Is aging contagious? Is getting older not an inevitable part of life but a disease that can be treated?
Not too long ago these questions might have seemed outlandish, but in recent years advances in biotechnology and longevity science are bringing the examination of such proposals into the mainstream.
More and more, gerontologists, geneticists, and biotechnologists are taking serious looks at the science of aging. What causes it? How can it be slowed, stopped, and even reversed? It may sound like science fiction, but recent advancements are beginning to open up a new realm of real-world possibilities.
Maxwell Biosciences is one of the companies working on these innovative health solutions. Microdose spoke with CEO Joshua “Scotch” McClure to dig into the company’s work and how they are developing a vision “to create health for the world safely and affordably”.
A new perspective on health and its adversaries
This new field is a broad one, encompassing genetics, virology, immunology, artificial intelligence, and more. Yet before solving the age-old riddles of extended life, researchers and innovators in the space are using this wide range of tools to try and redefine some basic assumptions about health and the body.
Scientists are beginning to agree on the factors that cause aging, things like genomic instability, stem cell exhaustion, altered cellular communication, and chronic inflammation (see this paper for more on the hallmarks of aging). But are these conditions natural? Or are they accelerated by external factors and our way of life? And if we can stop or slow these processes, can aging then be considered something that might be treatable?
“What if we look at aging as disease? You don’t feel at ease anymore, you feel this sense of dis-ease. These are states that are not “health”. We know something isn’t functioning correctly.. The goal for Maxwell Biosciences is to create health. Because your body has all of the capital equipment that it needs. The proof is that you are built and it was your own body that did it. So we are working to empower the body and continue to give it the raw resources that it needs to continue building you.”
A new perspective on what causes the body to deteriorate. One of the goals of this new field of research is to create a differentiation between “natural aging” and “unnatural aging” that comes from the diseasing process. Maxwell Biosciences and other companies are taking this new perspective and developing drugs and treatments that might be able to slow the rate of aging (and even reverse it).
Giving your body tools to battle invisible enemies
What’s the greatest threat to a human being living in today’s world? In a very short time, our species has evolved from worrying about being prey to lions and tigers — to being at risk from more secret and insidious predators. Viruses, bacteria, fungal infections, and other invisible pathogens are trying to wear you down, waiting and preying on opportunities and weaknesses.
According to Maxwell’s CEO, these kinds of infections are what drive almost every cause of age-related decline. Maxwell is using artificial intelligence to analyze how the body uses proteins present in cells, tissues, organs to heal itself. They’re also learning which peptides in the body decline with age (which leads to biological aging).
With these insights, Maxwell Biosciences is working to develop tools to help our body better resist these invaders, to keep our bodies in a better state of health to be able to fight off these enemies of longevity.
Maxwell’s Claromer® drug-discovery platform produces molecules that mimic the core peptide of the immune system (Human Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide), a peptide that selectively targets a range of pathogens without the use of antibodies.
In preclinical studies, Maxwell’s patented Claromer® drug candidates have had very effective results against AMR bacteria, fungi, mold, yeast, as well as pan-coronavirus, pan-influenza, pan-herpes, RSV, Rhinovirus — and has shown to completely suppress the Ebola virus.
This data shows that the company’s lead drug candidate, MXB-22,510, has the potential to replace many antibiotics and antifungals, and potentially be a front-line therapy for many types of viral infections.
With preclinical studies showing the Claromer technology is effective against many enveloped viruses, it’s an exciting time for the team at Maxwell and the possibilities of their technology. Human trials are planned for 2025, with encouraging feedback received from the FDA.
“It’s been eight years of joyful and tearful work. We’ve raised about 47 million dollars from government entities, mostly in sponsored research, and around 27 million dollars in investor support. And we’ve reached the point where we’re able to identify many different drug candidates that are able to copy the natural immune system peptides in your body that kill pathogens.”
One small molecule that mimics the natural immune system, and doesn’t require refrigeration, allowing it to be used quickly and affordability in many conditions or urgent situations. A synthetic immune system able to kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Pretty exciting stuff.
