Generation Lab emerges from stealth with new biological age test

Irina Conboy and George Church behind startup that measures ‘molecular noise’ to determine your biological age and risk of disease.
San Francisco-based longevity startup Generation Lab has emerged from stealth – securing pre-seed funding and unveiling its mission to extend human healthspan. With its roots in the University of California at Berkeley, the company has developed an at-home cheek-swab aging test, which measures the “molecular disbalance” that indicates rate of aging and risk of disease.

Co-founded by leading aging and longevity researcher, UC Berkeley professor Irina Conboy, Generation Lab employs a clinically driven approach to measure an individual’s biological age progression and assess their risk of disease. Unlike traditional biological clocks, the company says its method relies on precise measurement of molecular biological noise, which it claims offers a more nuanced understanding of the aging process.

“Certain molecular disbalance causes degenerative diseases that flare up with aging,” said Conboy. “Generation Lab’s tests enable us to identify when a person has a proclivity towards certain conditions and suggest approaches that can help to attenuate, delay or even eliminate those risks. This paves the way to novel anti-aging medicine for identifying and treating diseases early – even when a person is pre-symptomatic – which leads to better outcomes.”

Consumers can expect to pay around $400 per year for three at-home tests. Each test involves a self-administered cheek-swab, which is then sent to Generation Lab for the measurement of various biological markers related to aging. The company calculates the individual biological age of a host of biological functions, ranging from inflammation and regeneration to homeostasis and reproduction.

Within a few weeks, participants receive a personalized report detailing their molecular aging markers, along with recommendations for clinical and lifestyle interventions. Subsequent tests allow the effectiveness of interventions on health and rate of aging to be assessed over time.

Renowned geneticist, Harvard professor George Church is an advisor to Generation Lab.

“Irina and her team are taking cutting edge research straight out of the lab and applying it to a pressing issue: identifying disease much earlier than ever before possible using genetic markers,” he said. “Seeing this unfold, and having a front-row seat to its impact, is going to be a pivotal moment in epigenetics – it’s incredibly exciting.”

Generation Lab has secured pre-seed funding from Transpose Platform and Neil Shen, the founding partner of Sequoia China, and anticipates making its aging test kits available in Q1 2024. According to the company, a waitlist on its website has already attracted more than 1,000 people.

Other members of Generation Lab’s executive team include co-founders Alina Rui Su, previously CEO of NovaXS, and Michael Suswal, former COO of tech startup Standard AI.

“As rejuvenation research expands, we need to focus on identifying the most effective measurement for aging,” said Su.

READ MORE: Can measuring ‘biological noise’ tell us our true biological age?

Generation Lab emerges from stealth with new biological age test