GlycanAge Raises $4.2M to Optimise Ageing

Healthspan-focused startups want to put an end to old age.

What’s happening: UK-based biotech startup GlycanAge raised $4.2M to expand beyond biological age testing to develop disease-specific tests aimed at early detection.

Part of its vision to connect the dots between preventative care, diagnostics and longevity, Nikolina Lauc, GlycanAge’s CEO, says the funding marks a turning point in its journey towards “transforming healthcare and empowering individuals to take control of their well-being”.

Why it matters: Delivering personalised insights and lifestyle recommendations aimed at optimising the ageing process, GlycanAge has made waves by analysing glycan biomarkers (complex carbohydrate molecules), rather than genes or DNA, to measure users’ biological age.

Despite establishing a presence in 60+ markets with its DIY testing kits, new technology unlocking glycobiology’s ability to predict, prevent and treat diseases will enable a natural evolution to the broader medical diagnostics space.

Fountain of youth. With the anti-ageing and longevity market poised to reach $27T by 2026, activity in the space is accelerating.

• Swiss longevity supplement brand Timeline Nutrition recently secured $66M to develop new products and applications.
• Longevity company builder Maximon is scaling healthspan clinic AYUN, longevity supplements brand AVEA, and health optimisation SaaS Biolytica.
• Last year, US brand Tally Health raised $10M to scale its personalised longevity platform and own-brand supplement, Vitality.

Elsewhere… the UK’s Genflow Biosciences is developing gene therapies designed to slow ageing and, connecting long life to better screening, Neko Health leverages AI to detect signs of skin cancer and chronic diseases.

Takeaway: As longevity moves sharper into focus, research and implementation are still lagging. Getting to work on a clear regulatory strategy for clinically backed solutions, GlycanAge plans to bridge the gap.