Summary

Oisin Biotechnologies is a rejuvenation biotechnology company that received its seed funding from the Methuselah Foundation and SENS Research Foundation a few years ago.

The current focus of Oisin is the targeted clearance of senescent cells using drugs known as senolytics. Senescent cells are one of the hallmarks of aging, and as they accumulate, they encourage age-related diseases to develop. The removal of these cells improves healthspan and increases lifespan in mice [1-2].

The senolytic technology that Oisin is using is different from the drug-based approaches that other companies are using to remove senescent cells. The plasmid-based approach that Oisin is using is a very versatile system that can be programmed to kill any type of cell by targeting a specific protein that it expresses; typically, this would be p16 for senescent cells.

SENSOlytics™ is the Oisín proprietary platform technology that enables the precise targeting of senescent cells based on their DNA expression, not on surface markers or other characteristics that might be shared with normal, undamaged cells. Oisin’s lead product candidate, OB-001, will be aimed at chronic kidney disease.

Oisin has raised $9.5 million in seed funding to move things towards clinical trials, according to a May 2021 press release.

Literature

[1] Baker, D. J., Wijshake, T., Tchkonia, T., LeBrasseur, N. K., Childs, B. G., Van De Sluis, B., … & van Deursen, J. M. (2011). Clearance of p16Ink4a-positive senescent cells delays ageing-associated disorders. Nature, 479(7372), 232-236.

[2] Baker, D. J., Childs, B. G., Durik, M., Wijers, M. E., Sieben, C. J., Zhong, J., … & Khazaie, K. (2016). Naturally occurring p16 Ink4a-positive cells shorten healthy lifespan. Nature, 530(7589), 184.