NewLimit Secures $130M Series B Funding to Advance Liver-Rejuvenating mRNA Therapy

Anti-aging biotech company NewLimit has successfully raised $130 million in a Series B funding round, positioning itself to advance its innovative liver-rejuvenating mRNA medicine into clinical trials. The financing, led by Kleiner Perkins with participation from new investors including Nat Friedman/Daniel Gross, Khosla Ventures, and Human Capital, marks a significant milestone in the company's pursuit of extending human health spans.

Pioneering mRNA Technology for Liver Rejuvenation

NewLimit's lead asset employs cutting-edge technology, utilizing lipid nanoparticles to deliver mRNA to liver cells. This mRNA codes for specific transcription factors known to induce younger-looking and better-functioning hepatocytes. Jacob Kimmel, Ph.D., co-founder and President of NewLimit, explained, "Old and young cells use different genes, and old cells have a loss of function that occurs in the cell types we're going after." In the liver, this manifests as a reduced ability to process substances like alcohol and caffeine.

The company's initial focus is on developing a treatment for alcohol-related liver disease, with plans to enter clinical trials within the next few years. However, NewLimit's ambitions extend beyond this initial indication. Drawing inspiration from the success of GLP-1 drugs, which expanded from diabetes treatment to various other indications, NewLimit aims to broaden its patient population over time. Kimmel stated, "Following an approval in alcoholic liver disease, if we are so lucky, we would then hope to expand to earlier stage liver disease patients for multiple etiologies, and eventually to treating patients who have metabolic syndrome."

Dosing Strategy and Commercial Viability

NewLimit is developing intravenous drugs with a target dosing frequency of every three weeks at the shortest interval. This approach is modeled after successful drugs like Alnylam's Onpattro (patisiran), a small interfering RNA therapy. Kimmel emphasized the importance of this dosing strategy, stating, "You can dose that medicine every three weeks, and this is something where it's both demonstrated to be safe and effective and commercially viable. We see that as sort of the minimum bar, and we think we've got some early evidence today that we're on track."

The Science Behind Cell Reprogramming

The scientific foundation of NewLimit's approach builds upon groundbreaking discoveries in epigenetic reprogramming. This field explores how alterations in gene expression can influence cell behavior and even induce changes in cell types. The concept gained prominence with Shinya Yamanaka's Nobel Prize-winning work in 2012, which demonstrated the ability to transform mouse skin cells into stem cells capable of developing into various cell types.

Founded in 2022, NewLimit's mission is to develop medicines that reprogram old cells, with the ultimate goal of extending patients' health spans. This focus on health span extension, rather than merely increasing lifespan, aligns with a growing trend in the biotech industry. The recent debut of Etiome, a Flagship Pioneering-backed preemptive medicine biotech with $50 million in financing, further underscores the industry's increasing interest in this approach to human health and longevity.