 | |
| Company type | Corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
Key people |
|
Number of employees | 500  |
| Website | altoslabs |
Altos Labs, Inc. is an Americanbiotechnology research company. Altos Labs' goal is to developlife extension therapies that can halt or reverse thehuman aging process. Specialized cell therapies based oninduced pluripotent stem cells are to be developed for this purpose. Russian-born technology businessmanYuri Milner, along with investors includingJeff Bezos, funded the company in 2021,[1] operations started in 2022.
Altos Labs was formally started on 19 January 2022.[2] The name Altos Labs is based on the city ofLos Altos inCalifornia.[2] The idea for Altos Labs originated with cell biologist and entrepreneurRichard D. Klausner, who co-founded the company withHans Bishop.
In 2021, Altos Labs was registered in the United States and the United Kingdom.[3] It will operate out of California (U.S.) andCambridge (U.K.), with some work performed in Japan.[4]
One of the early investors of Altos Labs is an investment vehicle held for the benefit of the Breakthrough Foundation, founded by Russian-Israeli science and technology investor and philanthropistYuri Milner and his wife Julia. The foundation supports existing and future philanthropic projects in fundamental sciences.[5] Milner had previously shown interest in anti-aging technologies, in October 2020, he co-hosted a meeting where experts presented their research, reported on animal testing, and the concept for Altos Labs was developed.
Altos Labs raisedUS$3 billion in a funding round from investors in January 2022.[3] It is said to be the best funded biotech start-up to date.[4] Investors reportedly includeAmazon founderJeff Bezos[6] andARCH Venture Partners founder Robert Nelsen.[7]
Salaries for principal investigators at Altos Labs may be ten times higher than at comparable research institutions.[8]
Altos Labs plans to establish research facilities inCambridge, theSan Francisco Bay Area, and inSan Diego as a first step.[9]
Atypical of a private company, the initial focus will be onbasic research without immediate prospects of a commercially viable product.[2]
In January 2022, the company's president,Hans Bishop, argued that Altos Labs was working on increasing the "healthspan" of humans and that longevity extension would only be "an accidental consequence".[4]
