What Rejuvenate Bio does

Rejuvenate Bio is a San Diego-based biotechnology company founded in 2018 as a spinout from George Church's laboratory at Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute, where it holds an exclusive worldwide license to the underlying gene therapy platform. The company develops non-genome-editing AAV (adeno-associated virus) delivered gene therapies that either express therapeutic proteins such as FGF21 in the liver or deliver Yamanaka reprogramming factors (OCT4, SOX2, KLF4) to drive partial epigenetic reprogramming. Its product portfolio spans RJB-0402 for desmoplakin gene variant arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy in humans, a mitral valve disease gene therapy for dogs, a canine osteoarthritis gene therapy, and platform-level FGF21 and OSK programs.

The company operates a dual-track go-to-market: human health applications are pursued independently with IND-enabling studies targeted for 2028, while companion animal health applications are advanced through strategic R&D collaborations and licensing arrangements with Merck Animal Health and Phibro Animal Health, leveraging their global veterinary commercial infrastructure. Revenue today is effectively pre-commercial, supported by upfront and milestone payments from animal health partners, equity financing (approximately $24M+ raised across a 2021 Series A led by Kendall Capital Partners, a 2024 CIRM grant, and a 2026 round led by VCapital), and a WeFunder equity crowdfunding campaign. Customers span two segments: large animal-health enterprises (Merck, Phibro) for partnerships, and end consumers in companion animal veterinary medicine and (prospectively) chronic-disease human therapeutics. Leadership includes co-founders George Church (Harvard, SAB), Noah Davidsohn (CSO), and Daniel Oliver (CEO), with Deborah Ascheim, M.D. serving as inaugural CMO.

Name

Rejuvenate Bio

Legal name

Rejuvenate Bio, Inc.

Website

https://rejuvenatebio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rejuvenate Bio is a San Diego biotech developing non-genome-editing AAV gene therapies to reverse aging and treat age-related diseases, targeting both companion animals through partnerships with Merck and Phibro Animal Health and human applications including arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Gene Therapy / Age-Related Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

AAV Vector Gene Therapy Developers (HLAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Stem Cell–Based Regenerative Therapies (HLAAAGAA), Genome Editing Gene Therapies (CRISPR/TALEN/ZFN; in vivo/ex vivo) (HLAAACAD), Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived) (HLAAABAE)

Keywords

• Gene therapy platform
• Age-related disease treatments
• AAV-delivered therapies
• Veterinary gene therapy
• Epigenetic reprogramming

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Animal Health Partnerships and Licensing: Strategic R&D collaborations and licensing deals with major animal health companies (Merck Animal Health, Phibro Animal Health) for development and commercialization of gene therapies for companion animals. Revenue generated through upfront payments, milestone payments, and potential royalties from commercialized veterinary products.
2. Equity Financing: Raising capital through venture capital rounds and equity crowdfunding to fund R&D operations. The company has raised over $10M Series A (2021), $6M financing (2026), and $4M CIRM grant. Uses WeFunder platform for retail investor access.
3. Future Human Health Applications: Pre-revenue stage for human health applications. Expected to pursue FDA approval for human gene therapies following animal health validation. Timeline for human IND-enabling studies completion set for 2028.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rejuvenate Bio develops AAV-delivered gene therapies that target the root causes of aging to treat chronic, age-related diseases. Its single-dose platform delivers therapeutic proteins such as FGF21 or Yamanaka reprogramming factors (OSK) to address multiple age-related conditions concurrently, including heart failure, kidney failure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, across both companion animals and humans.

