Juvenescence Limited, a clinical-stage AI-enabled biotech company, has secured $76 million in the first close of its Series B-1 financing round. The investment was led by cornerstone investor M42, an Abu Dhabi-based health technology company, with participation from existing investors. The company plans to complete the second close of the Series B-1 round in the third quarter of 2025.
The newly secured capital will enable Juvenescence to advance its portfolio of therapeutics targeting age-related diseases into clinical development and deliver critical clinical readouts for its core medicine pipeline. This marks the company's first equity funding since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Strategic Partnership with M42
The investment from M42 extends beyond financial backing, forming part of a comprehensive strategic partnership aimed at identifying and developing AI-enabled therapeutics to extend healthy lifespan and advance treatments for life-threatening diseases. Together, the companies will establish a drug development hub in Abu Dhabi.
This collaboration will leverage M42's expertise in digital healthcare data, genomics, bioanalysis, and clinical trial infrastructure alongside Juvenescence's AI-enabled discovery technology and drug development experience. A Joint Steering Committee comprising senior executives from both companies will oversee the partnership's execution.
Dr. Fahed Al Marzooqi, CEO of M42's Integrated Health Solutions platform and acting CEO of its AI Life Sciences platform, emphasized the significance of the partnership: "By uniting AI innovation with biotech expertise, we're not only advancing the fight against age-related diseases but also building a global ecosystem that empowers prevention, precision and progress, delivering transformative therapies from Abu Dhabi to the world."
Advancing the Longevity Medicine Pipeline
Juvenescence's approach centers on developing medicines that target core aging mechanisms to treat and prevent age-related diseases. The company's pipeline includes clinical and near-clinical stage candidates focusing on cognition, cardio-metabolism, immunity, and cellular repair.
Dr. Richard Marshall CBE, CEO of Juvenescence, expressed gratitude for the investment and enthusiasm about the partnership: "Our world class team of senior drug developers, together with our academic and biotech partners, are excited and proud that Juvenescence is now a clinical stage biotechnology company and our AI expansion will speed up the clinical development of these assets."
Leadership with Proven Track Record
Juvenescence was founded by Jim Mellon, Dr. Greg Bailey, and Dr. Declan Doogan, who collectively have led two of the ten largest biopharma deals in the last decade, including the $11.6 billion sale of Biohaven to Pfizer. The company's R&D leadership team, under Dr. Marshall's direction, has previously been instrumental in the approval of medicines totaling $30 billion in peak annual sales.
The company's approach combines this experienced leadership with cutting-edge AI tools to accelerate therapeutic development. Beyond its internal pipeline, Juvenescence has investments in several companies and platform technologies focused on AI and regenerative medicine.
Building a Global Longevity Ecosystem
The partnership between Juvenescence and M42 will explore collaboration in R&D with leading academic and research organizations both in the UAE and globally, supporting Abu Dhabi's broader life sciences strategy. The companies aim to identify novel drug targets and therapeutics while building a sustainable, long-term collaboration.
As the "healthy lifespan" space continues to attract significant investment, Juvenescence's latest funding round positions the company to advance its mission of extending healthy human lifespan through innovative, AI-driven therapeutic development.
