A UK-based biotechnology company, focused on rejuvenation biology, has entered administration in the latest blow to the business industry. Clock.bio, based at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, has a primary mission to extend the healthy human lifespan by identifying and activating the body’s innate genetic programs that can reverse cellular ageing.
Unlike traditional longevity companies that focus on slowing down the ageing process, Clock.bio aims to reverse it. They leverage the unique properties of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) – the only human cells that can naturally reset their biological clock – to study how ageing can be undone at a molecular level.
It was founded in 2020 by Mark Kotter (a neurosurgeon and biologist at the University of Cambridge) and Koby Baranes. However, on March 19, a notice was published on the London Gazette website, announcing that joint administrators had been appointed.
According to The Gazette notice, on March 19, Geoffrey Paul Rowley and Philip Lewis Armstrong, both of FRP Advisory Trading Limited, were appointed administrators. Once the appointment is filed, a legal shield (moratorium) is placed around the company. Once this is in place, creditors are frozen – they cannot start or continue legal proceedings, seize assets, or wind up the company without the court’s permission.
Appointing administrators allows the business to continue operating, if viable, without the immediate threat of being forced into liquidation. The powers of the company’s directors are also suspended.
According to the Companies House filing history for Clock Bio Limited, the company has seen significant changes in its board and executive leadership over the last year. On December 31, Markus Gstöettner terminated his appointment as a director, while in July, the company appointed Dr Michael Karl Boehler and Dr Piotr Romanowski to the board.
On March 5, the company filed its full accounts for the year ending December 31, 2025. They continue to file “Total Exemption Full Accounts,” which is typical for early-stage biotech startups. This means they qualify as a small company and are not yet required to have their accounts audited. In June 2024, the company moved its registered office to Salisbury House, Station Road – a prime location in the Cambridge biotech hub and closer to the university.
The company has built a discovery engine based on three main pillars:
- GeneAge (Atlas of Rejuvenation) – A genome-wide map identifying the specific genes responsible for rejuvenation. They have already identified over 140 candidate genes that drive age reversal.
- ImAge – An AI-powered tool that measures a cell’s biological age using single-cell imaging. This allows rapid, high-throughput testing to determine whether a treatment is actually making cells younger.
- ClinAge – A clinical validation platform designed to move findings into human trials quickly. They are starting with skin topicals and nutraceuticals as a faster route to market before moving to systemic therapies for age-related diseases.
Clock.bio employs a dual-track strategy that combines the repurposing of existing safe molecules to trigger rejuvenation genes with the development of entirely new gene therapies. By partnering with pharmaceutical companies, they aim to address complex age-related conditions, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, through both immediate and long-term medical solutions.
The Express contacted clock.bio and FRP Advisory Trading Limited for comment.
