BioAge Labs Expands Drug Discovery Platform with Data from Leading European Biobank
- Exclusive access to comprehensive data from 17,000+ samples for drug discovery purposes
- Expansion of proprietary platform with longitudinal data spanning decades
- Strategic focus on high-prevalence conditions affecting over 50% (cardiometabolic) and 35% (cognitive) of participants
- Integration with existing database of 50 million molecular measurements
- None.
Insights
BioAge's exclusive HUNT Biobank partnership adds 17,000+ longitudinal samples to their drug discovery platform, potentially accelerating development of aging-related therapeutics.
BioAge Labs is making a strategic move to significantly expand its drug discovery capabilities through a new initiative with Norway's HUNT Biobank. The company will generate and analyze molecular profiles from over 17,000 samples collected from 6,000+ participants over decades, creating millions of new data points to feed into their proprietary platform. What makes this particularly valuable is the longitudinal nature of the samples - they track individuals as they transition from health to disease states.
The exclusive access to this dataset provides BioAge with a competitive advantage in the growing field of aging-related therapeutics. By profiling participants who developed cardiometabolic diseases (>50%), cognitive decline or dementia (>35%), and other age-related conditions, the company can identify the molecular factors that distinguish those who maintain health from those who develop disease.
Using Standard BioTools' SomaScan technology, BioAge will quantify thousands of proteins in each sample - creating a rich dataset that complements their existing platform, which already incorporates over 50 million molecular measurements collected across five decades. This protein-level data is particularly valuable for drug discovery as proteins represent actionable therapeutic targets.
The strategic value lies in identifying novel drug targets that address the underlying biology of aging rather than just treating symptoms of age-related diseases. This approach could potentially yield therapies with broader applications across multiple conditions sharing common aging-related mechanisms, representing a more efficient drug development strategy than pursuing single-indication approaches.
Company to generate and analyze molecular profiles from over 17,000 samples from the HUNT Biobank in Norway to accelerate discovery of drug targets for aging-related diseases
New data deepen platform insights into the biology of resilience across multiple therapeutic indications
EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioAge Labs, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOA) ("BioAge", “the Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutic product candidates for metabolic diseases by targeting the biology of human aging, today announced the launch of an initiative to comprehensively profile and analyze samples from the HUNT Biobank in Norway.
Through its collaboration with Norwegian diagnostics company Age Labs AS [link], BioAge will profile more than 17,000 individual samples—collected over decades of aging from 6,000+ HUNT participants—to generate millions of molecular readouts. Analyses of these data, coupled with detailed health and clinical outcomes of the participants, will significantly expand the proprietary human aging data that power BioAge’s drug-discovery platform. The Company has exclusive access for the purpose of drug discovery to data generated by the partnership.
“The HUNT Biobank is the perfect complement to our aging-focused discovery platform,” said Eric Morgen, MD, COO and co-founder of BioAge. “By deeply profiling thousands of participants at multiple points across their lives, we can watch the shift from health to early and then advanced disease, and uncover the molecular factors that keep some people healthy as they age. We believe those insights will point us to novel therapeutic targets that address the root biology of aging and the diseases it drives.”
BioAge will analyze a targeted set of HUNT participants whose long-term records trace the shift from health in middle age into cardiometabolic disease (seen in >
Insights generated from the new HUNT molecular profiling will feed directly into BioAge’s established discovery platform, which identifies novel therapeutic targets by mining longitudinal human multi-omic data encompassing over 50 million molecular measurements collected over five decades. This expansion builds on BioAge’s existing network of biobank partnerships and will accelerate the search for drug targets that maintain physiological resilience and help counter age-related disease.
About BioAge Labs, Inc.
BioAge is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutic product candidates for metabolic diseases by targeting the biology of human aging. The Company's lead product candidate, BGE-102, is a potent, orally available, brain-penetrant small-molecule NLRP3 inhibitor being developed for obesity. BGE-102 has demonstrated significant weight loss in preclinical models both as monotherapy and in combination with GLP-1 receptor agonists. IND submission and initiation of a Phase 1 SAD/MAD trial are planned for mid-2025, with initial SAD data anticipated by end of year. The Company is also developing long-acting injectable and oral small molecule APJ agonists for obesity. BioAge’s additional preclinical programs, which leverage insights from the Company’s proprietary discovery platform built on human longevity data, address key pathways involved in metabolic aging.
Forward-looking statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding our plans to develop and commercialize our product candidates, including BGE-102 and our APJ program, the timing and results of our planned clinical trials, including the APJ nanobody developed with JiKang, risks associated with clinical trials, including our ability to adequately manage clinical activities, the timing of our IND filing for BGE-102 or our APJ program, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals, the clinical utility of our product candidates, the expected timeline for completing proteomic analysis, anticipated analytical results and the potential for identifying novel therapeutic targets, and general economic, industry and market conditions. These forward-looking statements may be accompanied by such words as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “potential,” “possible,” “will,” “would,” and other words and terms of similar meaning. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements, including: our ability to develop, obtain regulatory approval for and commercialize our product candidates; the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials; the risk that positive results in a preclinical study or clinical trial may not be replicated in subsequent trials or success in early stage clinical trials may not be predictive of results in later stage clinical trials; risks associated with clinical trials, including our ability to adequately manage clinical activities, unexpected concerns that may arise from additional data or analysis obtained during clinical trials, regulatory authorities may require additional information or further studies, or may fail to approve or may delay approval of our drug candidates; the occurrence of adverse safety events; failure to protect and enforce our intellectual property, and other proprietary rights; failure to successfully execute or realize the anticipated benefits of our strategic and growth initiatives; risks relating to technology failures or breaches; our dependence on collaborators and other third parties for the development of product candidates and other aspects of our business, which are outside of our full control; risks associated with current and potential delays, work stoppages, or supply chain disruptions, including due to the imposition of tariffs and other trade barriers; risks associated with current and potential future healthcare reforms; risks relating to attracting and retaining key personnel; changes in or failure to comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including shifting priorities within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; risks relating to access to capital and credit markets; and the other risks and uncertainties that are detailed under the heading “Risk Factors” included in BioAge’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on May 6, 2025, and BioAge’s other filings with the SEC filed from time to time. BioAge undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Contacts
PR: Chris Patil, media@bioagelabs.com
IR: Dov Goldstein, ir@bioagelabs.com
Partnering: partnering@bioagelabs.com
Web: https://bioagelabs.com
FAQ
What is the significance of BioAge Labs' collaboration with HUNT Biobank?
How many participants in the HUNT Biobank study developed cardiometabolic disease?
What technology will BioAge Labs use to analyze the HUNT Biobank samples?
How does the HUNT Biobank data complement BioAge's existing platform?
What percentage of HUNT Biobank participants experienced cognitive decline or dementia?
