Retro Biosciences
Commercial
About
Retro Biosciences is a biotechnology company in Redwood City, California, with the stated mission of adding ten years to healthy human lifespan. It was co-founded by Joe Betts-LaCroix, who serves as CEO, and emerged from stealth in 2022 with USD 180 million in funding that press reports attributed to Sam Altman. The company runs programmes in autophagy enhancement, iPSC-derived microglia and hematopoietic stem cells, in vivo tissue reprogramming delivered by AAV, and chemical rejuvenation. Its lead candidate, RTR242, an oral small molecule intended to restore autophagy, entered a phase 1 trial in 2025. With OpenAI, it used a protein-engineering language model (GPT-4b micro) to design Yamanaka-factor variants. In May 2026 it announced the initial close of a new financing round at a USD 1.8 billion pre-money valuation, with further first-in-human milestones planned for 2026 and 2027.
Rating breakdown
Aggregate 32/100 · rank #14 in the commercial table full ratings →
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Discovery56
Trials from ClinicalTrials.gov (this org as lead sponsor), matched to aging by their condition or intervention.
- RTR242, oral small-molecule autophagy enhancer (Alzheimer's disease indication), in phase 1 since 2025 ↗
- RTR888 (iPSC-derived microglial progenitors, CNS conditions) and RTR890 (iPSC-derived hematopoietic stem cells, blood disorders) ↗
- Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single/multiple ascending oral dose study of RTR242 in healthy subjects (first-in-human dosing December 2025) ↗
Development0
No clinical-stage geroprotective trials recorded.
Fundraising65
- 2022-04 — Retro Biosciences initial funding publicly reported as USD 180 million, provided by Sam Altman (launch, 2022) · USD 180M · Sam Altman source ↗
Education5
- Joe Betts-LaCroix ARDD speaker 2024;2025;2026 source ↗
Key outputs
- drug candidate RTR242, oral small-molecule autophagy enhancer (Alzheimer's disease indication), in phase 1 since 2025 ↗ 2025
- drug candidate RTR888 (iPSC-derived microglial progenitors, CNS conditions) and RTR890 (iPSC-derived hematopoietic stem cells, blood disorders) ↗ 2026
- other GPT-4b micro collaboration with OpenAI: engineered Yamanaka-factor variants (RetroSOX, RetroKLF) with increased reprogramming-marker expression in vitro ↗ 2025
- publication Multi-omic rejuvenation and life span extension on exposure to youthful circulation (Nature Aging; Retro Biosciences co-authors) ↗ 2023
- clinical trial Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single/multiple ascending oral dose study of RTR242 in healthy subjects (first-in-human dosing December 2025) ↗ 2025
Financial
Financing rounds
| Date | Amount | Round | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04 | USD 180M | Retro Biosciences initial funding publicly reported as USD 180 million, provided by Sam Altman (launch, 2022) | Sam Altman |
Key people
Research fields
Links
Sources
- https://www.retro.bio/
- https://www.retro.bio/team
- https://www.retro.bio/pipeline
- https://www.retro.bio/science
- https://www.retro.bio/careers
- https://www.retro.bio/blog/fundraise-2026
- https://openai.com/index/accelerating-life-sciences-research-with-retro-biosciences/
- https://www.mcri.edu.au/news/news-stories/new-us-35m-partnership-to-advance-blood-disorder-therapies
- https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/03/08/1069523/sam-altman-investment-180-million-retro-biosciences-longevity-death/
- https://www.biospace.com/article/retro-biosciences-launches-with-180-million-to-increase-healthy-human-lifespan-by-10-years-/
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-023-00451-9