Product overview

Rejuvenate Bio is a biotechnology company developing a non-genome-editing gene therapy platform targeting chronic and age-related diseases for both companion animals and humans. The company operates two main product lines: Human Health programs led by RJB-0402 (FGF21 liver-directed gene therapy for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy) and Animal Health programs including Mitral Valve Disease therapy and Canine Osteoarthritis therapy. The core technology platform utilizes AAV-delivered gene therapies with proprietary targets including FGF21 and partial reprogramming factors (OSK). The company leverages an animal health partnership model to generate revenue supporting human programs development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RJB-0402
• Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) Gene Therapy
• Canine Osteoarthritis Gene Therapy

Quantifiable outcome

• 109% increase in median remaining lifespan in 124-week-old mice treated with OSK partial reprogramming gene therapy
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Merck Animal HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Strategic R&D collaboration and $6M financing participation to advance gene therapy programs targeting chronic and age-associated diseases in companion animals. Merck Animal Health, one of the world's largest animal health companies, provides global commercial infrastructure and scientific expertise. The collaboration combines Rejuvenate Bio's proprietary gene therapy platform with Merck's development and commercialization capabilities.
• Phibro Animal Health CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2022Collaboration for development and commercialization of gene therapy for Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) in dogs. Phibro Animal Health is an animal nutrition and health products company (NASDAQ:PAHC). The partnership aims to file for conditional approval of the MVD gene therapy product as early as 2023.
• American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club (ACKCSC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partnership to conduct preclinical study and clinical trial in dogs with Mitral Valve Disease. The breed has >80% lifetime incidence of MVD. ACKCSC Charitable Trust provides sponsorship for the trial.
• Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts UniversitycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Clinical trial site for Mitral Valve Disease gene therapy study. Tufts is conducting the trial selecting dogs in stage B2 heart failure for the study.
• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard UniversitycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Rejuvenate Bio was spun out from George Church's laboratory at the Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School. The company holds exclusive worldwide licensing rights to commercialize gene therapy technology developed at the institute for age-related diseases.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• BioCardia: Clinical-stage cardiac cell and gene therapy company developing therapies for heart failure. Comparable in targeting cardiac indications via advanced delivery, though BioCardia focuses on autologous cell therapy rather than AAV-based approaches.
• StrideBio: Engineered AAV gene therapy company with deals involving CRISPR Therapeutics, Takeda, and Sarepta. Compares on AAV platform technology, although focuses on different therapeutic areas than Rejuvenate Bio's age-related disease focus.
• Verve Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene editing company developing in vivo therapies for cardiovascular disease, including for cardiomyopathies overlapping Rejuvenate Bio's DSP ACM indication. Competes for talent and investor mindshare in cardiac gene therapy.
• Lexeo Therapeutics: Clinical-stage gene therapy company with a focus on cardiac and CNS indications, including AAV-based therapies for genetic forms of cardiomyopathy. Directly comparable to Rejuvenate Bio's cardiac gene therapy programs in modality and target indication.

Broad incumbents

• Regenxbio: Clinical-stage AAV gene therapy platform company with multiple approved/commercial programs and a leading AAV manufacturing capability. Competes with Rejuvenate Bio on platform licensing, manufacturing access, and pipeline partnerships.
• Altos Labs: Well-capitalized ($3B+ raised) cellular reprogramming company pursuing cellular rejuvenation to treat aging and age-related diseases. Overlaps with Rejuvenate Bio's OSK reprogramming thesis but at vastly greater scale and with broader scope.
• Calico Life Sciences: Alphabet-backed longevity R&D company targeting aging biology. While not a direct AAV competitor, Calico's broad pursuit of aging therapeutics places it in the same competitive landscape for talent, partnerships, and capital in the longevity space.

Direct peers

• Turn Biotechnologies: Emerging epigenetic-reprogramming company developing mRNA-based OSK delivery to reverse aging in tissues. Competes head-to-head with Rejuvenate Bio on the partial reprogramming modality for multiple age-related indications.
• AgeX Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on cellular reprogramming and telomerase-based therapeutics for human aging and age-related disease, directly comparable to Rejuvenate Bio's partial-reprogramming approach.
• Loyal for Dogs: Direct peer developing therapeutics targeting aging and age-related diseases in companion dogs. Both companies pursue the same capital-efficient veterinary-first validation thesis and compete for the same canine longevity opportunity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rejuvenatebio
• Facebookfacebook.com/Rejuvenate-Bio-2274489472870564

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors10 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 Rejuvenate Bio