Novos Files for IPO: Backed by Over 20 Institutions and Harvard Genetics Pioneer George Church, the Company Unlocks the Code to 'Rejuvenation' Through Aging Biomarker Testing

In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons to call for public attention to the issue of population aging.

31 Years Later, Longevity Supplement Developer Novos Announces Completion of $3.51 Million Pre-Seed Funding Round on International Day of Older Persons in 2021Led by Resolute Ventures, a U.S.-based venture capital firm focused on seed and early-stage development, the round saw participation from Longevity Tech Fund and Arkitekt Ventures, which specialize in longevity investments, as well as Awesome People Ventures, 20 institutional investors, and prominent entrepreneurs.

Novos was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in San Francisco, USA. The company aims to mitigate the effects of aging and extend healthspan by offering products that measure the rate of human aging as well as anti-aging supplements. Novos has advanced the development and commercialization of its aging assessment product, NOVOS Age, and two anti-aging products—NOVOS Core and NOVOS Boost. Currently, all three products are commercially available, with some users reporting positive anti-aging outcomes.

Chris Mirabile is the Founder and CEO of Novos, a serial entrepreneur and longevity expert, as well as an “anti-aging enthusiast” who has integrated the philosophy and practice of extending healthspan into his life for over two decades. By improving lifestyle factors such as diet, consistent exercise, and healthy sleep, and by taking longevity supplements, Chris Mirabile achieved a biological age of 27.9 years on epigenetic clock testing at the chronological age of 39.2, slowing his rate of aging by nearly 31%.

At age 16, Chris Mirabile suffered a life-threatening seizure caused by a brain tumor. After surviving, he developed a passion for healthy aging, seeking to achieve “better health and greater longevity” through more scientific approaches. Drawing on the philosophy of healthy aging and over a decade of aging research, Chris Mirabile co-founded Novos with Dr. Kris Verburgh, a specialist in aging science, to help consumers navigate the path toward improved health and extended lifespan through evidence-based methods.

Following the successful founding of Novos, Chris Mirabile and Kris Verburgh recruited a team of aging research experts and technical specialists to form an advisory board comprising biochemists, geneticists, and professors from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Liverpool, and the University of Washington. Among them is George Church, a senior scientist in the field of aging, serial entrepreneur, and “Godfather of Modern Genomics.”

George Church is a renowned “polymath scientist.” He is an authoritative figure in the fields of human genetics and biotechnology, globally acclaimed for his research contributions to genome sequencing, gene editing, synthetic biology, and neuroscience.

Meanwhile, George Church is a pioneer in personal genomics and synthetic biology. In 1984, he developed the world’s first direct genomic sequencing method and played a key role in launching the Human Genome Project and the Personal Genome Project. Two years later, he joined Harvard Medical School as a Professor of Genetics and serves as a Professor at the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) Division. His numerous breakthrough innovations have laid the foundation for nearly 50 biotechnology companies, including Editas Medicine and Gen9bio.

In recent years, this world-class scientist has also focused on anti-aging research, with George Church being involved in multiple cutting-edge areas of aging. He aims to develop innovative gene therapies for anti-aging to reverse aging and treat various age-related diseases, thereby extending human healthspan. Therefore, in 2018, George Church co-founded the anti-aging gene therapy company Rejuvenate Bio to develop gene therapies that reverse aging.

In addition to George Church, Novos’ Scientific Advisory Board includes Dr. Pamela Maher, a researcher at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies; Dr. J Pedro de Magalhaes from Harvard Medical School; and Dr. Matt Kaeberlein from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, among others.

Selected Members of the Scientific Advisory Board

Image source: Novos official website

NOVOS Age is a biological age testing product launched by Novos, capable of measuring three aging-related indicators—aging rate, biological age, and telomere length—through a single blood test. After purchasing the product, users collect their personal blood sample using the designated device and mail it to the Novos laboratory, with test results available in approximately four weeks.

 NOVOS Age Product Examples

Image source: Novos official website

It is worth noting that NOVOS Age employs the third-generation DunedinPACE aging clock.

