quadraScope venture fund invests in companies that aim to reverse aging and enhance health by targeting the mechanisms of aging
Rejuvenation medicine:
The next frontier in healthcare
Multiple types of molecular and cellular damage accumulate throughout life. Rejuvenation medicine targets these damages preventing age-related deterioration of the human body.
As an untapped market opportunity, rejuvenation medicine has the potential to curb the huge healthcare costs currently associated with diseases of aging while promising a longer healthspan.
Loss of proteostasis
Proteins are essential for all cellular processes, but the mechanisms that maintain protein quality are inadequate in aged cells.
Epigenetic changes
Aging is associated with distinct modifications in the way DNA is stored, read, and expressed, without altering the gene sequence.
Genetic instability
Failure of DNA repair mechanisms leads to loss of information and mutations of the genetic code in aged cells.
Telomere attrition
Telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes, shorten each time a cell divides. When telomeres are too short, cells become unable to replicate.
Dysregulated nutrient sensing
Handling excess nutrients is a big challenge for cells. The mechanisms that control nutrient availability and utilization fail with age.
Mitochondrial dysfunction
Mitochondria consume oxygen and produce almost all the energy cells use. Mitochondria become leaky and inefficient with aging.
Cellular senescence
Senescent cells accumulate in aged tissues and produce multiple inflammatory factors.
Stem cell exhaustion
In aged organisms, individual stem cells lose their regeneration capacity and the pool of stem cells declines.
Altered intercellular communication
Aged cells fail to coordinate their metabolism and function, leading to unnecessary chronic inflammation.
Rejuvenation medicine:
The next frontier in healthcare
Rejuvenation medicine targets the age-related deterioration of the human body. As an untapped market opportunity, rejuvenation medicine has the potential to curb the huge healthcare costs currently associated with diseases of aging while promising a longer healthspan.
Multiple types of molecular and cellular damage accumulate throughout life (LĂłpez-OtĂn C, et al. 2013):
Proteins are essential for all cellular processes, but the mechanisms that maintain protein quality are inadequate in aged cells.
Aging is associated with distinct modifications in the way DNA is stored, read, and expressed, without altering the gene sequence.
Failure of DNA repair mechanisms leads to loss of information and mutations of the genetic code in aged cells.
Telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes, shorten each time a cell divides. When telomeres are too short, cells become unable to replicate.
Handling excess nutrients is a big challenge for cells. The mechanisms that control nutrient availability and utilization fail with age.
Mitochondria consume oxygen and produce almost all the energy cells use. Mitochondria become leaky and inefficient with aging.
Senescent cells accumulate in aged tissues and produce multiple inflammatory factors.
In aged organisms, individual stem cells lose their regeneration capacity and the pool of stem cells declines.
Aged cells fail to coordinate their metabolism and function, leading to unnecessary chronic inflammation.
Our portfolio
We have a diverse, synergetic portfolio led by serial entrepreneurs and renowned scientists.
Our Team
We are a women-led team with a strong track record of taking new ventures from inception to profitable exits, including a 12x exit, expertise in the healthcare sector, and deep understanding of the emerging rejuvenation science and market.
Fiona Miller
Managing Partner
Fiona is a serial entrepreneur with 3 successful exits, including a 12x exit. She was founder and CEO of octoScope, sold to Spirent Communications in 2021; Founder and CTO of Azimuth Systems, sold to Anritsu in 2016; and VP of Engineering at Scope Communications, sold to Hewlett-Packard (now Keysight) in 1998. Fiona holds 10 patents and is the publisher of numerous articles, white papers and test reports on wireless technologies and standards.
Fiona has been an active angel investor in the rejuvenation industry and also serves on the board of Healthy Longevity Clinic. She avidly supports rejuvenation initiatives through philanthropy.
She has a BA in Computer Science and BS in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and Master’s work from MIT.
José Navarro-Betancourt, MD, PhD
Scientific Director & Partner
José is a physician and molecular biologist with several years’ experience in aging research. He studied medicine at Universidad Panamericana and pursued Ph.D. studies at McGill University. Jose has performed basic research on several processes involved in aging, including stem cell differentiation, protein quality control, and cellular energy production.
