New anti-aging startup Yuva Biosciences is launching a skincare line based on research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that found that mitochondria play a role in reversing skin aging and hair loss.
“It’s exciting to see another startup born out of UAB technology choosing to stay and grow in Birmingham,” said Kathy Nugent, executive director of UAB’s Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “Competing companies are predominately located in med-tech clusters, including Silicon Valley and Boston, but our local ecosystem is also poised for cultivating innovative startups like Yuva.”
Some of the company’s leaders hail from these med-tech clusters, specifically Boston. Greg Schmergel, an entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in launching high-tech companies, will be the company’s chairman.
“We are committed to building the company in Birmingham, where we’ll have access to resources like world-class researchers and facilities at UAB, the startup focused amenities at Innovation Depot and the rising regional entrepreneurial network.”
The startup will be based on cosmeceuticals, a term for medicinal cosmetics. They plan to launch their first line of products within the next four years.
“Initial products will be aimed at helping people look and feel younger, with a longer-term plan to address aging related diseases and disorders,” said Keshav Singh, professor of genetics at the UAB School of Medicine and Yuva Bioscience’s chief scientific adviser.
The company’s lab space will be at Innovation Depot, a Birmingham-based entrepreneurial center. They are looking to hire additional employees in the area.
