Daewoong Pharmaceutical said on the 21st that it will proceed with research and development of reverse-aging therapies. Reverse aging turns back aging that has already occurred and makes cells younger. It is a more advanced concept than anti-aging, which simply delays aging.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical won the technology asset and rights of U.S. corporations Turn Bio at auction for this purpose. Turn Bio has a reverse-aging platform called ERA. Its core is partial reprogramming technology that uses messenger RNA (mRNA) to revert aged cells to younger cells. The company said it can selectively improve only the parts with diminished function while keeping cell characteristics intact.
Daewoong Pharmaceutical plans to conduct various research with its subsidiary HanAll Biopharma on ophthalmic and hearing disorders caused by aging. Earlier, HanAll Biopharma signed a technology agreement with Turn Bio and explored the potential for therapy development.
Recently, as populations age, healthy life spans have lengthened and global interest in aging has grown. Earlier, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and PayPal founder Peter Thiel invested in aging-related startups.
The company plans to accelerate development of reverse-aging therapies with the introduction of the platform. Park Sung-su, CEO of Daewoong Pharmaceutical, said, "Aging is a core field that can change the future medical paradigm beyond specific diseases," adding, "We will secure global-level competitiveness."