Klotho Neuro to continue work in neurology while exploring additional opportunities to ‘support healthy aging and extend human longevity.’
Longevity-focused biotech Klotho Neurosciences quietly announced this week that it is extending its focus beyond neurology to pursue technologies that support muscle strength, bone health and other physiological indicators linked to healthy aging and longevity. While the company says it will continue advancing its programs targeting brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases, it is broadening its pipeline to include complementary approaches that aim to slow biological aging and maintain organ health.
Klotho Neuro’s origins stem from research on the klotho gene, first discovered in 1997 by Professor Makoto Kuro-O, who named it after the Greek goddess Klotho, who spun the thread of human life. He demonstrated that lower concentrations of klotho protein in the blood were associated with shortened lifespan in mammals, showing that genetic overexpression of full-length Klotho in mice could extend lifespan by 30% to 40%, and sparking interest in the protein’s role as a regulator of aging.
Klotho influences key biological pathways related to metabolism, inflammation and tissue repair, processes central to age-related decline. A growing body of research has since revealed that levels of klotho protein naturally decrease with age, contributing to conditions such as cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, sarcopenia, osteoporosis and other degenerative disorders. Building on this foundation, Klotho Neuro has been focused on restoring or enhancing klotho levels using gene and protein-based therapies.
A study published this year in Molecular Therapy, highlighted the therapeutic potential of the secreted form of klotho, known as s-KL. The research showed that elevating levels of s-KL in mice, including those prone to rapid aging, improved markers of healthy aging and extended lifespan by 20%. Last month, Klotho Neuro revealed it had secured exclusive global rights to patents covering the use of s-KL as a therapeutic for neurodegenerative and age-related diseases.
The company’s pipeline already includes KLTO-101 for Alzheimer’s disease and KLTO-202 for ALS, both single-dose gene therapies designed to elevate klotho levels systemically. These therapies are designed to promote endogenous production of klotho protein within patient cells. Once expressed, Klotho Neuro claims that soluble klotho exerts protective effects across multiple organs, inhibiting neurodegeneration, supporting cognitive function and modulating pathways involved in oxidative stress, inflammation and tissue repair.
Beyond its neurology programs, Klotho Neuro says it is also evaluating additional assets that target other longevity-related genes and proteins, including alpha- and beta-Klotho, FOXO3 and anti-myostatin pathways, which influence muscle mass, bone strength and metabolic resilience.
“As announced previously, we’ve begun manufacturing and clinical development of KLTO-101 and KLTO-202,” said Klotho Neuro CEO Dr Joseph Sinkule. “We’re also exploring other treatments that could support healthy aging and extend human longevity. If people don’t die of cancer or trauma, they often succumb to age-related diseases of the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, bone, or muscle. Our mission is to identify and develop complementary assets to delay these outcomes through targeted research and intervention.”
