Retro Biosciences and a New Global Vision for Brain Health
In 2021, Retro Biosciences entered the longevity space with a clear promise: extend human healthspan by ten years. Behind the venture is Sam Altman, who has already invested $180 million of his personal fortune. The company is led by Joe Betts-LaCroix and is working across multiple fronts, but its most closely watched project is a small pill that carries outsized expectations.
The drug, called RTR242, is aimed at tackling Alzheimer’s disease. What makes this really unique is a focus on autophagy, which is a kind of natural cellular recycling of damaged components. However, with the passing of time, this process gets impaired, and toxic debris being left behind clogs neurones, hence disrupting brain function. Retro is developing a way to switch this mechanism back on, not to slow deterioration but to repair what has already been damaged.
Clinical Steps Toward Human Trials
Retro is moving quickly toward human testing. Preclinical studies are in progress, and the company expects to start its first safety trial in Australia by late 2025. The decision to work in Australia is pragmatic: early-stage clinical approvals are faster there, enabling companies to move from lab to human data without prolonged delays. Vendors are in place, and a trial site has been chosen, with enrolment planned before year-end 2025.
For those following the biotech sector, these steps are crucial. A Phase 1 trial is designed only to confirm safety, but it sets the foundation for testing effectiveness. Success at this stage could move the conversation about brain health in a new direction.
A Pipeline Beyond One Drug
RTR242 may be the headline story, but Retro is building a portfolio that reflects its broader ambition. The company has been pushing RTR890, targeting stem cell initiation as a treatment for diseases such as leukaemia, and RTR888 for CNS disorders through stem-cell-based therapies. Meanwhile, Retro is also working on cell reprogramming, targeting cells for their resetting to an embryonic state. It is reported that the company has developed an AI called GPT-4b micro that can multiply the expression of reprogramming markers by nearly fifty-fold against natural factors.
This combination of projects reveals a brand that is not only chasing single-disease solutions but also aiming to redefine what it means to grow old. In an industry where many firms target one therapy at a time, Retro is working in parallel across several biological frontiers.
Funding and Global Scale
The financial scale of Retro’s ambition is striking. Altman’s $180 million has given the company a solid base, but the real push is a planned $1 billion Series A raise. Such numbers place Retro in the same conversation as Altos Labs, a longevity company backed by Jeff Bezos, which has secured billions in funding. For the global biotech community, Retro’s capital strategy signals that longevity is not just a niche pursuit but a field with broad appeal and potential for commercial impact.
Implications for Global Health
Alzheimer’s is not confined to one nation. More than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, according to the World Health Organisation, and that number is expected to rise sharply as populations age. When it comes to the economic costs, they are just as staggering, running into hundreds of billions of dollars yearly all over Europe, Asia, and North America. A drug capable of restoring cellular recycling inside the brain would not only change the lives of patients but also alleviate the financial burden on healthcare systems.
For ageing societies, especially in Japan and Europe, RTR242-like therapies could radically change aged care trajectories. In the countries with younger populations, such as India, will early maximisation of longevity science help prevent a backward crisis? Retro’s work, therefore, speaks not only to patients but to policymakers and health systems seeking sustainable ways to manage demographic change.
The Global Identity of Retro Biosciences
Retro is shaping itself as more than a Silicon Valley startup. Its narrative is global, anchored in a promise that is simple to understand: ten extra healthy years. That clarity resonates across borders where complex scientific claims often lose their audience. Through actualising its science, the company crafts an aspirational and measurable narrative around it.
Its use of AI also places it in a unique position. While many biotech firms experiment with machine learning, Retro integrates these tools into its core mission. That integration is not just about efficiency but about framing technology as essential to rethinking ageing itself. For a global audience, this alignment strengthens its identity as a brand that operates at the frontier of both biology and technology.
Looking Ahead
Retro Biosciences is not yet at the stage of delivering therapies to patients. All that now remains are the real tests in clinical trials, which might mark their safety, efficacy, and scalability. Meanwhile, the implications are consequential. If successful, Retro could change how the world addresses one of its greatest health challenges: the burden of neurodegenerative disease.
The broader question for you is whether the promise of ten extra healthy years is enough to reframe your expectations of medicine. Can a single company redefine how societies prepare for ageing populations? And will patients around the world trust a pill that claims to revive the brain’s recycling system?