Longeveron® Named XPRIZE Healthspan Semifinalist and Top 40 Milestone 1 Award Recipient

Company Overview - Longeveron Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing cellular therapies for life-threatening and chronic aging-related conditions [6] - The company's lead investigational product is laromestrocel (Lomecel-B™), an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell therapy derived from the bone marrow of young, healthy adult donors [6] - Laromestrocel has potential applications across various disease areas, including hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Alzheimer's disease, and aging-related frailty [6] Recent Developments - Longeveron has been selected as a Semi-Finalist Team in the XPRIZE Healthspan competition, receiving a $250,000 Milestone 1 Award [1][2] - The XPRIZE Healthspan competition is a 7-year,$101 million global initiative aimed at revolutionizing the approach to human aging [4] - The competition evaluates teams based on their scientific merit and the feasibility of their therapeutic approaches to restore or preserve functions lost to age-related degradation [2][4] Clinical Trials and FDA Designations - Laromestrocel has shown positive initial results in five clinical trials across three indications: Alzheimer's Disease, aging-related frailty, and HLHS [2] - The development programs for laromestrocel have received five significant U.S. FDA designations, including Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations for HLHS, and Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) and Fast Track designations for Alzheimer's Disease [2][6] Competition Goals - The XPRIZE Healthspan competition aims to develop therapeutics that can restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function by at least 10 years, with an ambitious goal of extending healthy life by 20 years [2][4] - The competition's top 100 teams were selected from over 600 applicants across 58 countries, with the potential for a grand prize of between $61 million and$81 million for the winning team [2][4]