Nir Barzilai, MD​
Advisor
Dr. Barzilai is a Geroscientist, he is a chaired Professor of Medicine and Genetics and Director of the biggest Center to study the Biology of Aging and the principal investigator of the Einstein Nathan Shock Center and the Glenn Center for excellence in Biology of Aging. He was the recipient of an NIH Merit Award aiming to extend the healthy life span in rodents through biological interventions. He also studies families of centenarians that have provided genetic/biological insights on the protection against aging. Several drugs are developed based, in part, on these paradigm-changing studies. He now leads the SuperAgers Initiative to recruit 10,000 centenarians and their families to validate and discover new longevity genes. He is also leading the TAME (Targeting/Taming Aging with Metformin) multi-center study to prove that multi-morbidities of aging can be delayed in humans and change the FDA indications to allow for next-generation interventions. He is also leading an initiative to discover biomarkers of aging that are changing with gerotherapeutics.
Aubrey de Grey, PhD
Advisor
Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Silicon Valley, California, USA, and is the scientific founder of SENS Research Foundation, a biomedical research charity focused on repairing the molecular and cellular damage of aging. He received his BA in computer science and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the characterisation of all the types of damage that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage. Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association, and sits on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organisations. He is a highly sought-after speaker who gives 40-50 invited talks per year at scientific conferences, universities, companies in areas ranging from pharma to life insurance, and to the public.
Miri Polachek
Venture Partner
Miri is an entrepreneurial executive and investor with over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Miri served as CEO of Joy Ventures, a venture builder and fund in the consumer mental health and wellbeing domain. She co-founded and led Israel Brain Technologies, a hub and catalyst for neuroscience innovation and commercialization, including the world’s first braintech startup accelerator. Miri has also held financial management positions in leading global healthcare companies including Pfizer and Teva and was VP Finance at IntegraMed.
Miri holds an MA in Health Economics from Boston University and an MBA from New York University.
José Cordeiro, PhD
Advisor
JosĂ© Luis Cordeiro Mateo is a Venezuelan-Spanish engineer, economist, futurist, and transhumanist, who has experience in economic development, international relations, monetary policy, energy trends, cryonics, and life extension. He has authored multiple books, including The Great Taboo, Constitutions Around the World: A Comparative View from Latin America, and (in Spanish) El DesafĂo Latinoamericano ("The Latin American Challenge") and La Muerte de la Muerte ("The Death of Death").
Daniel Fylstra
Venture Partner
Daniel Fylstra is founder and CEO of Frontline Systems Inc., a software company in advanced analytics and decision intelligence, creators of the Solver in Microsoft Excel. Early in his career, he was heavily involved with Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in the creation and marketing of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, as co-founder of Personal Software, later renamed VisiCorp. He has long been active as an angel investor and venture fund investor; his interest in longevity research dates from 1999 when he served as seed investor for Dr. Bill Andrews’ work on telomeres and telomerase, and as startup CEO of Sierra Sciences, Inc. “Always learning”, he has been a named inventor in patent applications related to cancer and telomerase, and risk analysis for machine learning. He earned a BS in EE & Computer Science from M.I.T. and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Diane Seimetz, PhD
Advisor
With over 22 years of experience, Dr. Diane Seimetz is a leading drug development and regulatory expert and an experienced entrepreneur and manager in the biopharmaceutical sector. Since 2013, the co-founder and former CEO of Biopharma Excellence (acquired by the Pharmalex group) has been advising clients on drug development and regulatory approval of novel therapies with the aim of making innovations available to patients early. Previously, Dr. Seimetz held a position as an Executive Vice President at Fresenius Health Care Group, being responsible for the international development of first-in-class biologic drugs. A doctoral pharmacist by trade, Dr. Seimetz is serving on the board of Directors at Humacyte and Cumulus Oncology. She is a member of several advisory boards and committees, including Temedica, the Helmholtz Validation Fund and the Aglaia Oncology Fund.
Reason
Advisor
Reason is co-founder and CEO of Repair Biotechnologies. He has been an active angel investor in the longevity industry since its earliest days, with investments including Oisin Biotechnologies and Leucadia Therapeutics. He is a long-standing and well-connected patient advocate for aging research, involved in numerous fundraising and outreach initiatives conducted by organizations such as the Methuselah Foundation and SENS Research Foundation since the early 2000s. He is also the founder and writer of Fight Aging!, a noted news and commentary website in the biotechnology community. Prior to his involvement in the biotechnology industry, Reason was a consultant in the software industry. He holds Masters degrees in Astrophysics from the University of St. Andrews and Space Physics from Rice University.
