As we age the sex hormones that maintain tissue health begin to fall out of balance. Women experience dramatic hormonal changes as a result of menopause at around 50 years of age, while men experience a decline in hormones beginning at age 30 that leads to andropause. The decline in reproductive hormones is caused by the loss of ovarian and testicular cells and their function (‘hypogonadism’). This is not merely a symptom, but the reason we ‘age’ and develop age-related diseases.

Unlike drugs, cells are complex machines able to sense their environment, integrate a wide range of signals, and perform appropriate functions in response. Our solution to halting the aging process is to restore hormone balance by regenerating or replacing the gonadal tissues that are lost during aging. To this end, we are developing purpose-built organoids that can increase sex hormone production and thereby rebalance the hormones of the reproductive axis, leading to increased health and longevity. We are advancing candidate cell therapies that are capable of producing the milieu of hormones needed under the natural conditions within the body.