pioneering cell-based therapies utilising encapsulated Klotho-producing cells.
Under the terms of the agreement, Klothonova will leverage Austrianova’s cell encapsulation technology to develop and commercialise treatments targeting Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease, cancer, kidney disease, other age-related conditions and longevity promotion.
Austrianova will contribute its intellectual property and ‘know-how’ to the venture.
Avant will provide capital, along with additional resources, to support Klothonova’s formation and operations.
Klothonova will operate as a 50/50 joint venture, with ownership equally split between Avant and Austrianova.
The company will be focusing on developing innovative treatments through the over expression of the Klotho protein, encapsulated using Austrianova’s technology.
Austrianova’s CEO, Brian Salmons, said: “This joint venture with Avant Technologies allows us to combine our proprietary technologies with Avant’s resources to accelerate the development of Klotho-based therapies.
“We are excited about the potential to improve patient outcomes and promote healthier, longer lives.”
The parties say that Klothonova will prioritise the development of treatments for major indications, with each programme independently managed to ensure focused progress.
Biostate AI launches K-Dense Beta to accelerate biological discovery
Biostate AI has launched K-Dense Beta – a multi-agent AI research system that can compress research cycles from years to days, while eliminating hallucinations in generative AI models.
According to the company, in testing, K-Dense has made a scientific breakthrough in longevity research which will be published in a peer-reviewed journal this year.
The K-Dense system coordinates specialised agents that plan experiments, review literature, design analyses, execute code in secure sandboxes and generate publication-ready reports.
The system eliminates hallucinations by operating like a team of independent scientific reviewers, with agents cross-checking references against external databases, adding feedback loops to improve accuracy, and building full traceability and auditability of every decision and action.
“There is a crisis in science right now, where we have too much data and not enough resources to evaluate it,” said Ashwin Gopinath, co-founder and CTO of Biostate AI.
“We have created an AI scientist that can work 24/7, dramatically accelerating discovery while maintaining rigorous scientific standards.”
With integrated access to resources ranging from standard bioinformatics pipelines, tools like Google’s AlphaFold, curated databases and multiple small and large specialised Large Language Models (LLMs), K-Dense can also modularly connect to any tool available through Model Context Protocol (MCP), a universal protocol that allows AI systems to access and co-ordinate external software.
K-Dense’s capabilities were validated in collaboration with Professor David Sinclair, co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School.
Tasked with building a transcriptomic ageing clock, K-Dense analysed the ArchS4 dataset of more than 600,000 transcriptomic profiles, selecting 60,000 high-quality samples and strategically focusing on 5,000 genes from over 50,000 available.
The analysis revealed that different sets of RNA transcripts become important predictors at different points in life.
Genes useful in one stage were irrelevant in others, showing that ageing is not a uniform process but a sequence of biological programmes that each require their own predictive model.
“K-Dense enabled us to complete an entire research study in just a few weeks, work that typically requires months or years of expert analysis,” said professor David Sinclair at Harvard Medical School.
“It pointed us to markers and pathways that warrant deeper study and helped us build a unified AI model for predicting biological age.
“Importantly, it also provided a measure of how reliable those predictions are, which is critical for scientific applications and has not been available in prior AI approaches.”
The findings have been submitted for peer review and are available as a bioRxiv preprint.
Biostate AI is now validating K-Dense with design partners, including academic institutions, biotechnology startups and major pharmaceutical companies.
US$6.9M to launch AI-native decentralised science platform
Bio Protocol – a decentralised science (DeSci) platform building AI-native infrastructure for biotechnology – has raised US$6.9m.
The financing will support Bio Protocol’s expansion into a full-stack platform for AI-driven decentralised science, scientific funding and drug discovery.
The platform enables distributed groups of researchers, patients and cryptocurrency users to create and grow AI-driven research networks that automate scientific tasks and monetise biotech discoveries.
By integrating AI with blockchain features for co-ordination, funding and data integrity, the platform enables biotech research to move faster from hypothesis to commercial application.
Paul Kohlhaas, founder and CEO of Bio Protocol said: “Science today is locked in institutional black boxes, cut off from the very researchers who birth it and the communities primed to accelerate it.
“By unifying AI, biotech and crypto in a decentralised platform, researchers and citizen scientists everywhere can collaborate more efficiently and back promising biotech from its earliest stages, compressing drug development from decades to months.”
One of Bio Protocols first ‘BioAgents’ – a decentralised AI agent designed to accelerate and reduce the cost of scientific development while maintaining blockchain-verified knowledge flows. – is Aubrai.
Aubrai launched in late August 2025 in partnership with VitaDAO and leading longevity researcher Dr. Aubrey de Grey. Trained on Dr. de Grey’s lab data and community insights, Aubrai has generated more than US$900,000 in research funding.
