Calico is a research and development company focused on understanding the biology of aging and age-related diseases. It was founded in 2013 and is led by CEO Arthur D. Levinson and CSO David Botstein. The goal of Calico is to extend the human lifespan by developing new therapies and technologies to combat age-related diseases. Calico is currently working with academic labs at Harvard and MIT as well as the pharmaceutical giant AbbVie to develop drugs that combat neurodegeneration and harness the power of the immune system to fight cancer. These drugs are currently in Phase I studies. In addition, the companies are advancing a strong pipeline of novel targets that includes more than 20 active programs in discovery or preclinical development in age-related diseases. The lead Calico neurodegeneration molecule (ABBV-CLS-7262) is an eIF2B activator which targets a key regulator of the highly conserved integrated stress response pathway. Inhibition of this pathway has therapeutic potential in a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS, Parkinson’s disease and traumatic brain injury. April 26,2023, Calico announces that the first participant has been dosed in a Phase 1b clinical trial, (study M23-523; NCT05757141), evaluating the investigational eIF2B activator ABBV-CLS-7262 as a potential treatment for Vanishing White Matter (VWM) disease.