CohBar Founder Dr. Nir Barzilai Awarded the 2018 Fondation IPSEN Longevity Prize
Honored for his groundbreaking research on the determinants of longevity in human centenarians and associated models
MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 26, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria based therapeutics (MBTs) to treat age-related diseases, today announced that company co-founder Dr. Nir Barzilai has been awarded the Fondation IPSEN Longevity Prize during the 22nd Geriatric Society of America meeting, which was held on November 17 in Boston.
The IPSEN international jury, chaired by Professor Thomas Kirkwood, Professor Emeritus at Newcastle University Institute for Aging and Health, and Professor at the University of Copenhagen Center for Healthy Aging, unanimously selected Dr. Barzilai for his pioneering research on the molecular, genetic and hormonal mechanisms that can extend human longevity. During the meeting, Dr. Barzilai delivered an award lecture entitled, “Unfolding the Secrets of Exceptional Longevity,” which included an overview of his ongoing collaboration with CohBar co-founder Dr. Pinchas Cohen and their discovery and development of mitochondrial-derived peptides as potential therapeutics for the treatment of age-related diseases.
“This recognition of Dr. Barzilai by Fondation IPSEN offers strong validation of his pioneering work in the field of aging, particularly in the arena of mitochondrial genetics and the biology of aging,” said Albion Fitzgerald, Chairman of the Board of CohBar. “We remain grateful to Dr. Barzilai for his ongoing guidance and contributions to the significant advances being made by CohBar in the development of mitochondrial-derived peptides to treat age-related diseases and extend healthy lifespan.”
Dr. Nir Barzilai is the director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research and of the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging.
Dr. Barzilai’s research interests are in the biology and genetics of aging and his group has identified several functional mutations that contribute to the health span of centenarians. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed papers and reviews, and serves on the board of the American Federation for Aging Research. He is also a founder and director of CohBar, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops mitochondrial-derived peptides as potential treatments for age-related diseases, and also serves as an advisor to Life Biosciences, LLC. Dr. Barzilai has been the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Beeson Fellow for Aging Research, the Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar in Aging Award, the Paul F. Glenn Foundation Award, the NIA Nathan Shock Award and the 2010 Irving S. Wright Award.
Dr. Barzilai is currently leading an international effort to approve drugs that can target aging. Targeting Aging with METformin (TAME) is a specific study designed to prove the concept that multi-morbidities of aging can be delayed by Metformin, a drug that helps maintain balanced blood sugar levels in the body and is commonly used to treat Type 2 diabetes, heart disorders and polycystic ovary syndrome. Dr. Barzilai is working with the FDA to approve this approach which will serve as a template for future efforts to delay aging and its diseases in humans.
Dr. Barzilai has also taken part in a number of global initiatives and has spoken at The Milken Global Institute, Asian Megatrends and is an advisor for the Prime Minister of Singapore on Aging. His work has been profiled by major media, including the New York Times, the BBC and PBS' NOVA science now, TEDx talk Science and is the leading feature on the Ron Howard/Jonathan Silberberg/National Geographic film about the Age of Aging.
About the Fondation IPSEN Longevity Prize
Created in 1996, the prize of the Fondation IPSEN recognizes the global importance of the continuing increase in human life expectancy. This remarkable increase has implications for a very wide range of scientific disciplines as well for the organization of society in all of its aspects. The Prize has been awarded every year to renowned specialists in Longevity.
About CohBar
CohBar (NASDAQ: CWBR) is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the research and development of mitochondria based therapeutics (MBTs), an emerging class of drugs for the treatment of age-related diseases. MBTs originate from the discovery by CohBar’s founders of a novel group of peptides within the mitochondrial genome which regulate metabolism and cell death, and whose biological activity declines with age. CohBar’s efforts focus on the development of these mitochondrial-derived peptides (MDPs) into clinically relevant MBTs that offer the potential to address a broad range of age-related diseases with underlying metabolic dysfunction, including nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), obesity, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. To date, the company and its founders have discovered more than 100 MDPs. For additional company information, please visit www.cohbar.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements (statements which are not historical facts) within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the therapeutic potential of mitochondrial-derived peptides for the treatment of age-related diseases. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by CohBar. These risks and uncertainties are described in detail in our registration statements, reports and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian securities regulators, which are available on our website, and at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com. You are cautioned that such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements and other information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and CohBar does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Nothing herein shall constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities.
Contacts:
Jon Stern, COO
CohBar, Inc.
(650) 446-7888
jon.stern@cohbar.com
Joyce Allaire
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com
Released November 26, 2018