Simris Group CEO Dr Alexis Roberts-McIntosh commented: "Following a highly competitive process, I am delighted that we have been selected and awarded funding by the IBB to work with HTW, a world-class research institute, to collaborate in this anti-aging research. This success clearly recognises Simris Biologics' unique capability to support this critical research. It further confirms Simris as a global expert in
applied Research and Development in the field of cyanobacteria and highlights the untapped value of our library of more than 1,200 cyanobacterial producer strains. The Simris team in Berlin is ideally placed to optimise cyanobacteria strains for the production of natural products capable of potentially fighting the causes of age-related disease”.

Senescence is defined as being the process of growing old. In biology, senescence is a process by which a cell ages and permanently stops dividing but does not die. Over time, large numbers of old (or senescent) cells can build up in tissues throughout the body. These cells remain active and can release harmful substances that may cause inflammation and damage to nearby healthy cells. Senescence may play a role in the development of cancer and other diseases. [Source: National Cancer Institute, USA.]

For many years, scientists have searched unsuccessfully for "holy-grail" compounds that may delay ageing, with a focus on land-based plants and organisms. In recent times, some have shifted their focus to marine-based plants and organisms, and it is in this area that Simris holds a special capability as it sits on what is arguably the world’s largest strain library of cyanobacteria. In this fully-funded research collaboration, natural compounds extracted from cyanobacteria will be scientifically investigated for their ability to delay cellular aging. The laboratory exploration of their senotherapeutic potential, and their cellular targets, by Simris Biologics will provide new insights into the mode of action of these substances in human cells with the objective of identifying a targeted therapeutic approach.
 
With a global increase in life expectancy, the treatment of age-related diseases and complaints has increased the focus of healthcare professionals on this area. Consistent with the objective of Simris to extend the duration and quality of a healthy human life, this ground-breaking research explores new natural compounds that have the potential to slow the aging process at a cellular level.

Based on promising preliminary results, secondary metabolites produced by cyanobacteria, possessing high bioactivity potential, will be the focus. The screening hits of these compounds will each be selected and investigated using the latest technologies to evaluate their senotherapeutic potential and determine their underlying mode of action.

For this purpose, the substances will be examined using both cell biological tests and molecular biological tests to identify their cell targets and characterize their cellular effects. From this, new structurally-elucidated drug candidates will become available, characterized for their influence on specific aging targets. The therapeutic application of these identified drug candidates can then be both untargeted (as pure drugs) and targeted (as bioconjugates).

For this targeted approach, we are investigating specially modified cyanobacterial compounds that can selectively kill cells when delivered as payloads attached to antibodies targeting senescent cells. This study focuses on an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) as a proof-of-concept for ADC-mediated degradation of senescent cells, a strategy that could potentially be extended to other senotherapeutic drug candidates.

The global longevity and anti-senescence therapy market was valued at $25.1 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach $44.2 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2021 to 2030. [Source: Allied Market Research www.alliedmarketresearch.com]