Serina Therapeutics, Inc., a privately-held, clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological diseases, entered into a merger agreement with AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. Under terms of the agreement, Serina will merge with a wholly-owned subsidiary of AgeX in an all-stock transaction.

The combined company will continue under the Serina Therapeutics name and will focus on advancing Serina’s pipeline of small molecule drug candidates targeting central nervous system (CNS) indications, enabled by the company’s POZ Platform delivery technology. In addition to advancing its own pipeline assets, Serina is working with companies in the pharmaceutical industry currently advancing preclinical studies exploring POZ polymer lipid-nanoparticles (LNPs) in next generation RNA vaccines.

The combined company will focus on advancing Serina’s lead drug candidate (SER-252, POZ-apomorphine) for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s Disease through preclinical studies, with the goal of submitting an investigational new drug submission (IND) to the FDA for the initiation of a Phase I  trial during the fourth quarter of 2024. Serina has two other pipeline assets that are positioned to enter IND enabling studies, SER-227 (POZ-buprenorphine) for certain post-operative pain indications and SER-228 (POZ-cannabidiol) for refractory epilepsy indications. It will also focus on expanding Serina’s LNP and antibody drug conjugate (ADC) partnering collaborations.

“The merger with AgeX positions Serina to advance our CNS pipeline assets and expand our platform partnering opportunities,” said Milton Harris, co-founder, and chair of the board of Serina. “We believe it represents the best path forward for Serina in accessing transformative capital to advance our platform technology. As a board director of the combined company, I look forward to collaborating with our new partners AgeX and Juvenescence, as we continue the work of translating our science into innovative therapeutics.”

“We are delighted to announce the proposed merger with Serina,” said Joanne Hackett, chairperson, and interim CEO of AgeX. “The AgeX team thoroughly reviewed and evaluated numerous strategic alternatives for creating stockholder value, and we believe this transaction with Serina presented the most compelling option for our stockholders. We see exciting potential to generate novel drug candidates with the POZ Platform™ delivery technology.”