Rejuvenate Biomed - a biomedical company that researches the biology of aging and applies this knowledge to identify drugs that delay the aging process – today announces it has been awarded a €460K Research Grant by Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The grant will be used to gain new insights in the aging pathways– which will ultimately contribute to the clinical research and the exploitation of a first lead candidate.

Rejuvenate Biomed, founded in 2017, aims to become a frontrunner in healthy aging prescription products which positively impact the health span, i.e. the length of time that a person is healthy while age increases.

Ann Beliën, PhD, CEO of Rejuvenate Biomed: “We are living longer than ever before in the history of humankind. A child born in Belgium has an average life expectancy of over 80 years. Just a century ago this was only 40 years - an incredible achievement of science and medicine. However, around the age of 65, age-related diseases start to impact our lives. Imagine that there is a way to stay healthy while aging, providing you with several decades to do the things you enjoy, to contribute to the wealth of society, to give back the acquired knowledge and to enjoy life with the ones you love. This dream seems to become reality since the process of aging can be influenced by drugs, and it is our goal to identify and develop these drugs for use in humans. We are very pleased to receive this grant from VLAIO which will allow us to accelerate our research in this field.”

Grant writing was supported by CMAST, a Consultancy and Project Management company in Life Sciences.

Glenn Van Dael, CEO of CMAST: “Age-related diseases – such as arthritis, diabetes mellitus, cancer and heart diseases - result in an enormous burden on the individual, the economy and the healthcare system. At CMAST, we are passionate about assisting our clients in the creation and development of innovative healthcare solutions. We strongly believe in Rejuvenate Biomed’s business case; and are happy to have contributed with the successful submission of this VLAIO grant proposal.”

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About Rejuvenate Biomed

Rejuvenate Biomed, an independent Belgium based R&D company and spin-out from Janssen Pharmaceutical companies of Johnson and Johnson, was established in October 2017. The Company aims to increase the healthy years of life, also referred to as health span, by repositioning prescription drugs to the field of healthy aging. Rejuvenate Biomed focuses on the intersection between fundamental aging mechanisms & processes at cellular and molecular level that lead to chronic age-related diseases. The Company aims to find ways to delay or prevent the onset of age-related diseases by keeping cells vital and resilient to stressors.

Rejuvenate Biomed had its seed investment secured in November 2017 to ensure funding for the first year, supporting the validation of the pharmacology platform and preparation for the clinical activities and is currently in the process of raising series A funding. 

Furthermore, Rejuvenate Biomed has joined the Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS community, a unique incubation and investment model designed to support emerging life science start-ups to turn transformational scientific ideas into commercial successes. 

More info on www.rejuvenatebiomed.com 

About CMAST

CMAST, headquartered in Temse (Belgium), provides consultancy, project management and tangible business solutions to pharma & life sciences companies, universities & research institutes.

With a dedicated team of more than 90 Industry Experts, CMAST assists its clients in the creation and development of innovative healthcare solutions. 

CMAST was founded in 2008 and has branches in Belgium, Germany, Poland and the US.  Since the beginning of 2018 the company is part of The Adecco Group.

More info on www.cmast.be 

About Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO)

Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (in Dutch: Agentschap Innoveren & Ondernemen) is a government agency charged with implementing the economic and enterprise policy in Flanders, the Dutch speaking northern part of Belgium.

VLAIO helps companies with the startup of their activities, the growth and continuity of their business, but also with the search for the right location, information on permits, financing, investments in innovation and ecological technologies, and other topics. In short, VLAIO confidentially guides entrepreneurs throughout the government landscape.

More info on http://www.vlaio.be