{"id":7248,"date":"2025-05-20T22:37:06","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/sam-altmans-retro-biosciences-aims-to-add-a-decade-to-human-life\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T22:37:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T22:37:08","slug":"sam-altmans-retro-biosciences-aims-to-add-a-decade-to-human-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/sam-altmans-retro-biosciences-aims-to-add-a-decade-to-human-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Sam Altman\u2019s Retro Biosciences Aims to Add a Decade to Human Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OpenAI\u2019s Sam Altman has poured millions into the longevity-focused Retro Biosciences. Sean Gallup\/Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The <\/span>average <\/span>American <\/span>can <\/span>expect <\/span>to <\/span>live <\/span>about <\/span>77 <\/span><\/a>years<\/a>, <\/span>according <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>Centers <\/span>for <\/span>Disease <\/span>Control <\/span>and <\/span>Prevention. <\/span>Retro <\/span>Biosciences, <\/span>a <\/span>longevity <\/span>startup <\/span>backed <\/span>by <\/span>OpenAI CEO <\/span>Sam <\/span>Altman, <\/span><\/a>aims <\/span>to <\/span>raise <\/span>that <\/span>number <\/span>to <\/span>87 <\/span>through <\/span>cutting-<\/span>edge <\/span>medical <\/span>research.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Based <\/span>in <\/span>Redwood <\/span>City, <\/span>Calif., <\/span>the <\/span>company <\/span>is <\/span>leveraging <\/span>recent <\/span>breakthroughs <\/span>in <\/span>blood <\/span>stem <\/span>cell <\/span>science <\/span>from <\/span>Australia\u2019s <\/span>Murdoch <\/span>Children\u2019s <\/span>Research <\/span>Institute (<\/span>MCRI) <\/span>as <\/span>part <\/span>of <\/span>its <\/span>mission <\/span>to <\/span>extend <\/span>human <\/span>life <\/span>by <\/span>a <\/span>decade. <\/span>Alongside <\/span>advancing <\/span>critical <\/span>work <\/span>in <\/span>blood <\/span>research, <\/span>Retro <\/span>Biosciences <\/span>says <\/span>its <\/span>licensing <\/span>of <\/span>MCRI\u2019s <\/span>discoveries <\/span>could <\/span>eventually <\/span>support <\/span>longer, <\/span>healthier <\/span>lifespans.<\/span><\/p>\n

In <\/span>a <\/span>major <\/span>step <\/span>forward <\/span>last <\/span>year, <\/span>MCRI <\/span>researchers <\/span>successfully <\/span>generated <\/span>blood <\/span>stem <\/span>cells <\/span>from <\/span>human <\/span>cells\u2014<\/span>a <\/span>breakthrough <\/span>that <\/span>could <\/span>one <\/span>day <\/span>produce <\/span>perfect <\/span>cell <\/span>matches <\/span>for <\/span>patients <\/span>in need of <\/span>blood <\/span>stem <\/span>cell <\/span>or <\/span>bone <\/span>marrow <\/span>transplants, <\/span>helping <\/span>avoid <\/span>complications <\/span>caused <\/span>by <\/span>mismatched <\/span>donors. <\/span>Now, <\/span>through <\/span>a $<\/span>35 <\/span>million <\/span>partnership, <\/span>Retro <\/span>is <\/span>licensing <\/span>that <\/span>research <\/span>to <\/span>create <\/span>new <\/span>therapies <\/span>for <\/span>blood <\/span>disorders <\/span>such <\/span>as <\/span>leukemia <\/span>and <\/span>bone <\/span>marrow <\/span>failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBy joining forces with Retro Biosciences<\/a>, we are now on our way to providing personalized, patient-specific blood stem cells to treat children and adults with blood diseases,\u201d said Elizabeth Ng<\/a>, an associate professor at MCRI whose team led the discovery, in a statement. The <\/span>goal <\/span>is <\/span>to <\/span>advance <\/span>the <\/span>work <\/span>to <\/span>first-<\/span>in-<\/span>human <\/span>clinical <\/span>trials <\/span>within <\/span>five <\/span>years, <\/span>she <\/span>added.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Retro Biosciences?<\/h3>\n

Founded <\/span>in <\/span>2021, <\/span>Retro <\/span>Biosciences <\/span>is <\/span>developing <\/span>biotechnology <\/span>to <\/span>combat <\/span>aging <\/span>and <\/span>age-<\/span>related <\/span>diseases, <\/span>using <\/span>approaches <\/span>like <\/span>cellular <\/span>reprogramming <\/span>and <\/span>protein <\/span>engineering. <\/span>Its <\/span>bold <\/span>aim <\/span>to <\/span>turn <\/span>back <\/span>the <\/span>biological <\/span>clock <\/span>by <\/span>a <\/span>decade <\/span>caught <\/span>the <\/span>attention <\/span>of <\/span>Altman, <\/span>who <\/span>initially <\/span>invested $<\/span>180 <\/span>million <\/span>in <\/span>the <\/span>startup. <\/span>Retro <\/span>is <\/span>now <\/span>seeking <\/span>to <\/span>raise <\/span>an <\/span>additional $<\/span>1 <\/span><\/a>billion<\/a> <\/span>from <\/span>Altman, <\/span>along <\/span>with <\/span>support <\/span>from <\/span>family <\/span>offices, <\/span>venture <\/span>capital <\/span>firms <\/span>and <\/span>sovereign <\/span>wealth <\/span>funds.<\/span><\/p>\n

