Longevity Biotech Companies GERO and FOXO Technologies™ to Embark on Joint Initiative on Artificial Intelligence and Epigenetic Data to Discover Signatures of Human Health Trajectories

PALO ALTO, Calif. & MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- GERO, a leading AI-driven biotechnology company focused on aging and longevity and FOXO Technologies Inc. (NYSEAM: FOXO), a leader in epigenetic biomarker discovery and commercialization, today announced the commencement of discussions to form a strategic collaboration between the two companies. As a result, FOXO and GERO will seek to develop an AI-driven personalized wellness and longevity recommendation engine based on proprietary epigenetic data.

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This collaboration occurs in the wake of recent advancements from GERO, which sparked vigorous discussion among longevity experts in the scientific community when a story was published in Popular Mechanics that asserted Humans Can Stop—But Not Fully Reverse—Aging. GERO’s machine-learning technology platform is being applied to discover potential therapeutic targets for fibrotic diseases using large-scale human data in collaboration with a large biopharma.

What this means for wellness and longevity

FOXO Technology’s unique datasets are a missing link in understanding the utility, reliability, and reversibility of epigenetic signatures of health and longevity. Augmented by GERO´s AI-driven understanding of human aging, this collaboration promises to enhance risk segmentation of individuals based on longitudinal changes in their epigenetic patterns. The overarching goal of this joint effort is to uncover new ways to personalize lifestyle-based interventions to delay the onset of chronic diseases and, ultimately, mortality.

What this means for longevity biotechnology

GERO and FOXO share the goal of helping people live healthier for longer, whether through the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics, or by lifestyle modifications. FOXO’s founding was based, in part, on the discovery of “epigenetic clocks” — a benchmark measure of biological aging, in which FOXO’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Brian Chen played a key role in demonstrating its utility. Since its founding, FOXO has generated data and partnerships to accelerate the development and commercialization of epigenetic signatures with the goal of gaining unique insights to one’s health and longevity.

Dr. Peter Fedichev [CEO and co-founder of GERO], sees enormous promise for the insights derived from longitudinal epigenetic data to address life and health span.

“Our goal is to slow down or even stop human aging. Epigenetics has revolutionized the way in which the field has thought about biological aging, but we have only scratched the surface. With FOXO’s unique expertise and resources, we hope to unlock more nuanced relationships between epigenetics and aging that haven’t been previously understood,” commented Fedichev.

GERO invites partnerships for novel target identification and comprehensive drug discovery collaborations, as exemplified by its recent work with a biopharma leader. GERO’s scientific excellence and outstanding drug-discovery capabilities are the basis for the range of landmark papers in aging and drug discovery fields that shape the future of the industry, published in numerous magazines, including Nature Communications (1, 2, 3), and Science journals and are covered by Scientific American, Popular Mechanics (5, 6), and other media outlets.

About GERO

GERO is a biotechnology company using physics-based generative models on human health record datasets, combined with AI-guided drug design, to develop transformative interventions for aging and age-related diseases. To achieve this goal, GERO acquired a massive dataset of longitudinal, real-world medical records and built a generative, very large model of human health. The model is based on principles adopted from the physics of complex and dynamic systems and reveals the irreversible nature of human aging while highlighting the reversible aspects of diseases, distinguishing the two phenomena. It also reveals causal relationships between microscopic molecular- and organism-level features associated with diseases to enable rapid targeting and drug discovery, directly in human data.

GERO’s preclinical stage drug candidate demonstrates promising potential in addressing a diverse spectrum of neurodegenerative diseases. A separate ongoing drug discovery project to develop an anti-aging vaccine, instrumental in the treatment of senescence-associated diseases, has resulted in one of the most robust mice rejuvenation results globally. GERO’s other earlier stage highly ambitious project aims to identify a drug aimed at significantly decelerating the aging process. The company’s published research (7, 8), supports the notion that targeting the specific phenotype — the rate at which humans lose resilience — holds the key to achieving a substantial, several-fold extension of health span and life span, far exceeding so-called natural limits.

To learn more about how GERO is hacking complex diseases and aging, visit gero.ai and check out the latest interviews of GERO CEO Peter Fedichev: video and text.

About FOXO Technologies Inc. (“FOXO”)

FOXO Technologies is a pioneering biotechnology company at the forefront of commercializing epigenetic biomarker technology. Their mission is to utilize the power of epigenetics and artificial intelligence to generate data-driven insights that promote optimal health and longevity outcomes for individuals and organizations alike. For more information about FOXO, visit www.foxotechnologies.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements for purposes of the “safe harbor” provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements other than statements of historical fact contained herein, including statements as to future results of operations and financial position, planned products and services, business strategy and plans, objectives of management for future operations of FOXO, market size and growth opportunities, competitive position and technological and market trends, are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements include, but not limited to, expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions, plans, prospects, financial results or strategies regarding FOXO, whether FOXO and GERO will form a strategic collaboration; whether any strategic collaboration between FOXO and GERO will enable FOXO and GERO to develop an AI-driven personalized wellness and longevity recommendation engine, enhance risk segmentation of individuals based on longitudinal changes in their epigenetic patterns, or uncover new ways to personalize lifestyle-based interventions that can delay the onset of chronic diseases and mortality; the future financial condition and performance of FOXO and the products and markets and expected future performance and market opportunities of FOXO. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “expect,” “estimate,” “future,” “intend,” “strategy,” “may,” “might,” “strategy,” “opportunity,” “plan,” project,” “possible,” “potential,” “project,” “predict,” “scales,” “representative of,” “valuation,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) the risk of changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which FOXO operates, variations in operating performance across competitors or changes in laws and regulations affecting FOXO’s business; (ii) the ability to implement FOXO’s business plans, forecasts, and other expectations; (iii) the ability to obtain financing if needed; (iv) the ability to maintain its NYSE American listing; (v) the risk that FOXO has a history of losses and may not achieve or maintain profitability in the future; (vi) potential inability of FOXO to establish or maintain relationships required to advance its goals or to achieve its commercialization and development plans; (vii) the enforceability of FOXO’s intellectual property, including its patents and the potential infringement on the intellectual property rights of others; and (viii) the risk of downturns and a changing regulatory landscape in the highly competitive biotechnology industry or in the markets or industries in which FOXO’s prospective customers operate. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Readers should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties discussed in FOXO’s most recent reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q, particularly the “Risk Factors” sections of those reports, and in other documents FOXO has filed, or will file, with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and FOXO assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

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