What Retro Biosciences does

Retro Biosciences is a clinical-stage, privately held biotechnology company headquartered in Redwood City, California, developing a portfolio of therapies that target the cellular drivers of aging rather than individual age-related diseases. Its stated mission is to add 10 years to healthy human lifespan, anchored on the observation that age-related diseases account for approximately 90% of US healthcare spending (over $3 trillion). The company operates as a portfolio of bets across five core scientific platforms — Autophagy Enhancement, HSC Reprogramming, Microglia Therapeutics, Tissue Reprogramming, and AI-Designed Protein Therapeutics — each feeding distinct therapeutic candidates: RTR242 (a first-in-class oral small-molecule autophagy enhancer in Phase 1 for Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative indications), RTR888 (iPSC-derived microglial progenitors for CNS conditions), RTR890 (iPSC-derived hematopoietic stem cells for blood disorders, supported by a US$35M partnership with Murdoch Children's Research Institute), an AAV-delivered in vivo tissue reprogramming program targeting osteoarthritis and age-related hearing loss, and an early-stage AI-designed protein therapeutics program built around GPT-4b micro, a specialized protein-engineering model co-developed with OpenAI.

The technical platform combines wet-lab discovery (single-cell multi-omics, pooled perturbations, targeted delivery) with in-house cGMP cell therapy manufacturing, manufacturing automation via an $85M Multiply Labs partnership, and an integrated AI/experimental stack that includes a dedicated Research Automation team. Retro's AI protein-engineering work has produced quantitatively validated results — GPT-4b micro redesigned Yamanaka factor variants achieving over 50-fold higher expression of stem cell reprogramming markers in vitro versus wild-type controls — and the company reports it has assembled one of the world's largest concentrations of leading aging-biology scientists, advised by researchers including Vadim Gladyshev, Alejandro Ocampo, and Filipe Pereira.

Retro is pre-revenue and funded entirely by equity capital, having raised approximately $180M in a March 2023 seed round led personally by Sam Altman and approximately $1B cumulatively by late 2025, with an additional round closing in May 2026 at a $1.8B pre-money valuation led by 4P Capital. There are no disclosed product sales, pricing, or licensing agreements; the company has explicitly described itself as aspiring to become a 'generational pharma company' with future commercialization anticipated via a multi-product pharma model rather than near-term out-licensing, though source materials also reference licensing/royalties as a revenue-model possibility.

Name

Retro Biosciences

Legal name

Retro Biosciences

Website

https://retro.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Retro Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotech developing a portfolio of therapies targeting cellular drivers of aging — including autophagy enhancers, iPSC-derived cell therapies, in vivo tissue reprogramming, and AI-designed proteins — with the mission of adding 10 years to healthy human lifespan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Longevity Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Regenerative Immunology & Inflammation Modulation (pro-regenerative biologics) (HLAAAGAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Neurology/CNS Gene Therapies (HLAAACAH)

Keywords

• Longevity therapeutics
• Cellular reprogramming
• Autophagy enhancement
• IPSC-derived cell therapy
• AI protein engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Pre-revenue clinical-stage biotech: Retro Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotech with no commercial product revenue. The company is funded by equity financing (e.g., $180M+ from Sam Altman and a $1.8B pre-money round led by 4P Capital). It aspires to become a generational pharma company with multiple therapeutic products targeting age-related diseases.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retro Biosciences develops clinical-stage and preclinical therapeutic candidates that target the cellular mechanisms of aging to prevent and reverse age-related diseases. Its portfolio includes RTR242, an oral small-molecule autophagy-enhancing drug in Phase 1 for Alzheimer's disease, plus preclinical iPSC-derived cell therapies (RTR888 microglia, RTR890 hematopoietic stem cells), AAV-delivered in vivo tissue reprogramming for osteoarthritis and hearing loss, and AI-designed protein therapeutics built with OpenAI's GPT-4b micro.

