Atropos Therapeutics has announced a joint agreement with The Estée Lauder Companies. 

Atropos Therapeutics is a biotech company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapies targeting the formation of senescent cells. Atropos' proprietary platform identifies chemical matter that can modulate the formation of senescent cells -- and these are useful in both beauty, specifically, anti-aging, as well as cancer research. 

Slowing down cell replication is not only beneficial if a cancerous tumor is forming in the body, but it can stop the skin's aging process as well, to explain using one very simplistic example. (For more about senescent cells, listen to Dr. Andrew Koff's podcast -- and here's another on the immune system's connection to aging)

Together with The Estée Lauder Companies, Atropos will explore the botanical space to identify and develop senescence modulating chemicals.

Tom Mammone, vice president of Skin Physiology and Pharmacology, Estée Lauder Companies, says, "Atropos' in-depth understanding of and its unique and well validated approaches to identify senescence modulators will synergize well with our expertise in the natural product space."

Mammone adds, "Botanically derived senosuppressors are not only sure to be interesting new molecules--the utilization of such will have great commercial potential for us."

Dr. Andrew Koff, founder of Atropos Therapeutics, comments, "Partnering with The Estée Lauder Companies complements our pipeline efforts to identify senomodulating chemicals by high content screening -- and, using AI based drug design to interfere with activities necessary for geroconversion and senescence."

Koff continues, "With the three pipelines open, Atropos can move to the next stage of its development with isolated molecules in hand."