DunedinPACE, developed by biological clock scientists at Columbia University and Duke University and launched in 2021, is a DNA methylation-based aging biomarker that functions as a pace-of-aging clock. This clock not only enables precise assessment of the rate of aging within a given age group, thereby visualizing the aging process, but also predicts the risk of developing aging- and age-related diseases.¹。

DunedinPACE has been validated for feasibility in over 45 publications from more than 30 laboratories. Upon its release, it was hailed as “the new gold standard for predicting aging” and is recognized as the third-generation epigenetic clock, following the four established clocks: DNAm GrimAge, DNAm PhenoAge, Horvath, and Hannum.

Furthermore, compared with the four aforementioned aging clocks, DunedinPACE demonstrates higher sensitivity and reliability. The research team conducted a comparative study on various aging clocks; based on DNA sample test results from two time points in 183 patients, DunedinPACE yielded an Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.90, whereas the other four clocks ranged from 0.6 to 0.78.

Regarding the aging test results, the research team scaled the aging pace measured by DunedinPACE in the trial to a mean value of 1, equivalent to one biological year per chronological year. For instance, a result of 0.90 indicates an aging pace that is 10% slower than average, whereas 1.05 signifies an aging pace that is 5% faster than average. Furthermore, a value <1 suggests a slower aging pace, associated with a 54% reduction in the risk of mortality and age-related diseases; conversely, a value >1, particularly as the value increases, indicates a faster aging pace, with the affected individuals projected to face a 56% increase in mortality risk over the subsequent seven years.

In addition to measuring aging speed via DunedinPACE, Novos has partnered with scientists at Harvard University to conduct epigenetic testing on users using blood samples, thereby revealing their biological age and telomere length. Finally, the results from these three tests are combined to comprehensively assess the user’s aging status and overall health level.

After users complete testing with NOVOS Age, Novos sends them a comprehensive 55-page NOVOS Age Report. This report includes results on the user’s overall aging and health status, as well as potential disease risks. Based on these findings, the company’s team of physicians provides recommendations for slowing the rate of aging and improving health outcomes. Among these recommendations are two anti-aging supplements developed by Novos: NOVOS Core and NOVOS Boost.

NOVOS Core is a longevity supplement designed to slow the rate of individual aging. It contains 12 anti-aging ingredients, including calcium alpha-ketoglutarate, fisetin, and glycine. Each sachet provides 6.9g of blended anti-aging compounds, a dosage ten times higher than that of other supplements currently on the market. Novos states that NOVOS Core was developed by multiple longevity experts and physicians through rigorous scientific testing, and its efficacy was validated in a study involving approximately 40 participants.

NOVOS Boost is a supplemental capsule made from a single ingredient: NMN (β-nicotinamide mononucleotide). Novos claims that each capsule of NOVOS Boost contains up to 99% NMN and is free from impurities such as artificial colors, preservatives, or additives.

Reportedly, NOVOS Core and NOVOS Boost are being tested in nearly 435 studies. The Novos team states that this combination is one of the few anti-aging products on the market that uses multiple ingredients to target 12 scientifically validated hallmarks of aging, including mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, and loss of proteostasis.

Currently, published research findings from Novos have also demonstrated the anti-aging effects of NOVOS Core and NOVOS Boost. For instance, from February to August 2022, Novos conducted a case study involving 12 participants aged 39–76 years, including six men and six women. Prior to the intervention, their aging levels were assessed using the NOVOS Age test, after which they took NOVOS Core and NOVOS Boost daily for six months. Participants were instructed not to make any significant lifestyle changes unless medically necessary; one male participant withdrew from the study due to non-compliance.

Six months later, the 11 subjects underwent the NOVOS Age test again. The results showed a statistically significant reduction in the participants' rate of biological aging, with 8 (73%) exhibiting a decrease beyond the test's margin of error, and an average percentage change of -6.1%.

The U.S. third-party laboratory Ichor Life Sciences also conducted research on this combination product, with published results indicating that the combination can prevent DNA damage across a wide range of dosages. Meanwhile, a study by the Aging Research Laboratory at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom found that the multi-ingredient formulation in Novos products has anti-aging effects without affecting normal, non-senescent cells.²。

In recent years, tech giants and the world’s wealthiest individuals have flocked to invest in the anti-aging sector, hoping to discover ways to achieve “rejuvenation” or even “immortality.”

