- Altos Labs – a $3 billion biotech startup backed by Jeff Bezos – is on a mission to restore cell health and reverse diseases by rejuvenating cells labiotech.eu. It launched in 2022 with a dream of extending healthy human lifespan.
- Not about “cheating death”: Altos’s president Hans Bishop insists the focus is on extending “healthspan” (years of healthy life), with any longevity gains merely an “accidental consequence” fightaging.org. The company emphasizes improving life quality over pursuing immortality.
- Unprecedented talent & funding: Altos assembled a “dream team” of scientists – including Nobel laureate Shinya Yamanaka – by offering academic freedom and industry-level resources. Led by former GSK executive Hal Barron as CEO, and co-founded by biotech veterans Richard Klausner and Hans Bishop, Altos attracted $3 billion from prominent investors (Bezos, Yuri Milner, Arch Ventures) labiotech.eu en.wikipedia.org, making it one of the best-funded startups in biotech history.
- Racing a booming longevity industry: Altos Labs is part of a broader anti-aging biotech boom. Alphabet’s Calico Labs (launched 2013) was a pioneer, and newer startups like Retro Biosciences and Loyal have joined the fray – all aiming to extend healthy lifespan via cutting-edge science and drawing investments from Silicon Valley billionaires businessinsider.com 1 .
- Innovations in “rejuvenation” science: Altos and its peers are leveraging breakthroughs like partial cellular reprogramming – using Yamanaka factors to reset adult cells to a youthful state – which has shown promise in animals labiotech.eu labiotech.eu. Other approaches include senolytic drugs to clear aged “zombie” cells and gene therapies, all targeting aging at its biological roots.
- Early results signal hope: In 2024, Altos scientists published a landmark study demonstrating that partial reprogramming extended the lifespan of mice and improved health markers labiotech.eu. This evidence that aging may be reversible has been hailed as a major step toward translating rejuvenation technologies to humans.
- Competition and collaboration: Companies like Retro Biosciences (funded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman) aim to add 10+ years to human life through cell reprogramming and autophagy, planning their first clinical trials and reportedly seeking $1 billion for next steps labiotech.eu labiotech.eu. Loyal, which has raised over $125 million, is developing drugs to extend dogs’ lifespans as a springboard to human applications – and expects to launch the first FDA-approved longevity drug for pets by 2025 2 3
Inside Altos Labs: Jeff Bezos’s $3 Billion Bet to Reverse Aging
Stock Market Today
Nvidia stock jumps 8% as AI chip stocks rebound on Big Tech spending — what to watch next week
Nvidia jumped 7.8% Friday, AMD rose 8.3%, and Broadcom gained 7.1%, lifting the Philadelphia semiconductor index 5.7%. Amazon dropped 5.6% after warning of a more than 50% increase in AI-related capital spending. Investors await next week’s delayed U.S. payrolls report and January CPI, key data for rate-sensitive AI stocks.
Dow Jones breaks 50,000 for the first time — here’s what Wall Street watches next
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 50,000 for the first time Friday, jumping 1,206.95 points, or 2.47%, to 50,115.67. Chipmakers led a broad rebound, while Amazon fell 5.6% on higher AI spending. The S&P 500 rose 1.97% and the Nasdaq gained 2.18%. Investors await delayed U.S. jobs and inflation data next week.
Bitcoin price wobbles below $69,000 on weekend — what matters before Monday’s reopen
Bitcoin fell 1.1% to $68,917 Saturday after volatile trading, while Ether held near $2,036. U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs saw $330.7 million in net inflows on Feb. 6, reversing outflows the previous day. Strategy shares rebounded after hitting a low of $111.27 Thursday. Traders are watching Monday’s U.S. market open and the upcoming inflation report for direction.
XRP price today slips near $1.42 as thin weekend liquidity keeps traders on edge
XRP fell about 5% Saturday to $1.42, extending a 22% weekly drop as thin liquidity and macro jitters drove sharp swings. Bitcoin rebounded above $70,000 after a brief plunge, while ether surged 12%. Ripple outlined plans for an “Institutional DeFi” roadmap, including a new lending protocol and permissioned DEX. The Federal Reserve held rates steady last week, with officials signaling caution on inflation.
