Calico Life Sciences is an anti-aging company looking to improve our understanding of the underlying biology that drives human aging, and use this knowledge to develop interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. The company is founded as a subsidiary of Alphabet (Google).
Calico has the following mission statement:
To harness advanced technologies and model systems to increase our understanding of the biology that controls human aging.
Feel welcome to share your own thoughts on this company in the comment section below as well. I will be happy to discuss and learn more about how you see their potential in this field.
The solution
According to Calico they are aiming to identify new targets that are not currently being investigated or pursued by any other company. These targets are identified based on their own research into the biology of aging and age-related diseases.
They currently have 4 official programs in clinical stage development.
ABBV-CLS-7262 targeting Vanishing White Matter disease
Adding to this they appear to be very much invested in partnerships, such as for one of the lead candidates being developed in collaboration with AbbVie. The drug candidate is named ABBV-CLS-7262, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b clinical trial for the treatment of Vanishing White Matter (VWM) disease.
VWM is an incredibly rare chronic disease causing deterioration of the white matter in the brain, and as a result negatively affecting the ability of neurons to transmit nerve signals. It is a genetic autosomal recessive disorder. How exactly the treatment of this condition is related to the bigger picture of anti-aging is not clear from the information provided by Calico at this point. The clinical trial is slated to complete by October 2026.
You can view the official study details through the following link: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05757141?term=NCT05757141&rank=1
ABBV-CLS-7262 targeting Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Their lead candidate is not only targeting VWM, but also Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a rare terminal neurodegenerative disorder that causes the degeneration of motor neurons, and as such affects the voluntary control of limbs and leads to trouble breathing.
In collaboration with AbbVie they have initiated a Phase 1b clinical trial to further evaluate the drug candidate. The results from this trial has led to the inclusion of the drug candidate in a Phase 2/3 trial named the HEALEY ALS Platform Trial. This trial is slated for completion by October 2024.
You can view the official study details through the following link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05740813
ABBV-CLS-484 as a Cancer Immunotherapy
Another lead candidate they are developing in collaboration with AbbVie is named ABBV-CLS-484 targeting cancer, and works by enhancing anti-tumor activity. This drug candidate is a dual PTPN2/N1 inhibitor, and it is the first active-site phosphate inhibitor to enter Phase I clinical trials as a cancer immunotherapy. The clinical trial is slated to complete by October 2026.
You can view the official study details through the following link: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04777994?term=NCT04777994&rank=1
Interestingly the pre-clinical results from ABBV-CLS-484 were published in Nature. The protein tyrosine phosphatases PTPN2 and PTPN1 are key regulators of inflammation, and inhibiting them in either tumor cells or immune cells elicits an anti-tumor immunity. The results showed that the drug candidate inflamed the tumor microenvironment and promoted a reaction from the immune system. The outcome of this pre-clinical trial points to these inhibitors as a potential new avenue for cancer immunotherapy to be further explored.
You can read more about ABBV-CLS-484 in the post I wrote covering the studies: Potential of ABBV-CLS-484 in Cancer Immunotherapy & Anti-Aging
You can go directly to the Nature article through this link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06575-7
ABBV-CLS-579 targeting tumors
This drug candidate is being developed to target locally advanced or metastatic tumors. There is currently a Phase 1 trial evaluating the drug as monotherapy or in combination with a programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) inhibitor. Outside of this there is not much information from Calico about this potential therapeutic, and its function.
You can view the official study details through the following link: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04417465
Pipeline
Unfortunately Calico does not provide an official pipeline of their programs, which makes it difficult to follow what they are currently doing, and what they are planning to investigate in the future. If we only consider the above mentioned programs and their collaboration with AbbVie they have a strong outset already. I am curious to know what else they are working on in the field of anti-aging.
I am for one very excited about Calico and their capabilities in this field, especially with their ability to establish strong partnerships. I hope they will become more transparent with their plans for the future.
The company
As mentioned Calico is a subsidiary of Alphabet, and was initially founded as such in 2013. It was founded by Arthur Levinson who is also the CEO. Arthur is also chairman of Apple, which is a position he has held since 2011.
Calico has proven to be able to form strong partnerships, as is the case with AbbVie from the clinical trial programs mentioned previously. They also appear to be open to potential partners and actively seeking collaborations. I think this is a strong trait they exhibit as they can collectively reach farther, and ensure progress by keeping each other accountable.
Allegedly Calico has received a total of $2B in funding at this point, however, I don’t have this verified by a reputable source. If we are to believe this level of funding then it is one of the best funded anti-aging companies in the field, and they will definitely have the resources needed to move forward with all of their programs. It is also difficult to know how much capital injection they receive from their parent company to facilitate their efforts. Either way I hope they get the funding needed to progress with their exciting research.
Read about more anti-aging companies on this website through this link.
