LinkGevity funded for fresh fight against kidney disease

Anchored at the Babraham Research Campus and an affiliate of Cambridge University, LinkGevity says the funding will be used in a one-year project involving its Anti-Necrotic™ technology – specifically around acute tubular necrosis (ATN) – a leading cause of kidney dysfunction, degeneration and ageing.

By preserving organ function at the molecular level, through addressing the core mechanisms of unprogrammed cell death in ATN, LinkGevity could transform treatment pathways for patients at risk of kidney failure.

The company, founded by Dr. Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera, identifies and targets key pathological pathways, which are the molecular source of destructive cascades underlying multiple age-related conditions and biological decline.

It is developing a first-in-class anti-necrotic therapeutic which is set to initiate clinical trials this year for kidney disease and accelerated ageing.

Kidney disease is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide (WHO, 2024).

LinkGevity CEO, Dr. Carina Kern, said: “Being selected for an Innovate UK Smart Grant, where the competition is tough, is another endorsement of the potential of our approach.

“Necrosis has been an unresolved challenge in medical science for decades. It is a key driver of ageing biology and the loss of resilience with age as well as age-related diseases such as kidney disease and damage.

“This project will help us deliver a transformative solution that improves long-term organ health. With our Anti-Necrotic™ technology, we are pioneering a solution that could protect vital organs and the kidney in particular, from irreversible damage and ageing.”

COO Serena Kern-Libera added: “We are thrilled to have secured another noteworthy grant, which supports us in bringing our Anti-Necrotic™ technology to patients.

“As with last month’s announcement about our selection for the prestigious Francis Crick Institute KQ Labs programme, and our inclusion in the NASA Space-H programme, we’re delighted to be building momentum around our Anti-Necrotic™ approach and pushing the boundaries of innovation in medical science.”

The kidneys are among the most vulnerable organs to necrosis-related damage. Kidney disease has been rising sharply in the last two decades due to ageing populations and increasing comorbidities.

Patients have few treatment options beyond dialysis or transplantation both of which come with severe limitations including high costs to healthcare systems, poor quality of life, long waiting times and high rejection rates.

Traditional drug discovery approaches, which generally focus on single therapeutics for specific diseases, have struggled with age-related diseases which are by nature multifactorial.

LinkGevity’s technology platform seeks to disrupt this model by developing therapeutics that target key pathways across multiple diseases, offering the potential for a more comprehensive and effective approach to preventing age-related deterioration.

The company’s flagship therapeutic is a first-in-class Anti-Necrotic™, which targets one such pathological pathway: necrosis. It has earned a prestigious Horizon Europe grant from the European Union alongside UK government funding. LinkGevity was also chosen as one of only 12 companies globally for the NASA/Microsoft Space-Health Program, due to the Anti-Necrotic’s™ potential in preventing accelerated ageing and tissue degeneration in astronauts.

The company plans to initiate a flagship clinical trial later this year, using an accelerated ageing model in the kidney.