Pfizer-backed VitaDAO spins out biotech company

Key Points

• Matrix Biosciences Launch: VitaDAO has announced the launch of Matrix Biosciences, a biotech company led by anti-aging researcher Vera Gorbunova from the University of Rochester. The company will receive an initial financing of $300,000, with additional funding expected in early 2024.
• Naked Mole Rat Research: Matrix Biosciences will build upon Gorbunova’s research on the longevity and cancer resistance of naked mole rats. The focus is on exploring whether a compound found in these rats could potentially enhance human lifespan.
• VitaDAO’s Longevity Research: VitaDAO, established in 2021, supports longevity research aimed at extending human life. It funds around 20 projects, primarily emphasizing “moonshot” contributions to longevity science. The DAO operates on a non-profit model, with all revenue directed to the DAO treasury for further project funding. VitaDAO’s unique approach attracted significant investment, including a headline investment from Pfizer Ventures, and it focuses on early-stage, unproven research concepts in the longevity field. VitaDAO aligns with the decentralized science and DAO movements, seeking to disrupt traditional research funding models and challenges assumptions in the field of longevity research.