Biophysical Therapeutics (BT) is a biotech startup tackling one of medicine’s biggest challenges: aging.
But unlike many longevity-focused startups, it isn’t starting with a drug that could require years of expensive clinical trials.
It’s starting with a moisturizer.
Founded in 2022, BT uses computational biology — essentially, computer models of biological systems — to discover new drugs and understand how the body works. Its ultimate targets include cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and aging itself.
The company has already attracted backing from venture-capital firm Reinforced Ventures. And its scientific advisory team includes Harvard Medical School professor George Church, one of the world’s best-known geneticists and longevity researchers.
At the center of BT’s research is a protein called IF1. Different species age at dramatically different rates. A mouse might live two or three years, for example, while a bowhead whale can live for more than two centuries.
BT believes it has identified part of the biological mechanism behind these differences.
Founder and CEO Dr. Michael Forrest developed a computational model designed to predict the lifespans of different species. His research points to IF1 as a potentially important regulator of aging. According to the company, increasing levels of this protein in mice has reduced aging as measured by a biomarker.
BT now aims to turn this discovery into a commercial product.
Its first product will be an anti-aging moisturizer containing the protein or a derivative of IF1. The company plans to sell each unit for $120, with one unit expected to last roughly a month.
This strategy could provide an important advantage. Developing a new pharmaceutical can require years of clinical testing and enormous amounts of capital. But IF1 is initially being developed as a cosmetic. This could enable BT to get a product to market and start generating revenue considerably sooner.
And there are early signs of consumer interest.
The company ran advertising campaigns across Google, Reddit, Facebook, and Instagram. It was able to attract visitors to its website for roughly $0.50 to $1 each. Of 930 visitors, 103 — about 11% — clicked the “Buy” button after seeing the $120 price.
Visitors were then informed that the product wasn’t available yet and were offered the opportunity to pre-order it anyway. Ten customers paid the entire $120 price upfront.
Based on its advertising tests, BT estimates customer-acquisition costs could eventually be between $5 and $10. The company has selected and priced a U.S. manufacturing partner, and it plans to use proceeds from its current funding round to manufacture and sell its first 500 units. Management believes profits from this initial batch could then help finance larger production runs.
But skincare represents just one piece of BT’s ambitions. The company describes itself as a drug-discovery platform and has developed a pipeline targeting cancer and diseases associated with aging.
For example, it has identified the existing emphysema drug almitrine as a potential cancer treatment. BT says its research predicted the drug would have anticancer activity, and the company owns a U.S. patent covering its use against cancer.
It’s also developed another cancer-drug candidate that the company says has killed cancer cells while sparing normal cells in laboratory testing, including independent testing conducted at the National Cancer Institute.
BT has patents granted in the U.S., Australia, Israel, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea.