Cambridge-based biotech Clock.bio, focused on reversing the harmful effects of cellular aging to enhance and extend quality of life, has raised $5.3 million in a seed funding round led by LocalGlobe, with support from BlueYard Capital and Onsight Ventures.
- Founded in 2020, Clock.bio develops solutions to tackle cellular aging by leveraging the regenerative potential of human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).
- Clock.bio's solution involves force-aging human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to activate their self-rejuvenation mechanisms, creating an "aging in a dish" model.
- This method enables unbiased CRISPR screens to identify genes linked to aging and rejuvenation, uncovering the key drivers of these processes. By decoding the biology of human rejuvenation across the entire genome in just 12 months, Clock.bio aims to advance treatments for age-related diseases.
Details of the deal
- The seed round was led by LocalGlobe, a London-based venture capital firm that supports startups in their pre-seed and seed stages, including notable companies like Citymapper, Improbable, Lovefilm, Moo, Wise, and Zoopla.
- BlueYard Capital, Onsight Ventures, the Cambridge-based investment management firm that supports early-stage healthcare and biotech companies, and Abcam founder Jonathan Milner also participated in the funding round.
- With the capital raised, Clock.bio plans to advance gene-editing research, prioritize rejuvenation-related genes, repurpose existing drugs, and seek partnerships to develop anti-aging treatments.
"Building on our genome-wide CRISPR screen, with single-cell readouts of 3.4 million cells yielding 20 TB in data, we are now focused on validating and prioritizing our 140 candidate genes for clinical application. Thank you to our lead investors LocalGlobe, BlueYard Capital, Onsight Ventures, and Meltwind Advisory LLP for ongoing trust and support," CEO of clock.bio, Markus Gstöttner, stated.
