SBIR/STTR Award attributes
Special Operations Forces (SOF) are an integral aspect of the US military. SOF operators are among the most elite and highly qualified individuals in the U.S. military. As such, extraordinary physical and mental demands are placed upon them to excel in extreme environments for extended periods of time. This unrelenting cycle of combat deployments and intense pre-deployment training shortens the functional life of operators, a highly undesirable outcome. Rejuvenate Bio developed a gene therapy platform that identified genes that can increase the stress-resistance, health and lifespan of mice as well as mitigate three different age-related diseases (heart failure, diabetes and obesity). We believe that these novel gene therapies will also enhance performance due to their modulations of stress responses and metabolic energy pathways. As a first step toward developing therapies for humans, we propose to measure the effect of these gene therapies on endurance, speed of recovery, and resistance to muscle damage. Completion of this Phase I study will enable us to begin Phase II testing of these therapies ability to enhance performance in a large animal model (canines). Using aging as a model to discover performance enhancing genes will allow for increased performance now and far into the future.
