Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, is increasing his investment in Retro Biosciences, a San Francisco-based biotech startup aiming to extend the human lifespan by an additional 10 years beyond what is considered a healthy duration.
Previously, Altman contributed the full seed funding of $180 million for Retro Biosciences. The startup is now seeking to raise a Series A round of $1 billion, with Altman set to participate, as reported by the Financial Times.
Retro Biosciences aims to initiate trials for medications targeting diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Recently, the company has collaborated with OpenAI to develop a model that transforms ordinary cells into stem cells.
Joe Betts-LaCroix, the CEO, expressed an ambition to accelerate the process of discovering and developing a drug “in the 2020s.”
This venture adds to the growing list of billionaire-funded longevity projects, which include Altos Labs, established with $3 billion in 2022 under the backing of Jeff Bezos, and Unity Biotechnology, which has the support of both Bezos and Peter Thiel.