Innovate UK grant is boost for LinkGevity’s anti-ageing mission
LinkGevity’s anti-necrotic technology, which focuses on acute tubular necrosis (ATN) – a leading cause of kidney dysfunction, degeneration and ageing – has been awarded an Innovate UK grant.
The kidneys are among the most vulnerable organs to necrosis-related damage.
Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide, rising sharply in the last two decades due to ageing populations and increasing comorbidities. Patients with kidney disease have few treatment options beyond dialysis or transplantation, both of which come with severe limitations, including high costs to healthcare systems, poor quality of life, long waiting times and high rejection rates.
Traditional drug discovery approaches, which generally focus on single therapeutics for specific diseases, have struggled with age-related diseases which are by nature multifactorial. LinkGevity’s technology platform seeks to disrupt this model by developing therapeutics that target key pathways across multiple diseases, offering the potential for a more comprehensive and effective approach to preventing age-related deterioration.
Based at the Babraham Research Campus, LinkGevity is committed to transforming healthcare through cutting-edge science and innovation.
Founded in 2023, LinkGevity is guided by its proprietary Blueprint Theory of Ageing.
Developed by CEO and co-founder Dr Carina Kern in collaboration with leading doctors and longevity experts, LinkGevity identifies and targets key “pathological pathways”. These pathways are the molecular “source” of destructive cascades underlying multiple age-related conditions and biological decline. By precisely targeting these pathological pathways with broad-spectrum therapeutics, LinkGevity aims to halt age-related deterioration.
The Smart Grant from Innovate UK, the UK government’s national innovation agency, boosts the AI-driven drug discovery company’s mission. The finance will help transform treatment pathways for patients at risk of kidney failure through addressing the core mechanisms of unprogrammed cell death in ATN, thereby preserving organ function at the molecular level.
Serena Kern-Libera, LinkGevity’s COO and co-founder, said: “We are thrilled to have secured another note-worthy grant, which supports us in bringing our anti-necrotic technology to patients.
“As with last month’s announcement about our selection for the prestigious Francis Crick Institute KQ Labs programme, and our inclusion in the NASA Space-H programme, we’re delighted to be building momentum around our Anti-Necrotic approach and pushing the boundaries of innovation in medical science.”
Only 10 start-ups are chosen annually for the KQ Labs Programme, after rigorous due diligence. The highly selective initiative is aimed at propelling world-class healthcare innovations forward.
LinkGevity was also selected as one of only 12 companies globally for the NASA/Microsoft Space-Health Programme, due to the anti-necrotic’s potential in preventing accelerated ageing and tissue degeneration in astronauts. The programme, in its inaugural year, is dedicated to advancing innovative solutions for human health and performance in space.
Dr Carina Kern, CEO and co-founder of LinkGevity, said: “Being selected for an Innovate UK Smart Grant, where the competition is tough, is another endorsement of the potential of our approach.
“Necrosis has been an unresolved challenge in medical science for decades. It is a key driver of ageing biology and the loss of resilience with age, as well as age-related diseases such as kidney disease and damage.
“This project will help us deliver a transformative solution that improves long-term organ health. With our anti-necrotic technology, we are pioneering a solution that could protect vital organs and the kidney in particular, from irreversible damage and ageing.”
