Free Radicals Finding genes at scale for age reversal - Shift Bio CEO Daniel Ives
Feb 3, 2026
Dr. Daniel Ives, founder and CEO of Shift Bioscience and trained biochemist focused on mitochondrial biology and longevity, discusses single-cell aging clocks and gene-targeted aging reversal. He covers discovery of SB000, screening ~1500 genes to find age-regulating hits, SB101 as a druggable pro-aging target, virtual-cell models, and steps toward mouse validation and clinical development.
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Mitochondrial Function Relates To Epigenetic Ticking
- Mitochondria link to epigenetic clocks is nuanced: lowering membrane potential accelerates the clock, increasing mitochondria slows it.
- Specific mitochondrial interventions can shift epigenetic age directionally but results are context-dependent.
Disprove Your Hypothesis Before Scaling
- Disprove your hypothesis early and cheaply before committing others' money.
- Ives spent personal funds and the first investor check to rigorously test the mitochondrial hypothesis and pivot when the epigenetic clock didn't respond.
Don't Rely On A Single Consumer Clock Reading
- Treat consumer epigenetic clock results as entertainment unless you run multiple replicates.
- Steve Horvath suggests 5–7 tests and averaging to overcome sample variation before trusting individual changes.