Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the healthcare sector. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups developing anti-aging solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map: 5 Top Anti-Aging Solutions
The 5 healthcare startups you will explore below are chosen based on our data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. This analysis is based on the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 1.3 million startups & scaleups globally.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the 5 startups & scaleups our Innovation Researchers curated for this report. Moreover, you get insights into regions that observe a high startup activity and the global geographic distribution of the 944 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
Nuovalucebeauty works on LED-based Skin Therapy
LEDs appear to affect cellular metabolism by triggering intracellular photo biochemical reactions. Observed effects from scientific studies include increased ATP, modulation of reactive oxygen species, the induction of transcription factors, alteration of collagen synthesis, stimulation of angiogenesis, and increased blood flow. Red LEDs have the deepest tissue penetration of the visible wavelengths and are therefore used to target dermal structures, such as adnexa and fibroblasts. Light-based skin therapy is available in cosmetic treatment centers, while home-based handheld devices are still new and emerging in the cosmetic industry.
Nuovalucebeauty, a startup from the United States, develops an anti-aging microcurrent and light therapy device. The FDA approved device reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the forehead, cheek area, jawline, and above the lips. Microcurrent therapy stimulates facial muscles deeply to contract and relax muscles in order to release anti-aging skin proteins such as collagen and elastin. The therapy increases skin collagen content by reactivating natural collagen production and removes wrinkles, fine lines, thereby tightening the skin. Additionally, this gentle micro-current therapy improves the facial contour and facial tone.
HaplnScience rejuvenates Tissue
Aging is associated with a loss of regenerative capacity in the body’s tissues. The primary objective of regenerative medicine is the ability to restore or rejuvenate tissues using endogenous stem cells. Tissue-specific stem cells are located in niches. The niche components can be somatic cells, stromal cells, immune cells, extracellular matrix (ECM), neuronal fibers, and the vasculature. However, the aging of niche cells and age-dependent alterations in the components of stem cells can cause a loss of stem cell function. Thus cell therapy techniques reactivate the niches to aid the tissues in regaining functionality.
HaplnScience is a South Korean startup focusing on anti-aging therapies that reverse tissue and organ degeneration. The startup is developing new medicines with HAPLN1, a novel protein that reverses tissue degeneration by strengthening the extracellular matrix. Through HapInScience’s drug candidate HS-201, the ECM-based therapy reinforces the skin’s natural tissue structure, leading to tissue recovery. Another example is hair regrowth, which is based on the Human Hair Germinal Matrix Cell (HHGMC). In this case, the drug candidate HS-301 directly induces hair production by reinvigorating and propagating the HHGMCs which are responsible for hair growth.
EYEco eyeCO creates Age-Defying Eyewear
Aging and eye health are directly related, thus quadragenarians (40- to 50-year-olds) should get a regular eye check-up to prevent eye disorders. The optical muscles lose their strength with age, causing the lower eyelid to turn outward from the eyeball, termed ectropion. Other age-related disorders include macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and, most commonly, cataract. One of the most familiar signs of aging is the hardening of the lens (nuclear sclerosis) caused by various biochemical and photochemical changes. Patients experience symptoms of hardening (presbyopia) many years before frank cataract formation. In most cases, the treatment requires a surgical procedure and a brief hospitalization. To prevent this, easy-to-use digital devices are on the rise to help the elderly stay independent and keep their eyes healthy.
Belgium-based eyewear company EYEco eyeCO develops auto focal lenses for people with presbyopia. Presbyopia is an age-related condition, caused by hardening eye lenses that gradually lose their elasticity. The condition deteriorates the ability to see nearby objects. EYEco eyeCO uses nano- and digital technology to develop digital lenses for glasses. The company uses a foil made out of liquid crystal to integrate into glasses and by changing the electric field of the crystal, the refractive index is manipulated and changes the lens power. The startup commercializes eyewear that electronically corrects people’s vision across the entire surface of the glasses, offering a higher level of visual comfort, without losing sight of the glasses’ aesthetic requirements. Moreover, the patented technology from EYEco eyeCO can also be used to project Augmented or Virtual Reality (AR/VR) information in the near or rear vision.
Spring Discovery develops Immune Aging Therapy
Aging is a complex process that negatively impacts the development of the immune system and its ability to function. Cells of the adaptive immune system may be affected by nonspecific sequels of the aging process such as oxidative stress or glycation. Extracellular matrix secretion and modifying factors can further alter tissue structure, and thereby influence the age-associated tissue renewal and maintenance. Immunosenescence is the process of remodeling and restructuring that occurs in the immune system. Immunotherapeutics are starting to secure a greater proportion in the biologics category of the pharmaceutical industry.
US-based startup Spring Discovery specializes in accelerated drug discovery of age-related diseases including cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disorders. The startup builds a machine learning platform to accelerate the discovery of therapies and their advancements in clinical studies. This works by combining assay and drug development with a novel computational approach to aging and its diseases. In a recent study, their proprietary machine learning platform surfaced disulfiram in an unbiased manner after screening thousands of compounds and running multiple dose-response validations. The immune aging profiles suggest that disulfiram may restore multiple age-related phenotypes to younger states (cytokine levels, T-cell phenotypes, viral infection phenotypes). Currently, in vivo studies are conducted to establish efficacy and other drug parameters.
Rubedo Life works on Senescent Cell Renewal
The senescent cell cycle was considered an irreversible cell cycle mechanism that can act as a protection against cancer. Similarly, the understanding of molecular mechanisms of cell senescence can aid in the development of therapeutic strategies for age-related disorders. Scientific studies provide evidence that the replicative senescence pathway is linked with telomere attrition by limiting the growth of damaged cells. Hence startups have stepped into biogerontology solutions utilizing advanced technology and rejuvenation therapeutics.
Based in the USA, Rubedo Life develops proprietary algorithms for the Life Extending Medicine Biology Informatics Chemistry (ALEMBI) drug discovery platform. The platform is a hybrid that enables the discovery and development of novel engineered small molecules. ALEMBI generates a novel pipeline of therapeutic candidates that selectively target senescent cells, pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cell populations that result from a variety of cellular stress and damage which progresses to several age-related disorders such as pulmonary diseases, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
Discover more Healthcare Startups
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