Author: Danny Sullivan – Longevity.Technology
Magnitude Biosciences collaboration shows that autophagy inducer SMER28 provides healthspan benefits in worms and shows potential for longevity therapeutics.
Preliminary data generated through a collaboration between contract research organisation Magnitude Biosciences and biotech investor and entrepreneur Dr Ethan Perlstein was announced today on the opening day of Longevity Summit Dublin. The project looked at the effects of a small molecule called SMER28 – a known inducer of autophagy – on the healthspan of the C elegans nematode (worm). Demonstrating Magnitude’s capabilities to automate and accelerate worm studies at scale, the results showed “a robust positive effect on healthspan” at certain concentrations.
Longevity.Technnology: When we interviewed Magnitude’s co-founder Dr David Weinkove recently, he introduced the company’s platform for automating measurement of healthspan changes in C elegans. Today’s announcement shows how that platform can be leveraged, and, while the results have yet to be peer-reviewed, provides interesting insight into how early-stage longevity research might benefit.
