Cellular rejuvenation company aims to advance new computational models to ‘decode the language of cellular resilience.’
Altos Labs has announced the launch of its Institute of Computation (IoC), a new initiative aimed at advancing AI and computational biology to support its mission to restore cellular health and resilience. The IoC will complement the existing Institutes of Science and Medicine within Altos’ collaborative research ecosystem, focusing on building data and computation platforms that help uncover the mechanisms behind cellular rejuvenation.
Altos burst onto the scene in 2022 with a cool $3 billion in financing to advance cellular rejuvenation programming as a method to restore the health of cells, tissues, organs, and entire organisms. Earlier this summer, Altos co-founder and Chief Scientist Rick Klausner hinted that the company had made some key progress when he participated in a panel discussing efforts to increase human healthspan by combatting age-related diseases.
With a global team composed of leading scientists, clinicians, and industry experts, Altos integrates expertise from diverse fields to address fundamental challenges in biological research and medicine. The IoC is seen as a crucial part of this strategy, designed to enhance the ability to leverage computational tools in pursuit of these goals, with the long-term objective of reversing disease and extending human healthspan.
“We created the Institute of Computation with our deep computational talent to leverage the profound advances being made in artificial intelligence and machine learning, and help Altos unravel the intricate processes that govern cell health and resilience,” said Altos CEO Hal Barron.
The IoC is a strategic initiative that aims to capitalize on Altos’ extensive data resources and the rapidly advancing capabilities in artificial intelligence and machine learning. These technologies will be used to address complex biological questions and develop platforms that facilitate the discovery and design of rejuvenation and reprogramming interventions.
The IoC is led by Dr Hana El-Samad, a renowned expert in computational biology, bioengineering, and control systems theory. Dr Thore Graepel, a distinguished AI and machine learning expert, will also play a key role as a Fellow within the organization.
“Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming the scientific ecosystem,” said El-Samad. “I’m honored to direct a strategic center of excellence to help Altos focus, through state-of-the-art computation and unique datasets, on scientific and translational problems that are critical for our inspiring mission.”
Altos’ founding Principal Investigators Morgan Levine and Simone Bianco also bring extensive scientific leadership to their roles as Vice Presidents at the IoC, as well as software development expert Bikash Sabata, who will serve as Vice President of Software and Platforms.
