LiveLabs-based LinkGevity working to help us live healthier lives for longer

Biotech startup LinkGevity, co-founded by sisters Dr. Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera , is one of the companies based in our LiveLabs.

The pioneering drug discovery company is founded on ground-breaking research in longevity science with the aim of changing the paradigm of ageing, paving the way for people to live healthier lives for longer.

The sisters jokingly say they have been ‘training since birth to be in a team together’ but took different paths to get to this point of their entrepreneurial journey.

Carina completed her PhD at University College London’s Institute of Healthy Ageing before spending three years as a research fellow at UCL.

She knew from an early age that her focus would be on ageing after experiencing the difference in healthcare offered to her as a child compared to elderly relatives: “Whenever I had an injury or a problem, very quickly I would get the treatment. At the same time I recall my grandmother deteriorating. It was a great contrast and I asked myself if ageing is inevitable why are there not interventions?”

Her previous work is known for having discovered the cause of ageing in model organisms and was widely reported.

Meanwhile, after achieving her law degree Serena initially worked as a corporate lawyer at Slaughter and May covering the healthcare and pharma sectors. Prior to co-founding LinkGevity she held senior leadership roles at HM Treasury and the Bank of England. She subsequently decided to step down from these roles and is working full time with Carina and their team to deliver LinkGevity’s exciting vision.

Treating age-related diseases

LinkGevity is working to apply AI to a novel blueprint theory of ageing developed by Carina, alongside a number of other renowned longevity and medical experts. The output is novel drug discoveries that can treat age-related diseases and conditions.

One of LinkGevity’s first discoveries is a pioneering Anti-Necrosis agent which could play a part in keeping organs healthier for longer and keeping age-related disease and life-threatening conditions that impact quality of life at bay. The discovery has vast applicability, to multiple diseases and conditions, and the sisters have an ambitious plan to have the Anti-Necrosis agent approved as the first ever drug to treat ageing.

Now the team is up and running in the lab the sisters’ ambition has the chance to become reality.

Our LiveLabs facility provides flexible, fully serviced, and equipped co-working lab space for early-stage life science companies and the sisters say being based at Babraham opens up an ‘ecosystem of other brilliant minds’ as it’s a ‘rich pool of brainpower’.

Find out more about LiveLabs - Babraham Research Campus and keep up to date with LinkGevity by giving the account a follow.