Guided Clarity

About

(from IndieBio interview)

It is becoming more and more clear that food is medicine. The nutrients we eat everyday not only nurture us, but keeps us healthy. Guided Clarity found an ingredient in mother’s milk that helps to increase metabolism and longevity by targeting the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell. Now, the team is turning it into a medical food.

I chatted with Helen Chen, CEO of Guided Clarity, about her entrepreneurial journey.

How did you become interested in healthy aging research?

I’ve always been fascinated about how bioactive molecules exist in nature and how they can be used for our wellbeing. Historically the discovery of new compounds in nature has had a medicinal focus trying to treat diseases. I think there is a great untapped potential in finding molecules that can strengthen our health into old age. While working on another research project, I came across unique compounds from mother’s milk that can naturally rejuvenate cells. That’s how I stumbled into healthy aging research.

How did you decide to start the company and how does your team come together?

I wanted to start a company that mimicked the natural processes in nature and recreating them in a scientific and precise way. In other words, being guided by nature in the discovery process, and having scientific clarity in the development process. Hence, the name Guided Clarity. My team came together through former colleagues whom I had worked with, spanning from food innovations to drug development. They are equally excited to derive active compounds from nature for health benefits.

How does your technology work? What was the key insight?

Ineffective metabolism and chronic inflammation are two important drivers of aging. Our technology works by targeting the mitochondria, a tiny cellular structure that’s responsible for metabolism and inflammation. There are many approaches to improve or increase the number of mitochondria, such as exercise, to combat aging. Our key insight is that instead of repairing the mitochondria to improve its performance, nature’s way is to get rid of old dysfunctional mitochondria which improves the cellular environment in general. The technology is based on the important finding that there are certain molecules in mothers’ milk that stimulate mitochondrial renewal.

What lessons did you learn transitioning from science to entrepreneur at IndieBio?

I learned how crucial it is to remain practical and pragmatic about translating science into a product. Science is largely attempting to explain our world, while the goal of our product is to improve health. I learned to prioritize scientific endeavors that translate into business milestones and de-risk the company. The second learning is the importance of scientific story telling — we always do a better job on how to describe science in an understandable and accessible way.

How do you think your success as a company will change the healthcare industry?

We want to create and be part of the new movement in medical foods — finding novel natural molecules using rigorous pharmaceutical methods, that can bring tangible health impact to people. It will be part of the next generation of integrative healthcare, where precise nutrients are used for effective disease management. We’d also like expand the ways in which medicine can be developed — using natural molecules in small scale medical food clinical studies to identify indications and responders. This approach is fraction of the cost compared to pharmaceutical clinical trials. While these molecules will still need to meet drug requirements, their chances of actually reaching and benefiting patients will improve drastically.

What milestones are in the near future?

We will transition to a pilot production plant within the next six months, which will provide enough samples for market testing and clinical studies. Within one year, we will complete multiple healthy aging clinical studies.