BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nir Barzilai, M.D., has been named Chief Medical Advisor of Life Biosciences Inc., the first and largest biotech company committed to addressing age-related decline (ARD) as a systemic breakdown of the body, rather than as a series of isolated events and conditions. In his role, Dr. Barzilai’s world-recognized thought leadership and scientific insights will support the spectrum of Life Biosciences’ Daughter companies, as they pursue their independent and collaborative research into the eight pathways of age-related decline.
Dr. Barzilai is the co-author of a recent pioneering opinion piece published in JAMA (September 17) which describes today’s exciting frontier of longevity studies as follows: “Fortunately, research has shown that fundamental aging processes can be targeted by nutritional, genetic, and pharmacologic interventions to enhance and extend both health and longevity in experimental animal models.”
Barzilai and his co-author, Ana Maria Cuervo, who co-founded a Life Biosciences Daughter company, Selphagy Therapeutics, also point out, “Chronic health problems related to the unprecedented aging of the human population in the 21st century threaten to disrupt economies and degrade the quality of later life throughout the developed world.”
“Dr. Barzilai’s remarkable experience is of extraordinary value at this moment in our development,” said Tristan Edwards, chief executive officer and co-founder of Life Biosciences. “Dr. Barzilai’s background is unique because of the breadth and depth of his expertise, intersecting with basic science, biotech research, clinical study and entrepreneurship. Among his many accomplishments, he is the founder and director of CohBar, a clinical stage public company developing therapeutics, such as novel mitochondrial-derived peptides, designed to extend healthy lifespan by treating age-related diseases. We are confident that we have found the best possible scientist, physician, and wise counselor to advance the important work of Life Biosciences.”
“I’m thrilled to be joining this singularly important company,” said Dr. Barzilai. “The firm’s unique Daughter company model gives us the ability to target the eight pathways of age-related decline. I look forward to applying my areas of focus to the efforts of this remarkable team of leading-edge scientists and entrepreneurs whose new approaches will change our healthspans.”
Life Biosciences was co-founded in 2017 by David Sinclair, PhD, AO, a professor in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and investment professional Tristan Edwards, who developed its innovative company structure. He views this work as Chapter Two in his life, after a highly successful career as a global institutional investor, working across all asset classes.
– Dr. Barzilai’s Expertise –
One of the world’s leading researchers in the biology and genetics of age-related decline, Dr. Barzilai has published more than 230 peer-reviewed papers, reviews and textbook chapters. He is an advisor to the NIH on several projects and is on the Board of Directors of The American Federation for Aging Research. Additionally, he is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including the Beeson Fellow for Aging Research, the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar in Aging Award, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation Award, the NIA Nathan Shock Award, the 2010 Irving S. Wright Award of Distinction in Aging Research and the 2018 IPSEN Longevity Award.
Dr. Barzilai’s work is world-renowned. He is the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research at the Harvard Medical School and the National Institute of Health’s Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. He has spoken at the Milken Global Institute and Asian Megatrends and he is an advisor for the Prime Minister of Singapore on Aging. His work has been profiled by major outlets, including The New York Times, BBC and PBS' NOVA Science Now, and TEDx Talk Science. He is also featured in the Ron Howard/Jonathan Silberberg National Geographic film, The Age of Aging.
Born in Israel, Dr. Barzilai served as Chief Medic in the Israel Defense Forces. He graduated from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and completed his residency in internal medicine at Hadassah Medical Hospital in Jerusalem. He has also completed fellowships at Yale University and Cornell University.
Co-founded in 2017 by David Sinclair, PhD, AO, and Tristan Edwards, Life Biosciences is the first and largest company addressing the eight pathways of age-related decline (ARD) in totality. It has established Daughter companies around the world, led by a Dream Team of respected scientists, to independently and collaboratively attack these pathways through pioneering research and product development. The company provides Daughter companies with resources to maximize human potential, including drug development experience, a 25,000 square foot, state-of-the-art vivarium, robotics and drug screening facility, and an emerging AI platform being developed by the company’s Lua subsidiary. Life Biosciences seeks to increase healthspans for everyone, including companion animals, by addressing the systemic breakdown of the body, rather than as a series of isolated symptoms and conditions.
For more information on Life Biosciences, please visit www.lifebiosciences.com.