DeepSummary
The episode features an archival interview with Celine Halioua, founder and CEO of Loyal, a startup developing drugs to extend the lifespan of dogs. Celine discusses her goal of getting the first drug approved by the FDA for lifespan extension itself, not just treating a disease. She explains her approach to aging as treating the deviation from optimal biological function that occurs over time, rather than binary states of health and sickness.
Celine addresses the challenges in translating aging research from model organisms to developing drugs for humans, particularly regulatory hurdles with the FDA's risk-benefit assessments. She sees her work with dogs as a strategic step towards establishing a pathway for eventual human longevity drugs. The conversation covers Celine's journey, from studying Parkinson's to her vision of building the 'SpaceX of aging'.
Key topics include the science behind aging interventions, funding challenges in the longevity field, Celine's solo founder path, and her perspective on making aging research more mainstream and fundable. The episode celebrates Loyal's milestone of gaining FDA's first formal acceptance for developing a lifespan extension drug, paving the way for more progress in the field.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Celine Halioua's company Loyal has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by gaining the FDA's first formal acceptance for developing a drug specifically for extending lifespan, initially in dogs.
- Extending lifespan is approached as preventative medicine by slowing the aging process and delaying age-related diseases, rather than treating binary states of health and sickness.
- Translating aging research from model organisms to human drugs faces significant regulatory hurdles due to the FDA's risk-benefit assessments for approving drugs in healthy individuals.
- Loyal's strategy focuses on dogs as a strategic step towards establishing a pathway for eventual human longevity drugs, while also addressing the unmet need for canine longevity.
- Overcoming negative perceptions and making aging research more fundable and mainstream is a key goal, by highlighting the potential benefits and the dedication of researchers in the field.
- Patient capital and significant funding are crucial for rigorously testing hypotheses and navigating the high risk of failure inherent in drug development for longevity.
- Celine brings a unique perspective as a solo founder from a non-traditional biotech background, aiming to build the 'SpaceX of aging' by combining diverse skill sets and approaches.
- The episode celebrates the evolving landscape of the longevity field, with increasing investment, acceptance, and ambitious goals that were previously considered impossible.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βHonestly, I don't even know how to begin to tackle this problem. Why aren't we doing preventative medicine? So then I was trying to understand how you would basically have a preventative medicine for this disease. And that was how I learned about the aging leases, honestly.β by Celine Halioua
- βI want to develop drugs that slow delay the aging process over time. So you basically drag out the middle healthy years of a human's lifespan and then delay or dampen the onset of age related diseases that would occur in that patient.β by Celine Halioua
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Episode Information
The Deep End
On Deck
12/2/23
Earlier this week Celine Halioua (ODF2), founder and CEO of Loyal β a dog longevity biotech startup β announced something truly groundbreaking.
Loyal (ODF2) has earned what they believe to be the FDAβs first-ever formal acceptance that a drug can be developed and approved for lifespan extension.Β
As Celine says in her announcement; βI started Loyal 4 years ago with the explicit goal to get the first drug FDA approved for lifespan extension itself - no disease, just healthy, longer"..."We can't start selling the drug yet - we need to complete the safety and manufacturing technical sections - but this represents the lions share of the 'existential risk' of both the drug program, and of Loyal AKA - we are doing it!!!β
Laura Deming is a longevity biotech investor with an incredible batting average. 5 of 18 startups sheβs backed so far have gone public. She was the first investor in Loyal and had this to say:
"This just dropped - the most important milestone in the history of longevity biotech. put simply, this is the FDAβs first-ever formal acceptance that a drug can be developed and approved to extend lifespan. the longevity field is evolving quickly. No one I know in the field would have said this was possible 5 years ago. Celine got it done in 4. Itβs a massive win for both biotech founders and regulators, in establishing a pathway by which drugs (initially for dogs) can get approved for lifespan"
Youβre about to listen to an archival interview with Celine just one and a half years into starting Loyal which is now 4 years old. Itβs an incredible conversation with interviewer Marshall Kosloff and shows just how much can be accomplished in a few short years.
Congrats to Celine and the entire Loyal team on what is truly an unparalleled milestone.
Are you exploring starting a company weβve got a program for that?
ODF has helped 1k companies like Loyal which was ODF2 get started and go on to raise over $2B. Applications for our 20th cohort in San Francisco are now . Learn more and apply at beondeck.com
- loyalfordogs.com
- Celine's personal website
- Celine on X/Twitter
- beondeck.com
- On Deck on X/Twitter
- podcast episode archive and show notes