A new anti-aging company called Propion, AKA How to Slow Time, Inc, is developing technology to improve health by targeting the immune system through the gut microbiome.
 
Daniel Winer, MD, the company’s founder, is a microbiome researcher with professorship positions at three universities: The Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the University of Toronto, and the University of Southern California.
 
His work in gastro immunology, or the gastrointestinal and immune system, has received numerous awards. He is also a pioneer in the field of astroimmunology, collaborating with NASA and SpaceX to understand how immune cells may act differently in space. His co-founder, Nicholas Tubach, hails from UC Berkeley.
 
Their research centers on molecules that bind to specific docking sites in the gut. When activated, these sites determine how immune cells behave. By encouraging reparative immune cell activity, the molecules could have a regenerative effect on the microbiome, the company said.
 
“The immune system in the GI tract becomes increasingly dysfunctional as you age,” Winer noted. “This plays a big role in the deterioration of your body since the gut signals to every organ.”
 
Several degenerative conditions have been linked to a deficiency in the human body’s production of the molecules, which the company has called “Propion 1” and “Propion 2.”
“With these completely new molecules, we could correct signaling imbalance, one effect of which could be to reduce leaky gut caused by aging and the modern diet,” Winer said. “That would boost not only gastrointestinal health but also brain, liver, heart, and skin health.”
 
Currently, the company is manufacturing prototypes for its first product, Propion Blend, which according to its website “is a proprietary combination of amino acids, superfoods, and proteins.”
 
“We started the company because we want to take the products we’re developing ourselves,” Tubach said. “I would say the rate-limiting factor on our ability to bring our technology to market is the funding environment for startups right now.”
 
Propion is seeking investment from angel investors and venture capital groups.