1. Altos Labs: $3 billion (Biopharma)
Altos Labs emerged from stealth mode in January 2022 with the goal of reversing disease by reprogramming cells to reset their epigenetic clocks and repair damage.
The company is led by co-founder and CEO Hal Barron, who was formerly GSK’s chief scientific officer and president of R&D. He’s joined by co-founder and Chief Scientist Rick Klausner — formerly director of the National Cancer Institute — and co-founder and President Hans Bishop, who was formerly CEO of GRAIL and Juno Therapeutics.
Altos Labs has U.S. headquarters in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, plus a U.K.headquarters in Cambridge. The company also planned to have significant operations in Japan, with research operations overseen by Novel Laureate Shinya Yamanaka.
Barron has characterized the company’s potential as “mind-blowing.”
“It’s clear from work by Shinya Yamanaka, and many others since his initial discoveries, that cells have the ability to rejuvenate, resetting their epigenetic clocks and erasing damage from a myriad of stressors,” Barron said when the company launched. “These insights, combined with major advances in a number of transformative technologies, inspired Altos to reimagine medical treatments where reversing disease for patients of any age is possible.”
Related: 29 cutting-edge medtech innovations recognized with Edison Awards
