SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 24, 2015 –Calico, a company focused on aging research and therapeutics, and QB3, a University of California institute advancing biotechnology innovation, have partnered to conduct research into longevity and age-related diseases. This innovative partnership will create and foster an interdisciplinary community of scientists in these fields.
The objective of the four-year partnership is to make discoveries that will translate into a better understanding of the biology of aging and potential therapies for age-related diseases. With committed funding from Calico, the partnership will identify, fund and support QB3 research projects focused on aging. The partnership has two synergistic components: a broad sponsored research agreement to enable collaboration between Calico and multiple QB3 laboratories on specific research programs related to aging, and a grant mechanism to support innovation in longevity research led by QB3. Calico has the option to obtain exclusive rights to discoveries made under the sponsored research agreement.
“We are excited to enter into this groundbreaking agreement with QB3,” commented Hal Barron, President of Research & Development at Calico. “QB3’s focus on leading-edge life science and interdisciplinary projects makes it an ideal partner for the difficult challenges posed by aging and age-related diseases.”
For QB3, the partnership builds on momentum gained from a symposium the institute held in 2013, “The Science of Staying Younger Longer,” which featured leaders in the field such as National Academy of Sciences member Cynthia Kenyon, then a professor at UC San Francisco and now Vice President of Aging Research at Calico.
“We are all aging,” said QB3 Director Regis Kelly, “and we will all benefit from the discoveries made in this program and the therapies that will result. We are grateful to Calico for recognizing the deep expertise at the University of California that attracts so many scientists of exceptional ability. Tackling aging requires a translational perspective and multidisciplinary approach that QB3 is well-placed to coordinate.”
The sponsored research portion of the agreement was arranged with the help of the Office of Innovation, Technology and Alliances at UC San Francisco.
About QB3
QB3 is a cooperative effort among private industry and more than 250 scientists at UC San Francisco, UC Berkeley and UC Santa Cruz. One of four institutes created in 2000 by former California governor Gray Davis, QB3 has joint missions of supporting science, driving the California economy and transforming research into public good. QB3 commercializes UC research by supporting entrepreneurs and creating mutually beneficial partnerships with industry. The effort has led to the launching of hundreds of biotech startups and significant job creation in the San Francisco Bay Area. QB3 is also affiliated with Mission Bay Capital, an $11.3M seed-stage venture capital fund investing in startups in the UC ecosystem. Visit qb3.org.
About Calico
Calico (Calico Life Sciences LLC) is a Google-founded research and development company whose mission is to harness advanced technologies to increase our understanding of the biology that controls lifespan. Calico will use that knowledge to devise interventions that enable people to lead longer and healthier lives. Visit www.calicolabs.com.