AGING AND DISEASE
Aging Is a Major Risk Factor for Disease
Aging is the single greatest risk factor for many of the diseases that cause disability and death later in life. As cells age, their ability to maintain normal function, repair damage, communicate with neighboring cells, and regenerate tissues can decline. Over time, these changes can contribute to dysfunction across organs and increase susceptibility to disease.
Traditional medicine has achieved remarkable success in treating individual diseases and managing their symptoms. BioViva is investigating a complementary approach: targeting the underlying biological mechanisms associated with aging itself. Our research focuses on gene and cell therapies designed to influence cellular function, support tissue maintenance, and explore new approaches to regenerative medicine.
Aging is not governed by a single biological pathway. It involves interconnected processes including telomere attrition, cellular senescence, mitochondrial dysfunction, altered cellular signaling, genomic instability, changes in gene expression, and the accumulation of cellular damage. BioViva is investigating multiple genetic targets and therapeutic strategies that correspond to these mechanisms, including telomerase, Klotho, follistatin, FGF21, PGC-1α, SIRT6, and partial cellular reprogramming using OSK factors.
The Promise of Gene Therapy Is Becoming Reality
For decades, gene therapy was regarded as a promising but experimental frontier of medicine. Today, gene therapy has moved into clinical practice, with approved therapies available for a growing number of serious diseases. The field continues to advance through improvements in vectors, manufacturing, delivery systems, gene editing, and other technologies.
Gene therapy broadly involves adding, replacing, modifying, regulating, or otherwise altering genetic material to achieve a therapeutic effect. Rather than simply treating symptoms with conventional drugs, genetic medicine can be designed to influence biological processes at the cellular level.
BioViva is focused on applying this rapidly developing field to severe genetic disorders and the biological mechanisms associated with aging. Our objective is to investigate therapies that can address cellular dysfunction and support the body's capacity to maintain healthy tissue.
Our Gene Candidates Target the Hallmarks of Aging
Telomerase Gene Therapy
hTERT, the catalytic component of telomerase, is one of BioViva's longest-standing research targets. Telomerase helps maintain telomeres—the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres generally shorten as cells divide, and critically short or dysfunctional telomeres can contribute to cellular senescence and loss of replicative capacity.
Telomere attrition is recognized as one of the biological processes associated with aging. BioViva is investigating telomerase-based approaches as a means of supporting telomere maintenance and cellular function. The company is also exploring different delivery strategies, including gene therapy and mRNA approaches.
Klotho Gene Therapy
Klotho is a gene associated with multiple aspects of cellular and organismal biology, including mineral metabolism, kidney function, cardiovascular health, and neurological function. Klotho has attracted significant interest in aging research because experimental studies have associated increased Klotho activity with improved health and longevity-related outcomes.
BioViva has investigated alpha-Klotho as a potential therapeutic approach for age-associated conditions, including neurological disease. Research in animal models has reported reductions in amyloid-beta levels and protection against cognitive deficits following Klotho expression. These findings provide a scientific basis for continued investigation, while clinical efficacy in humans remains an important question for future research.
Follistatin Gene Therapy
Follistatin (FST) is a protein that regulates members of the TGF-beta superfamily and interacts with pathways involved in muscle growth and maintenance. One important target of follistatin is myostatin, a regulator that limits muscle growth.
Loss of muscle mass and function, known as sarcopenia, is an important feature of aging and is associated with frailty, falls, loss of independence, and reduced quality of life. BioViva is investigating follistatin-based approaches as a potential means of supporting muscle preservation and function. The company has also explored mRNA approaches to follistatin expression.
PGC-1α Gene Therapy
PGC-1α is a major regulator of mitochondrial biology and energy metabolism. It helps coordinate the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative metabolism.
Mitochondria are responsible for producing much of the energy required by cells, and mitochondrial dysfunction is recognized as one of the hallmarks of aging. Changes in mitochondrial function can affect cellular energy production, metabolic regulation, responses to cellular stress, and other essential processes.
BioViva is investigating PGC-1α as a potential means of influencing mitochondrial function. Because mitochondria are essential to the function of tissues throughout the body, maintaining mitochondrial health is an important area of regenerative and aging research.
FGF21 Gene Therapy
FGF21 is a hormone involved in metabolic regulation and energy homeostasis. It influences pathways associated with glucose and lipid metabolism and has been extensively studied in metabolic disease and aging research.
BioViva is investigating FGF21 as a potential therapeutic target for metabolic dysfunction and age-associated disease. Its role in regulating metabolism makes it particularly relevant to the connection between aging, metabolic health, and chronic disease.
SIRT6
SIRT6 is a member of the sirtuin family and plays important roles in genomic stability, DNA repair, chromatin regulation, and metabolism. These functions are closely connected to cellular maintenance because cells must continually repair damage and preserve the integrity of their genetic material.
BioViva is investigating SIRT6 as another potential target within the biology of aging. By influencing pathways involved in genomic maintenance and cellular regulation, SIRT6 represents a distinct approach from targets such as telomerase and FGF21.
Partial Cellular Reprogramming: OSK
BioViva is also investigating partial cellular reprogramming using OSK—OCT4, SOX2, and KLF4. These three transcription factors are among the four Yamanaka factors originally identified for their ability to reprogram mature cells toward a pluripotent state.
Partial reprogramming takes a different approach from conventional gene therapy. Rather than attempting to replace a missing gene or increase the expression of a single protein, transient expression of reprogramming factors is investigated as a way to alter aspects of cellular state. The objective is to explore whether some characteristics associated with cellular aging can be modified while maintaining the cell's differentiated identity.
This represents one of the most fundamental approaches BioViva is investigating: rather than addressing only one consequence of cellular aging, can the biological state of an aged cell itself be altered?
A Multi-Target Approach to Aging
No single gene explains the aging process
hTERT addresses telomere maintenance. Follistatin relates to muscle biology and tissue preservation. Klotho is associated with metabolic, renal, cardiovascular, and neurological pathways. PGC-1α influences mitochondrial function and energy metabolism. FGF21 regulates important aspects of metabolism. SIRT6 contributes to genomic maintenance and cellular regulation. OSK provides a potential route for investigating cellular reprogramming.
Together, these programs represent different approaches to understanding and potentially modifying the biological processes associated with aging.
BioViva's objective is not to claim that aging has already been solved. It is to pursue the science necessary to determine which biological mechanisms can be safely and effectively modified. We believe the next generation of medicine will increasingly move beyond treating diseases one at a time and toward understanding the biological processes that make those diseases more likely to occur.
The Future of Regenerative Medicine
The convergence of gene therapy, mRNA technology, cellular reprogramming, advanced delivery systems, and regenerative medicine is creating new possibilities for therapeutic development. BioViva is working at this intersection with the goal of developing technologies that can address cellular dysfunction and support healthier human aging.
We are leaders in gene therapy innovation, developing advanced platforms designed to address severe genetic disorders and the underlying mechanisms of cellular aging.