Carmela Abraham, PhD
Advisor
Carmela R. Abraham, Ph.D., has devoted her entire career to the study of aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). She obtained her B.Sc. in Biology at Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She is Professor Emerita of Biochemistry and Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Abraham’s research is both basic and translational. Her basic research focuses on understanding the pathologic mechanisms leading to AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Abraham studies ways to protect the nerve cells that die in these diseases and, thus, prevent brain dysfunction. Her group discovered that the Klotho protein, whose levels decrease with age, is neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory. She is a co-founder of Klogenix (formerly Klogene), a biotech startup targeting prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.
Frank Wellens
Venture Partner
Frank is a business strategist and investment consultant with over twenty years of international senior management experience in a variety of industries. Frank holds an M.Sc. in applied economics from the University of Antwerp and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School. He invested and served on the board of the Managing Partner's last venture, helping with business strategy and analytics. Frank brings proficiency in management consulting, M&A, and investing, offering valuable insights to assist in the growth and exit strategies of our portfolio companies.
Fiona Miller
Managing Partner
Fiona is a serial entrepreneur with 3 successful exits, including a 12x exit. She was founder and CEO of octoScope, sold to Spirent Communications in 2021; Founder and CTO of Azimuth Systems, sold to Anritsu in 2016; and VP of Engineering at Scope Communications, sold to Hewlett-Packard (now Keysight) in 1998. Fiona holds 10 patents and is the publisher of numerous articles, white papers and test reports on wireless technologies and standards.
Fiona has been an active angel investor in the rejuvenation industry and also serves on the board of Healthy Longevity Clinic. She avidly supports rejuvenation initiatives through philanthropy.
She has a BA in Computer Science and BS in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and Master’s work from MIT.
Miri Polachek
General Partner
Miri is an entrepreneurial executive and investor with over 25 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Miri served as CEO of Joy Ventures, a venture builder and fund in the consumer mental health and wellbeing domain. She co-founded and led Israel Brain Technologies, a hub and catalyst for neuroscience innovation and commercialization, including the world’s first braintech startup accelerator. Miri has also held financial management positions in leading global healthcare companies including Pfizer and Teva and was VP Finance at IntegraMed.
Miri holds an MA in Health Economics from Boston University and an MBA from New York University.
José Navarro-Betancourt, MD, PhD
Scientific Director & Partner
José is a physician and molecular biologist with several years’ experience in aging research. He studied medicine at Universidad Panamericana and pursued Ph.D. studies at McGill University. Jose has performed basic research on several processes involved in aging, including stem cell differentiation, protein quality control, and cellular energy production.
Reason
Advisor
Reason is co-founder and CEO of Repair Biotechnologies. He has been an active angel investor in the longevity industry since its earliest days, with investments including Oisin Biotechnologies and Leucadia Therapeutics. He is a long-standing and well-connected patient advocate for aging research, involved in numerous fundraising and outreach initiatives conducted by organizations such as the Methuselah Foundation and SENS Research Foundation since the early 2000s. He is also the founder and writer of Fight Aging!, a noted news and commentary website in the biotechnology community. Prior to his involvement in the biotechnology industry, Reason was a consultant in the software industry. He holds Masters degrees in Astrophysics from the University of St. Andrews and Space Physics from Rice University.
Nir Barzilai, MD
Advisor
Dr. Barzilai is a Geroscientist, he is a chaired Professor of Medicine and Genetics and Director of the biggest Center to study the Biology of Aging and the principal investigator of the Einstein Nathan Shock Center and the Glenn Center for excellence in Biology of Aging. He was the recipient of an NIH Merit Award aiming to extend the healthy life span in rodents through biological interventions. He also studies families of centenarians that have provided genetic/biological insights on the protection against aging. Several drugs are developed based, in part, on these paradigm-changing studies. He now leads the SuperAgers Initiative to recruit 10,000 centenarians and their families to validate and discover new longevity genes. He is also leading the TAME (Targeting/Taming Aging with Metformin) multi-center study to prove that multi-morbidities of aging can be delayed in humans and change the FDA indications to allow for next-generation interventions. He is also leading an initiative to discover biomarkers of aging that are changing with gerotherapeutics.
