Rejuvenate Bio Closes $6 Million Financing, Partners with Merck Animal Health to Advance Gene Therapy for Chronic Age-Related Diseases in Companion Animals
Key Insights
Rejuvenate Bio (search) closed a $6 million financing round led by VCapital (search), with participation from Merck Animal Health (search), Connecticut Innovations (search), and Digitalis (search).
The company entered a strategic R&D collaboration with Merck Animal Health (search) to advance a novel gene therapy program targeting animal health.
Proceeds will support the gene therapy platform and pipeline focused on chronic and age-associated diseases in companion animals.
Rejuvenate Bio (search), a San Diego-based biotechnology company, has closed a $6 million financing round and entered into a strategic research and development collaboration with Merck Animal Health (search), the company announced June 11, 2026. The dual milestone aims to accelerate the development of gene therapies targeting chronic and age-related diseases in companion animals.
The financing round was led by VCapital (search), with additional participation from Merck Animal Health (search), Kendall Capital Partners (search), Connecticut Innovations (search), and Digitalis (search). Proceeds will support continued advancement of Rejuvenate Bio (search)'s gene therapy platform and pipeline, including treatments designed to address chronic and age-associated diseases in companion animals.
Alongside the investment, Rejuvenate Bio (search) and Merck Animal Health (search) have launched a strategic R&D collaboration focused on advancing a novel gene therapy program in animal health. The partnership will leverage Rejuvenate Bio's proprietary platform technologies and translational expertise in longevity science.
"We believe gene therapy has the potential to fundamentally transform the treatment of chronic disease and age-related conditions," said Daniel Oliver, CEO and Co-Founder of Rejuvenate Bio (search). "This financing and strategic collaboration with Merck Animal Health (search) validates both the strength of our platform and the growing interest in innovative approaches to animal health. We are excited to work alongside leading investors and industry partners to accelerate the development of transformative therapies for veterinary medicine."
Scientific Foundation and Platform
Rejuvenate Bio (search)'s approach is grounded in scientific research developed at the Wyss Institute at Harvard Medical School. The company has built a gene therapy pipeline centered on clinically validated gene targets and a delivery approach engineered to ensure well-tolerated, durable expression of therapeutic genes. By modifying biological pathways associated with aging through targeted genetic interventions, the company aims to extend healthy lifespan and treat chronic diseases.
The platform focuses on both veterinary and human health applications, though the current financing and collaboration emphasize companion animal health. The company's long-term vision extends to potential human health applications, targeting some of the most significant unmet needs across species.
Strategic Validation
Andrew Worden, Founding Partner at Lifespan Vision Ventures (search)—an early investor in Rejuvenate Bio (search)—stated, "We are proud to see Rejuvenate Bio reach this important milestone. The confidence shown by Merck Animal Health (search)—both as an investor and a collaborator—speaks to the strength of the team and the promise of their science."
Merck Animal Health (search) characterized the investment and collaboration as reflecting its commitment to supporting innovative technologies that address unmet needs in veterinary medicine. The partnership is expected to explore new therapeutic approaches that could transform the treatment of chronic diseases in animals.
Rejuvenate Bio (search) believes that advances in gene delivery, translational biology, and longevity science can create a new generation of therapies capable of improving health outcomes and extending quality of life for both animals and, eventually, humans.