Lifespan Vision Ventures (LVV), a Norwalk-based investment firm focused on therapeutics that improve human healthspan, has announced that its portfolio company Rejuvenate Bio has closed a $6 million financing round and entered a strategic research and development (R&D) collaboration with Merck Animal Health to advance gene therapy programs targeting chronic and age-related diseases in companion animals.

The financing round was led by VCapital, with participation from Merck Animal Health, Digitalis, and Connecticut Innovations. Connecticut Innovations, the state's quasi-public venture capital and innovation agency, joins as one of several investors backing Rejuvenate Bio's gene therapy platform and pipeline. Proceeds will support continued development of treatments designed to address chronic and age-associated diseases in companion animals.

Alongside the financing, Rejuvenate Bio and Merck Animal Health have entered an R&D collaboration focused on advancing a novel gene therapy program in animal health, drawing on Rejuvenate Bio's proprietary platform technologies and translational expertise. Rejuvenate Bio's approach targets biological pathways associated with aging through targeted genetic interventions, with applications spanning both veterinary and human health.

"We are proud to see Rejuvenate Bio reach this important milestone. The confidence shown by Merck Animal Health - both as an investor and a collaborator - speaks to the strength of the team and the promise of their science. Lifespan Vision Ventures is delighted to continue supporting their mission to address some of the most significant unmet needs in companion animal and human health," said Andrew Worden, Founding Partner at Lifespan Vision Ventures.

Lifespan Vision Ventures invests in early-stage biotechnology companies developing technologies to prevent and treat age-related diseases. Connecticut Innovations' participation in the Rejuvenate Bio round reflects the state agency's ongoing role in supporting life sciences and biotechnology ventures with ties to Connecticut's innovation ecosystem.