Bio says it plans to expand the BioAgent framework globally to more researchers, creating networks of agents that surface hidden connections across biology faster than legacy labs.
Dr. Gilberto Lopes joins longevity company Immorta Bio
Longevity company Immorta Bio has announced the appointment of Gilberto de Lima Lopes Jr., to its strategic advisory board.
Dr. Lopes is globally recognised for leadership in lung cancer and immuno-oncology.
He was principal investigator of KEYNOTE-042, the trial that supported the 2019 FDA first-line approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in PD-L1–positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), broadening access to checkpoint inhibition for hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide since approval.
Immorta Bio’s lead program, SenoVax, is a senolytic immunotherapy designed to train the immune system to selectively eliminate senescent cells – aged, dysfunctional cells – that accumulate in tumours and their microenvironment, and which are associated with immune evasion and resistance to therapy.
According to the company, in preclinical studies, SenoVax has demonstrated anti-tumour activity across multiple solid tumour models, including lung, breast, glioma, and pancreatic cancers, and synergy with checkpoint inhibitors.
The company is working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to advance SenoVax into a Phase I/IIa study in advanced NSCLC.
“Joining Immorta Bio is an exciting opportunity to extend the promise of immunotherapy beyond traditional cancer care into longevity and healthy aging,” said Dr. Gilberto Lopes.
“The concept behind SenoVax – targeting senescent cells to enhance anti-tumour immunity – builds on the foundation established by checkpoint inhibitors like pembrolizumab.
“I look forward to helping guide the translation of this innovative science to patients.”
Gut-friendly foods such as kimchi and kombucha may carry hidden risks for heart health when eaten in excess, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) has warned.
The charity said foods marketed as prebiotic, probiotic or otherwise good for the gut can support the microbiome, but some may also be high in salt or sugar, which can raise the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Products highlighted by the British Heart Foundation included kimchi, kombucha, fruit yoghurts, smoothies and sauerkraut. It said there is no harm in including them as part of a healthy diet, but advised people to check labels for added salt and sugar and eat them in moderation.
Tracy Parker, the charity’s nutrition lead, said: “We encourage everyone to choose foods that can keep their gut microbiome healthy. The benefits are clear, and we are continuing to improve our understanding of how a gut-friendly diet may help our hearts.
“A lot of these products can contain high levels of salt or sugar though, so it is important to be aware of the potential drawbacks.
“By ensuring you check package labels for added salt and sugars, and eat each in moderation, you can make sure the risks do not outweigh the benefits for your heart health.”
Fermented foods such as kimchi and sauerkraut are rich in probiotics, the healthy bacteria produced during fermentation that can help support a diverse and healthy gut microbiome.
However, both are traditionally made using a lot of salt, which can raise blood pressure if eaten frequently or in large quantities. High blood pressure is known to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Kombucha, a fermented tea, also contains probiotics and can be a healthier alternative to fizzy drinks, but many commercial and shop-bought versions contain added sugar.
Eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular disease.
Fruit yoghurts can contain probiotic live bacteria cultures, but may also be high in sugar and have fewer live cultures than plain versions.
The charity said plain yoghurt with live and active cultures on the label can be a lower-sugar option, with whole fruit added at home for sweetness.
Smoothies made with whole fruits provide prebiotic fibre, which feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports digestive health.
They can also provide vitamins and antioxidants, especially when made with a variety of plant-based ingredients.
But blending breaks down the structure of fruit, releasing free sugars that behave like added sugars in the body and can cause faster rises in blood sugar levels.
Regularly consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease.
The charity said only one 150ml serving of any smoothie counts towards five-a-day, and suggested adding nuts or seeds for extra protein and fibre to help keep blood sugar levels more stable.
The BHF also noted that some shop-bought sauerkraut is pasteurised, which removes most of the live bacteria.
It advised checking the label, eating small portions and choosing unpasteurised products for those seeking the probiotic benefits.
The charity said beneficial gut bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids during digestion, which are linked to reduced inflammation, better metabolism and better heart and circulatory health.
These good bacteria also help digest polyphenols, natural plant chemicals thought to have antioxidant properties and which may help lower blood pressure.
By contrast, harmful gut bacteria, which thrive on diets high in fat and red meat, produce chemicals that can cause problems in the heart and blood vessels by increasing inflammation and altering how cholesterol is processed in the body.
Beneficial bacteria thrive on varied diets high in prebiotics, non-digestible fibres found in foods such as wholegrains, oats, beans, lentils, bananas and onions.
People with diabetes may have undiagnosed heart failure that could be detected by a simple screening blood test, research suggests.
