Gero

The Russian startup of Gero, the resident of Skolkovo Foundation, uses Big Data, machine learning and methods from physics for development of drugs against aging and creation of algorithms of assessment of age risks.

History

2020: Attraction of $2.2 million investments

At the beginning of August, 2020 Gero attracted $2.2 million investments and announced plans to spend this money for creation of technologies against aging.

As the main investor within last round of financing the Belarusian venture fund Bulba Ventures acted, and its founder Yury Melnichek joined the board. In number of other investors of a startup entrepreneurs in the field of pharmaceutics, IT and artificial intelligence. Gero received for all the time of existence in total $7.5 million investments.

The Russian biotechnical-company Gero attracted $2.2 million to creation of technologies against aging

We are glad that we managed to gain recognition and support from investors – recognized leaders in the field of AI and the innovation  pharmaceutics. It will help us to use necessary knowledge on a joint of the sciences and technologies necessary for radical acceleration of biotechnologies. We are sure that as a result the project will reach new level, and the company will take a sure position in fight against critical diseases of 21 centuries — the founder of Gero Pyotr Fedichev whose words are cited by the Vademec edition said.

The raised funds the company will also aim at  the development platforms for the analysis of clinical and  genetic data and  for search of drugs against the most difficult diseases, such as chronic diseases connected with  aging, mental diseases , etc.

By the beginning of August, 2020 the Gero platform is applied to search of potential therapies against a coronavirus of COVID-19 and to decline in mortality from complications of the diseases connected with aging.

The company created a neuronet which studied how different medicines affect SARS-CoV-2 cages. Calculations of specialists of Gero were based that the causative agent of atypical pneumonia similar to a coronavirus creates virus particles in a human body using COPI enzyme. According to biologists, this enzyme plays a similar role in lifecycle of the causative agent of a disease of COVID-19.^[1]

2019: Use of Big Data for an experiment of prolongation of biological age of hearts nematodes

On May 22, 2019 the Skolkovo Foundation reported that its resident - GERO company, the Skolkovo institute of science and technologies (Skoltech), MIPT and the University of medical sciences of Arkansas found a method to reuse Big Data about work of genes of worms. Researchers found out that aging of nematodes is the partially programmed process with which it is possible to interfere using drugs from drugstore.

One of the most studied living beings on the planet — a soil nematode of S. of elegance. Its genome was sequenced the first among multicellular, and each of about one thousand cages is described by biologists. Hearts nematodes live not for long, only 15-25 days therefore on them it is convenient to study aging of a metaphyte.

The international team of researchers under the leadership of the founder of GERO Pyotr Fedichev compared as genes of normal worms and worms long-livers during life work. During the experiment considerably prolonged nematodes life using different genetic manipulations. Using methods of machine learning researchers managed to integrate the received results with already published data of earlier experiments: the cost of the turned-out data set called by scientists of MetaWorm approaches ten millions of dollars. The analysis of a data set allowed to reveal universal patterns of process of aging of nematodes.

Pyotr Fedichev, the founder of GERO company told:

Most of all we worried that processes of aging at the worm living by 10 times longer happen absolutely differently, than at his normally aging fellow. It would mean that radical prolongation of life will demand serious interventions in an organism, and studying of the animals who are aging with a normal speed will not tell us anything about ways of creation of really effective therapy against aging. Pyotr Fedichev, founder of GERO company

It appeared, aging of a worm reminds the program: the nature of change of activity of genes during life was identical at all mutants, and differences in its duration were caused by change of speed of this process.

Researchers assumed that the similar effect can be reached using medicines, without resorting to interventions at the genetic level. For confirmation of a hypothesis scientists addressed of Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Connectivity Map (CMAP) base which contains information on influence of practically all existing drugs for work of genes of cells of the person. Among them looked for that change activity of genes of human cages so that as much as possible to compensate age changes.

From 1309 drugs entering into CMAP base, scientists selected ten. The effect of four medicines from this list on life expectancy never was studied earlier. The experiment showed that all of them in a varying degree slow down aging of nematodes: the strongest medicine prolonged life of a worm by 30%.

Andrey Tarkhov, the research associate of GERO company, the graduate student of the Skolkovo institute of science and technologies reported:

We made several discoveries having practical value for fight against aging of the person at once. First, found out that aging of worms is partly programmed and this program gives in to correction using drugs. There is a probability that it is right also for others multicellular, up to the person. Secondly, offered a different way of search of the substances prolonging life. Traditionally they are looked for by means of screening of big bases of chemical compounds. It is the labor-consuming procedure, and the necessary effect can be passed owing to unsuccessful combination of circumstances. For example, wrong selection of a dose. Our method allows to look for precisely substances with the necessary action, including among drugs which are already present at the market and can be rather simply entered into practice as means from aging. Andrey Tarkhov, research associate of GERO company, graduate student of the Skolkovo institute of science and technologies

Robert Shmukler Rees, the head of a research from the University of medical sciences of Arkansas noted:

In earlier researches pharmacological of active agents it was shown that chance to detect the connection prolonging life of a nematode of C. elegans, less than 1 of 20. Our result strikingly differs: 4 of 4 experimentally tested drugs prolonged life to nematodes in spite of the fact that any of them was not studied in the context of aging earlier — we selected them only on the basis of action against age changes of activity of genes. This extremely convincing proof of evolutionary conservatism of a profile of activity of the genes participating in aging process: it remains from nematodes to the person and is probably extremely similar at all animals. Robert Shmukler Rees, the head of a research from the University of medical sciences of Arkansas

Scientists already managed to increase life expectancy of a soil nematode of C. elegance in record for animal 10 times using a mutation in only one gene. But remained a riddle as such intervention influences development and aging of an organism and whether it is possible to imitate it using drugs which people will be able to accept.

Veronika Aksenova, the project manager Klastera of biomedical technologies of Skolkovo Foundation commented:

GERO - one of the leading companies of a biomedical cluster in the field of studying of molecular aging mechanisms. Studying the fundamental principles of aging of metaphytes, the company also uses the efforts to an output to the market of practical solutions which could be used for improvement of quality and life expectancy of patients. This article underlines relevance of the studied problem from scientific community and also allows to hope for approach of the company to creation of the medicine capable to adjust biological age. Veronika Aksenova, project manager Klastera of biomedical technologies of Skolkovo Foundation