Laura Deming

CEO, co-founder

2024 - Current

Partner

2023

Partner

2011

The Longevity Fund is a specialty life science venture capital firm focused on pharmaceutical companies developing therapies for aging-associated pathology. Our team identifies pioneering science that holds the promise of addressing late-onset medical conditions and works with scientists and entrepreneurs to advance enterprises that can translate research into effective preclinical drug development programs. We welcome proposals from companies and laboratories with translational research in this area.

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2015 - 2016

Alexo Therapeutics was formed in 2015 as an independent, private biotech company, located in South San Francisco. We are developing new protein-based therapeutics to treat cancer.

Thiel Fellow

2011 - 2013

Peter Thiel, PayPal founder and original Facebook investor, grants 24 young entrepreneurs $100,000 to move to Silicon Valley and pursue 'game-changing' entrepreneurial ventures.

Researcher - Firestein Lab

2011 - 2011

Screened using biochemical and cell-based assays to identify a promising therapeutic target for a lung cancer subtype with no effective targeted therapy. Co-first authorship publication in Clinical Cancer Research from 3 months of intense research. Presented results at a poster session and department-wide meeting.

Researcher

2010 - 2011

Studying development and morphogenesis, mimicking nature with pattern-forming genetic circuits. Helping to develop novel DNA construction techniques, independently designing and assemblng complex genetic constructs to assay pattern formation via programmed cell-cell adhesion.

Researcher

2010 - 2010

Collaborated in a team to build a set of cell lines to act as a 'cellular touchpad'. Engineered cells to respond to pressure, synthesized a genetic switch circuit, and artificially modulated bone differentiation. Planned complete experimental outline, from DNA sequence design, to bacterial plasmid construction, to implementation in mammalian tissue culture. Organized a poster and helped create a public website to explain the project. Presented results at a three-day synthetic biology conference.

Researcher

2009 - 2010

Investigated the therapeutic potential of SIRT1 in mammalian aging and osteoporosis. Preformed biochemical assays to investigate protein function. Worked with mutant mouse lines to establish osteoporotic assays. Independently conducted experiments while organizing sample delivery to collaborators in Edinburgh.

Researcher

2006 - 2009

Worked full-time for 3 years in a C. elegans biology lab, exploring the effects of genetic and environmental signals on the aging process. Identified two candidate age-modulating proteins in the somatic gonad pathway. Presented results at biannual group meetings. Prepared a short manuscript to explain the project to a public audience.