Carmela Abraham, PhD
Advisor
Carmela R. Abraham, Ph.D., has devoted her entire career to the study of aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). She obtained her B.Sc. in Biology at Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Harvard University. She is Professor Emerita of Biochemistry and Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Abraham’s research is both basic and translational. Her basic research focuses on understanding the pathologic mechanisms leading to AD and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Abraham studies ways to protect the nerve cells that die in these diseases and, thus, prevent brain dysfunction. Her group discovered that the Klotho protein, whose levels decrease with age, is neuroprotective, anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory. She is a co-founder of Klogenix (formerly Klogene), a biotech startup targeting prevention and treatment of age-related diseases.
Diane Seimetz, PhD
Advisor
With over 22 years of experience, Dr. Diane Seimetz is a leading drug development and regulatory expert and an experienced entrepreneur and manager in the biopharmaceutical sector. Since 2013, the co-founder and former CEO of Biopharma Excellence (acquired by the Pharmalex group) has been advising clients on drug development and regulatory approval of novel therapies with the aim of making innovations available to patients early. Previously, Dr. Seimetz held a position as an Executive Vice President at Fresenius Health Care Group, being responsible for the international development of first-in-class biologic drugs. A doctoral pharmacist by trade, Dr. Seimetz is serving on the board of Directors at Humacyte and Cumulus Oncology. She is a member of several advisory boards and committees, including Temedica, the Helmholtz Validation Fund and the Aglaia Oncology Fund.
Frank Wellens
Venture Partner
Frank is a business strategist and investment consultant with over twenty years of international senior management experience in a variety of industries. Frank holds an M.Sc. in applied economics from the University of Antwerp and completed the advanced management program at Harvard Business School. He invested and served on the board of the Managing Partner's last venture, helping with business strategy and analytics. Frank brings proficiency in management consulting, M&A, and investing, offering valuable insights to assist in the growth and exit strategies of our portfolio companies.
Daniel Fylstra
Venture Partner
Daniel Fylstra is founder and CEO of Frontline Systems Inc., a software company in advanced analytics and decision intelligence, creators of the Solver in Microsoft Excel. Early in his career, he was heavily involved with Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston in the creation and marketing of VisiCalc, the first electronic spreadsheet, as co-founder of Personal Software, later renamed VisiCorp. He has long been active as an angel investor and venture fund investor; his interest in longevity research dates from 1999 when he served as seed investor for Dr. Bill Andrews’ work on telomeres and telomerase, and as startup CEO of Sierra Sciences, Inc. “Always learning”, he has been a named inventor in patent applications related to cancer and telomerase, and risk analysis for machine learning. He earned a BS in EE & Computer Science from M.I.T. and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
The quadraScope team is focused on the right sector, with the right team to select and vet investment opportunities. The rejuvenation industry is an emerging next wave of biotech technologies that has seen a recent surge in funding while engaging the top scientific talent.Â
Hans Keirstead, PhD
Chairman, Immunis
quadraScope’s investment allowed us to start the development of a biobetter growth hormone. This anchor investment attracted funding from two other major investors.
Robert (Bobby) Brooke
CEO, Intervene Immune
quadraScope has been a sounding board and a strong source of encouragement and support for our strategic direction.
Tom Benson, PhD
CEO, Mitrix Bio
quadraScope is tapping the fast-emerging rejuvenation market with an abundance of research ready to be commercialized. With their strategic locations in Boston and Tel-Aviv they are poised to leverage the high concentration of biotech academia, industry and talent pool.
Reason
CEO, Repair Biotechnologies
We chose to partner with Quadrascope because of the strategic alignment of our visions, namely the importance of investment in programs that extend life-span and health-span while at the same time applying the same science to treat diseases that have no treatment.
Menachem Abraham
CEO, Klogenix
quadraScope, our first investor, has encouraged the formation of rejuvenation clinics and has been active in defining the treatment protocols as a strategic pillar alongside clinical trials.