Retro <\/span>believes MCRI\u2019s stem cell technology could significantly accelerate the company\u2019s regenerative anti-aging therapies<\/span>. \u201c<\/span>We <\/span>immediately <\/span>saw <\/span>the <\/span>potential <\/span>for <\/span>sustaining <\/span>a <\/span>healthy <\/span>blood <\/span>system <\/span>into <\/span>late <\/span>life,\u201d <\/span>said <\/span>CEO <\/span>Joe <\/span>Betts-<\/span>LaCroix <\/span>in <\/span>a <\/span>statement, <\/span>recalling <\/span>the <\/span>moment <\/span>his <\/span>team <\/span>learned <\/span>of <\/span>the <\/span>institute\u2019s <\/span>discovery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond <\/span>blood <\/span>research, <\/span>the <\/span>company <\/span>is <\/span>also <\/span>working <\/span>on <\/span>brain <\/span>cell <\/span>regeneration <\/span>and <\/span>developing <\/span>an <\/span>Alzheimer\u2019s <\/span>treatment that is <\/span>expected <\/span>to <\/span>enter <\/span>early-<\/span>stage <\/span>trials <\/span>in <\/span>Australia <\/span>later <\/span>this <\/span>year. <\/span>It <\/span>has <\/span>also <\/span>teamed <\/span>up <\/span>with <\/span>OpenAI <\/span>to <\/span>create <\/span>an <\/span>A.<\/span>I. <\/span>model <\/span>designed <\/span>to <\/span>reverse <\/span>aging <\/span>by <\/span>engineering <\/span>proteins <\/span>that <\/span>temporarily <\/span>reprogram <\/span>regular <\/span>cells <\/span>into <\/span>stem <\/span>cells.<\/span><\/p>\n

Altman\u2019s <\/span>involvement <\/span>with <\/span>Retro <\/span>runs <\/span>deep. <\/span>He <\/span>reportedly <\/span>helped <\/span>Betts-<\/span>LaCroix <\/span>shape <\/span>the <\/span>company\u2019s <\/span>ten-<\/span>year <\/span>longevity <\/span>goal <\/span><\/a>during <\/span>an <\/span>off-<\/span>site <\/span>retreat <\/span>at <\/span>Altman\u2019s <\/span>ranch <\/span>in <\/span>Napa <\/span>Valley, <\/span>according <\/span>to <\/span>Endpoint <\/span>News. <\/span>Betts-<\/span>LaCroix, <\/span>in <\/span>turn, <\/span>is <\/span>said <\/span>to <\/span>call <\/span>Altman <\/span>nearly <\/span>every <\/span><\/a>week<\/a> <\/span>to <\/span>share <\/span>updates <\/span>on <\/span>internal <\/span>staff <\/span>memos.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Altman <\/span>is <\/span>one <\/span>of <\/span>several <\/span>tech <\/span>leaders <\/span>betting <\/span>big <\/span>on <\/span>extending <\/span>human <\/span>lifespans. <\/span>Longevity <\/span>startups <\/span>have <\/span>surged <\/span>in <\/span><\/a>popularity<\/a> <\/span>across <\/span>Silicon <\/span>Valley, <\/span>drawing <\/span>investments <\/span>from <\/span>billionaires <\/span>like <\/span>Jeff <\/span>Bezos, <\/span>who <\/span>has <\/span>backed <\/span>Altos <\/span><\/a>Labs<\/a>, <\/span>a <\/span>biotech <\/span>firm <\/span>focused <\/span>on <\/span>restoring <\/span>cell <\/span>health, <\/span>and <\/span>Unity <\/span>Biotechnology, <\/span>which <\/span>targets <\/span>age-<\/span>related <\/span>diseases. <\/span>Coinbase<\/a> <\/span>CEO <\/span>Brian <\/span>Armstrong <\/span>launched <\/span>his <\/span>own <\/span>company, <\/span>NewLimit, <\/span>in <\/span>2021 <\/span>to <\/span>reprogram <\/span>human <\/span>genes <\/span>for <\/span>longevity. <\/span>Meanwhile, <\/span>investor <\/span>Peter <\/span>Thiel <\/span>has <\/span>donated <\/span>millions <\/span>to <\/span>the <\/span>Methuselah <\/span>Foundation, <\/span>a <\/span>nonprofit <\/span>advancing <\/span>anti-<\/span>aging <\/span>research.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Sam<\/p><\/div>\n