GLP-1: From Obesity to Longevity
GLP-1: From Obesity to Longevity
GLP-1 drugs are rapidly reshaping medicine. Initially developed for obesity and diabetes, they are now showing broader effects across metabolic health, cardiovascular risk, inflammation, and other core drivers of aging. This has sparked a bigger question across biotech and pharma: could GLP-1s become the first mass-market longevity drugs?
🎤 This meetup explores the rise of longevity biotech and the emergence of longevity drugs — therapeutics designed not just to treat disease, but to extend healthspan by targeting fundamental aging pathways.
🧬 Intro: GLP-1 & longevity trends
By Arnaud Auger, Director & Deputy Head of C.Lab at Cathay Innovation (global venture capital firm), and Founder & Leader of Don’t Die San Francisco, a community of longevity enthusiasts.
🌟 Special guests
Nathan Cheng, General Partner at Healthspan Capital, one of the most active global investors in longevity biotech (“LongBio”). Nathan works at the intersection of aging biology, translational therapeutics, and next-generation drug platforms, and brings a rare science-first investment perspective on where longevity drugs are headed.
Panel: leaders shaping longevity biotech
A panel bringing together operators, investor and founders at the forefront of longevity therapeutics and aging biology:
Sehresh Saleem, PhD (Moderator)
Longevity Biotech Fellow and Director of Programs at Sangamo Therapeutics, a publicly traded gene therapy company pioneering genomic medicines for rare diseases and aging-related indications.
Monica Isgut, PhD
CEO of a longevity biotech therapeutics startup, working at the intersection of AI, drug discovery, and longevity biotech.
Omri Amirav-Drory, PhD
General Partner at NFX Bio, biotech entrepreneur and investor backing early-stage techbio founders, with prior experience as Founder and CEO of Genome Compiler, acquired by Twist Bioscience.
Nathan Cheng
Managing Partner at Healthspan Capital, one of the most active early-stage investors globally in longevity biotech (“LongBio”).
Israel Pichardo-Casas
CEO and Co-founder of Nentropic Bioproducts, focused on peptidomics of aging, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic development to extend healthspan.
💊 We’ll discuss how GLP-1s are evolving from single-indication treatments into potential platform therapeutics, what this means for pharma pipelines, and which signals matter versus hype.
💬 What’s real today? What’s still speculative? And what does the next decade of longevity drugs look like?
🤝 Co-organized with
Don’t Die SF — the San Francisco community inspired by Bryan Johnson’s Don’t Die Summit, bringing together people passionate about longevity, healthspan, and living better for longer.
HealthTech Women — supporting women in leadership and innovation across the health industry, led by Carla Brenner, CEO of Roots by Genetic Arts.
📍 Hosted at the San Francisco office of Cathay Innovation — a global venture capital firm investing in category-defining startups across sectors, including healthcare (Owkin, Sidecar health, Bioptimus, Nabla, Aqemia, Inato, Tucuvi, Clivi, and more).
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