The TARTAN-HF trial found that one in four patients with diabetes who had at least one other risk factor for heart failure had undiagnosed heart failure detected through screening with a blood test and ultrasound scanning of the heart.
Experts said the findings show the extent of unrecognised heart failure in people with diabetes, and how the condition can be detected using a widely available blood test called NT-proBNP, which measures how much strain the heart is under.
They suggest a heart failure screening programme for diabetics could improve diagnosis rates, lead to earlier treatment and potentially reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death.
The study, involving 700 patients, was led by the University of Glasgow in collaboration with AstraZeneca, Roche Diagnostics, Us2.ai, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lanarkshire.
Dr Kieran Docherty, clinical senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow’s School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health, said: “Our results from the landmark TARTAN-HF trial identified heart failure in a large proportion of people living with diabetes, emphasising the need for a heart failure screening strategy in this group of patients.
“We know that many of the symptoms and signs of heart failure are non-specific, and may go unrecognised as potentially being due to heart failure for a long time.
“The strategy used in our trial is simple and easy to implement in clinical practice, and will aid in the early identification of heart failure in people with diabetes, and facilitate the initiation of medications that we know improve outcomes in patients with heart failure.”
The study, which began more than three years ago, involved more than 700 people with diabetes from the two health board areas who had at least one other risk factor for heart failure.
They were randomly assigned either to receive heart failure screening or to continue with their usual care.
Researchers found screening uncovered a large number of previously unrecognised cases of heart failure. Around one in four, or 24.9 per cent, of those screened were found to have the condition within six months, compared with 1 per cent in the group continuing their usual care.
The study, involving patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, found almost all of the participants found to have heart failure had preserved ejection fraction, which can be difficult to detect without dedicated testing.
The findings of the TARTAN-HF trial were presented at the American College of Cardiology conference taking place from 28 to 30 March in New Orleans in the US.
Dr Edward Piper, medical director at AstraZeneca UK, said: “Delayed diagnosis and treatment of heart failure in people with type 2 diabetes contributes to poor long-term outcomes. TARTAN-HF demonstrates that targeted, risk-based screening can identify previously undiagnosed heart failure in approximately one in four high-risk patients with diabetes, enabling earlier intervention with guideline-directed therapy.”
Dr Christian Simon, head of global medical affairs at Roche Diagnostics, said: “We are proud to have supported the landmark TARTAN-HF trial. These findings demonstrate the transformative power of early, accessible diagnostics like the NT-proBNP blood test.
“By identifying unrecognised heart failure in people with diabetes, we enable clinicians to initiate appropriate treatments sooner, ultimately improving patient outcomes and lives.”
The UK has launched a £6.3m men’s health fund to back local projects aimed at helping men and boys live longer, healthier lives.
The Men’s Health Community Fund is a partnership between the Department of Health and Social Care, Movember and People’s Health Trust.
The government is contributing £3m, while the two charities are more than doubling that to take the total to £6.3m.
Grants will support community projects reaching underserved men and boys aged 16 and over, particularly in the most disadvantaged areas and at key points in their lives such as becoming a father, losing a job or retiring.
Projects could include support for new fathers, activities for men facing loneliness and social isolation, services to help young men engage with the health system, and support for men in work, out of work and moving into retirement.
The programme will bring together voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to test new ways of reaching men who are least likely to use traditional health services.
An evaluation funded through the National Institute for Health and Care Research will assess what works and help inform future policy and delivery.
Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “Too many men across the country are living shorter, less healthy lives, particularly those in our most disadvantaged communities.
“This new partnership will help men get the support they need in the places they feel most comfortable, their communities, among people they trust.
“By working with expert charities and local organisations, we can reach the men who are too often missed by traditional services and help them take better care of their mental and physical health.”
“It is a key step in delivering our first ever Men’s Health Strategy and driving forward our ambition to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest areas.”
The Men’s Health Strategy sets out plans to tackle the physical and mental health challenges men and boys face.
Men can be less likely to seek help and more likely to suffer in silence, while higher rates of smoking, drinking, gambling and drug use are damaging men’s health and affecting families, workplaces and communities.
The government is also investing £3.6m over the next three years in suicide prevention projects for middle-aged men in local communities across areas of England where men are most at risk, many of which are also among the most deprived. Suicide is one of the biggest killers of men under 50, and three-quarters of all suicides are men.
The projects will aim to break down barriers middle-aged men face in seeking support, including stigma around asking for help and a lack of awareness of what is available and how to access it.
They will be co-designed with experts and men with lived experience of mental health crises and suicidal thoughts.
Gut-friendly foods may damage heart, charity warns
Diabetes patients face increased risk of undiagnosed heart failure
UK government announces £6.3m fund to boost men’s health
Brain health collaboratory launches in Gulf South