For example, Bryan Johnson, a Silicon Valley billionaire in the United States, sold his payment processing company, Braintree, to eBay for $800 million and subsequently invested the proceeds into a “rejuvenation” program. From 2021 to the present, Bryan Johnson has spent approximately $2 million annually on professional services provided by a team of 30 physicians. He precisely consumes 1,977 calories per day, takes dozens of pills comprising pharmaceuticals and nutritional supplements, and undergoes regular examinations of his organs and tissues. After more than two years of this regimen, Bryan Johnson, whose chronological age is 45, achieved a 19.65% reduction in biological age, with an aging rate of 0.72.

After witnessing the significant effects of his own anti-aging regimen, Bryan Johnson and Dr. Oliver Zolman launched an online longevity leaderboard called the “Rejuvenation Olympics” in 2023. The leaderboard is divided into two categories: the “Relative Change Leaderboard” and the “Absolute Leaderboard.” Anyone can share their anti-aging results and protocols on the Rejuvenation Olympics platform. Bryan Johnson ranks seventh and sixth, respectively, on these two leaderboards.

However, the anti-aging methods adopted by tech billionaires like Bryan Johnson are often built on substantial financial resources, giving them access to advantages far beyond those available to ordinary people, who are rarely seen competing in the Rejuvenation Olympics.

However, this year, an ordinary woman, Julie Gibson Clark, has stood out among the wealthy. She ranks 8th on the Rejuvenation Olympics “Relative Change Leaderboard,” just behind Bryan Johnson, and 2nd on the “Absolute Leaderboard,” far surpassing Bryan Johnson.

 Rejuvenation Olympics Rankings

Image source: Rejuvenation Olympics

Unlike Bryan Johnson, who spends upwards of $2 million annually, Julie Gibson Clark claims an annual income of less than $100,000, with her largest monthly health expenses being a $27 gym membership and a $79 supplement subscription.³By adhering to a regimen of regular exercise, a healthy diet, and meditation, Julie Gibson Clark, whose chronological age is 55, has reduced her biological age by 27.62%, with an aging rate of just 0.665. This means that for every calendar year that passes, Julie Gibson Clark’s biological age increases by only 0.665 years.

Among them, Julie Gibson Clark used the NOVOS Age test to assess her aging level and took Novos products. In the “Relative Change Rankings,” two of the top ten participants used anti-aging products and methods from Novos, and Chris Mirabile took longevity supplements produced by his own company.

In this light, Novos’s products appear to offer a relatively affordable and highly feasible alternative for the general public to achieve “rejuvenation.” However, neither Novos nor most companies in the anti-aging sector have had their products evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and no aging biomarkers have yet been approved by U.S. regulators for clinical use. Individuals should exercise caution when making choices; an anti-aging approach that appears effective may not yield targeted benefits for everyone and could even produce counterproductive effects, potentially accelerating aging.

Aging is a complex physiological process, and various indicators of aging biomarkers may fluctuate over time. Currently, scientists are striving to uncover the secrets of aging, with the aim of identifying aging biomarkers that can clearly reflect the aging process and its regulatory mechanisms. As research deepens, a new generation of aging detection products may soon emerge.

References:

1. Daniel W Belsky, Avshalom Caspi, David L Corcoran, Karen Sugden, Richie Poulton, Louise Arseneault, Andrea Baccarelli, Kartik Chamarti, Xu Gao, Eilis Hannon, Hona Lee Harrington, Renate Houts, Meeraj Kothari, Dayoon Kwon, Jonathan Mill, Joel Schwartz, Pantel Vokonas, Cuicui Wang, Benjamin S Williams, Terrie E Moffitt (2022) DunedinPACE, a DNA methylation biomarker of the pace of aging eLife 11:e73420.

2. New studies show NOVOS' ingredient combinations help to maintain healthy DNA and support the body to deal with senescent cells.https://www.prnewswire.com/news/novos/

3. Wealthy men are spending millions to lower their biological ages and live longer. These women are beating them with cheaper solutions.https://fortune.com/well/2023/11/04/longevity-women-biohackers-diet-exercise-bryan-johnson/