Startup Vitalunga creates oral drug to enable disease-free ageing

Vitalunga, the biotech startup based on the research led by professor Einav Gross and professor Shmuel Ben-Sasson of The Hebrew University’s Faculty of Medicine, has developed an oral drug that aims to treat and prevent ageing-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

While many successes have been made to extend lifespan in ageing adults, disease-free ageing has remained a challenge. The drug has the potential to improve the quality of life of ageing adults, Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University announced. Vitalunga is currently raising funds in order to begin pre-clinical trials.

Aging-related diseases have a common pathogenic mechanism that results in the deterioration of cells in otherwise healthy tissues. Professor Gross and professor Ben-Sasson’s creative drug-design platform enabled them to discover a family of novel compounds that facilitate potent autophagy (a fundamental cell survival mechanism that allows cells to adapt to metabolic stress) and mitophagy (a mitochondrial quality control mechanism that prevents detrimental effects and reinstates cellular homeostasis in response to stress) in human cells. Moreover, it promotes lifespan and healthspan in the model organism C. elegans.

Their manuscript, which describes in detail the biological features of the first generation of these compounds, was just published online in “Autophagy”. The discovery of these compounds led Vitalunga to the development of a drug-candidate, targeting prevention of ageing-associated deterioration. Vitalunga’s agent ensures the perpetual rejuvenation of cells in diseased tissues, enabling a drug-responsive, unified target for the prevention and treatment of multiple ageing-related diseases. 

According to the UN’s World Population Aging report, the global population of ageing adults in 2019 was 703 million and is expected to surpass 1.5 billion by 2050. At a time when countries like Japan are struggling with population record highs of elderly individuals and the subsequent burdening of healthcare systems, Vitalunga’s drug should be a promising solution that will both minimise these burdens, while providing a better, healthier quality of life for its users. 

“Our observations in-lab of the unique properties of these molecules are extremely exciting,” remarked professor Muli Ben-Sasson. “A success of the Vitalunga drug in the clinic will mean an entry to a universe of healthy ageing.” 

“Professor Ben-Sasson and professor Gross’s findings have a high significance for the global ageing population,” said Dr. Itzik Goldwaser, CEO of Yissum. “This milestone will bring the startup one step closer to minimising the unbearable burden that ageing-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s has on individuals, their families and the health care system as a whole. Yissum is proud of this project and looks forward to Vitalunga’s inevitable growth.”