Uncovering the biology of cell rejuvenation to develop new therapies for age driven diseases
Cell aging is the largest driver of modern diseases
Aging mechanisms are common to the major modern diseases, and the source of aging is each and every somatic cell. Shift has built proprietary datasets that uncover the hidden biology of cell aging and rejuvenation, revealing single genes that rejuvenate multiple cell types more safely, small molecule targets and a connection to fibrosis.
This supports the development of new therapies for age-driven indications with potential to substantially increase lifespan, providing a path to $7 trillion of economic value.
Aging is reversed between generations
Each of us developed from a single cell passed down by our parents, yet we’re not born at our parent’s age and we begin our post-development lives in full health. The biology inherited from our parents is safely scrubbed, renewed and restarted, with evidence of a natural rejuvenation event in the embryo shortly after conception.
Shift finds a single gene that rejuvenates multiple cell types with safety
Yamanaka factors (OSKM) rejuvenate multiple cell types and extend the lifespan of mouse models, but were optimised to activate a tumor-inducing pathway, posing safety concerns for therapeutic development.
Shift's dataset enabled cell aging clock (AC3) and virtual cell have overcome this challenge, identifying genes that are individually sufficient to rejuvenate epigenetic age across multiple cell types (left or above) whilst decoupling the tumour inducing pluripotency pathway (below).
Leaders in virtual cells and cell aging clocks
Shift has assembled a world-class team of scientists that bridge machine learning and cell biology.
Senior advisor, Prof University of Toronto, Inventor of the cell simulator single-cell-GPT (scGPT)1
CSO and founder, PhD University of Cambridge, Inventor of the first accurate cell aging clock
Brendan received his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Cambridge, where his focus was on basic research. First as an intern and then as a founder, Brendan began to prototype single-cell transcriptomic aging clocks, helping forge a new direction for Shift. Since 2021, Brendan has led Shift’s science team in the search for new rejuvenating interventions, with the belief that these discoveries could have a massive impact across healthcare.
Head of ML, MPhil University of Cambridge, Inventor of the most accurate aging clock2
Shift is progressing a pipeline of cell rejuvenation assets
Shift's cell aging clock (AC3) and virtual cell reduce years of experiments to weeks, identifying 190 genes that individually affect the aging of real cells in vitro. Shift is progressing a pipeline of cell rejuvenation genes, siRNA and small molecules inhibitors of pro-aging genes across age-driven indications (see above).
Careers
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Leadership team
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Daniel IvesCEO and founder, PhD University of Cambridge, previously postdoc at Francis Crick Institute
Pantic, Ives, Holt & Spinazzola, Nature Communications 2021
Daniel received his PhD from the University of Cambridge where he focused on the role of mutations in the mitochondrial genome, embracing computational biology to discover a novel therapeutic approach for a rare mitochondrial disease.
Daniel followed his PhD supervisor to the Francis Crick Institute and in 2017 founded Shift Bioscience, beginning a scientific journey from mitochondria to mouse aging clocks to single-cell aging clocks and, finally, to now: leveraging single-cell aging clocks inside AI-powered virtual cells to explore the combinatorial space of interventions for cell rejuvenation.
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Laurence ReidNon-exec director, previously CEO Decibel Therapeutics, CBO Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Featured in 'Reflections on Alnylam' by John Maraganore
Laurence has had a successful career in Biotech in Boston (Millennium, Alnylam, Warp Drive, Decibel Tx, Garuda Tx) as CBO and more recently CEO. Laurence excels in mapping new platforms and modalities to strategy for clinical translation and financing.
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Jill RecklessTranslation advisor, CEO RxCelerate, previously Senior Research Associate University of Cambridge
From miner's daughter to leading biotech boss
Co-founder and CEO of RxCelerate. Provides strategic vision to RxCelerate Group. Over 20 years’ experience of translational biology and leading drug discovery programmes covering a wide area of therapeutic indications.
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Tony KouzaridesScientific advisor, Director Milner Therapeutics Institute, Cofounder Abcam, Prof University of Cambridge
Milner Therapeutics Institute Director Professor Tony Kouzarides awarded a knighthood
Tony Kouzarides is Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Cambridge, a senior group leader at the Gurdon Institute and director/co-founder of the Milner Therapeutics Institute. His research lab at the Gurdon is interested in epigenetic modifications and their involvement in cancer. The Milner Therapeutics Institute has a mission to connect academia and industry to drive University research into therapies.
Tony is a co-founder of Abcam plc, a publicly trading research reagents company in Cambridge, a co-founder of Chroma Therapeutics, a drug discovery company based in Oxford and a co-founder and director of STORM Therapeutics, a drug discovery company based in Cambridge. He is founder and director of Cambridge Gravity, a University entrepreneurial organization and a founder of Conquer Cancer ("Vencer el Cancer"), a cancer charity in Spain.
Current Investors
Latest news
Shift Bioscience identifies novel single-gene target for safer cellular rejuvenation therapeutics
Shift Bioscience appoints Lord David Prior and Sir Tony Kouzarides to support long-term strategy for cell rejuvenation therapeutics