Product overview

Retro Biosciences is a single biopharmaceutical company operating as a portfolio of bets around one mission: adding 10 years to healthy human lifespan. Its offering is not a unified software product but rather a coordinated portfolio of therapeutic programs, each at a different stage, organized around cellular drivers of aging. The portfolio spans four core science platforms — HSC Reprogramming, Autophagy Enhancement, Microglia Therapeutics, and Tissue Reprogramming — which together feed the named clinical and preclinical candidates: RTR242 (a small-molecule autophagy-enhancing drug for Alzheimer's currently in Phase 1), RTR888 (iPSC-derived microglial progenitors for CNS conditions), RTR890 (iPSC-derived hematopoietic stem cells for blood disorders, supported by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute partnership), the AAV-delivered Tissue Reprogramming program for osteoarthritis and age-related hearing loss, and the AI-Designed Protein Therapeutics program built around the OpenAI co-developed GPT-4b micro protein-engineering model. Vertical integration (in-house cGMP cell therapy manufacturing and integrated AI/experimental platforms) and a culture of rapid iteration tie these programs together into a repeatable engine for translating aging biology into medicines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RTR242 First-in-class oral small-molecule autophagy-enhancing therapeutic in Phase 1 clinical development for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related neurodegenerative disorders; designed to boost autophagic flux, clear and prevent accumulation of protein aggregates and damaged biomolecules, and restore lysosomal function.
• RTR888

Quantifiable outcome

• $180M initial investment from Sam Altman; $1.8B pre-money valuation at next round close
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• OpenAIflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpenAI collaborated with Retro Bio to develop GPT-4b micro, a specialized AI model for protein engineering. The model was used to redesign variants of Yamanaka factors central to stem cell reprogramming, achieving over 50-fold higher expression of stem cell reprogramming markers in vitro vs. wild-type.
• Multiply LabscoreTechnology or IntegrationRetro Biosciences entered into a US$85 million partnership with Multiply Labs for cell therapy manufacturing automation, supporting Retro's cell therapy manufacturing capabilities.
• Murdoch Children's Research InstituteflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished a partnership with the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) for a US$35M collaboration to advance blood disorder therapies, making Retro the only company in the world with the capability to develop autologous iPSC-derived hematopoietic stem cell therapies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Altos Labs: Altos Labs is a longevity biotech focused on cellular reprogramming to restore cell health and reverse diseases of aging. It is the most direct competitor to Retro, sharing the same core thesis of using Yamanaka factors and reprogramming biology, while having raised significantly more capital (~$3B).
• NewLimit: NewLimit is a cellular reprogramming startup developing medicines that restore cell function lost during aging. It directly competes with Retro in the epigenetic reprogramming space, with a more focused, single-modality approach and similar funding profile.
• Calico Labs: Calico Labs is an Alphabet-backed biotech focused on understanding the biology of aging and developing interventions for age-related diseases. While more research-oriented, it pursues the same longevity mission as Retro with effectively unlimited capital and a broader portfolio.
• Life Biosciences: Life Biosciences is a longevity biotech developing therapeutics that address the biology of aging through cellular reprogramming and other mechanisms. It directly overlaps with Retro's HSC reprogramming and autophagy programs and pursues a similar multi-modality platform strategy.
• Turn Biotechnologies: Turn Biotechnologies is a cellular reprogramming company developing mRNA-based therapies to temporarily express Yamanaka factors for in vivo tissue rejuvenation. It directly competes with Retro's AAV tissue reprogramming program with a differentiated mRNA delivery modality.
• Insilico Medicine: Insilico Medicine is an AI-driven drug discovery company focused on aging and age-related diseases, using generative AI for both target identification and molecular design. It overlaps with Retro's AI-designed protein therapeutics program while having a broader small-molecule focus and more advanced clinical pipeline.
• Unity Biotechnology: Unity Biotechnology is a clinical-stage biotech developing senolytic medicines to selectively clear senescent cells and address age-related diseases. It shares Retro's aging-therapeutics focus with a different mechanism of action and is one of the most clinically advanced direct competitors in the longevity space.
• Cambrian Biopharma: Cambrian Biopharma is a clinical-stage biotech that develops medicines to treat the root causes of aging. It is a multi-modality platform comparable to Retro, with a similar portfolio-of-bets structure but focused on different mechanisms and drug modalities.
• BioAge Labs: BioAge Labs is a clinical-stage AI-driven biotech that identifies drug targets for age-related diseases using human aging biology data. It overlaps with Retro's AI-driven discovery approach and aging therapeutics focus, with a complementary computational platform and a publicly traded status.

Emerging players

• Loyal for Dogs: Loyal for Dogs is a veterinary longevity biotech developing drugs to extend healthy lifespan in dogs. It applies aging biology research (including autophagy and metabolic mechanisms) to companion animals, making it an emerging player in the broader longevity space that Retro also targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RetroBio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retro-biosciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Retro Biosciences