Could the death of these women’s grandmother help us all to live longer?

Personal loss that sparked a scientific quest

When Dr Carina Kern’s beloved grandmother Sydia Kern died, the event altered the direction of Dr Carina Kern’s professional life, igniting a profound ambition to comprehend why ageing increases the likelihood of frailty and death and, ultimately, how to halt that process.

Twenty‑five years after the loss, the Cambridge‑based company that Dr Carina Kern founded together with her sister Serena Kern-Libera believes it has achieved a breakthrough that could transform health outcomes for the wider population.

Unlike some research groups that pursue the notion of immortality, Dr Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera emphasise that their goal is to extend life while enhancing quality of life, rather than seeking endless existence.

Early memories in southern India

Growing up in the mountains of southern India, Dr Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera visited Sydia Kern every day.

Dr Carina Kern, now 31, recalls that at four or five years old, Dr Carina Kern would try to avoid school as much as possible and would run to Sydia Kern’s house instead.

Serena Kern-Libera, now 37, adds that Sydia Kern loved the outdoors and would always take Dr Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera for walks, describing Sydia Kern as very active and describing childhood as full of joy.

In 2001, the family’s routine was shattered when Sydia Kern was hospitalised with a chest infection and never returned home.

Dr Carina Kern describes how Sydia Kern’s health spiralled downwards, how Sydia Kern was robbed of dignity, and how within weeks Dr Carina Kern lost Sydia Kern.

Doctors told Dr Carina Kern that Sydia Kern’s decline was a natural part of ageing, but Dr Carina Kern could not accept that explanation. Dr Carina Kern, a self‑described tomboy who was accustomed to hospital fixes after injuries, wondered why the same medical interventions could not save Sydia Kern. That question ignited Dr Carina Kern’s desire to address the problem.

Focusing on the root cause of health deterioration

Since that moment, Dr Carina Kern has concentrated on identifying a single factor that drives the most severe decline in overall health.

By employing artificial intelligence, Dr Carina Kern identified necrosis – the unexpected death of cells – as a pivotal target, and discovered a potential drug capable of stopping necrosis.

The Health Innovation Network, established by the NHS to accelerate promising research from laboratories to patients, now supports LinkGevity, the company started by Dr Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera, in advancing the drug. The Health Innovation Network is also discussing collaboration with Papworth Hospital and Addenbrooke’s Hospital to facilitate a clinical trial.

Cells are the fundamental building blocks of living organisms. While certain cells are programmed to die through a controlled process called apoptosis, necrosis occurs when cells are damaged by injury, lack of oxygen, or loss of blood supply. In necrosis, calcium floods into the cell, causing it to explode. The explosion harms neighbouring cells and can trigger a cascade of inflammation throughout the body.

Necrosis becomes more likely with advancing age, and Dr Carina Kern asserts that necrosis plays a central role in major conditions such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and liver disease. Necrosis also fuels several of the fastest‑spreading, most aggressive cancers.

Dr Carina Kern explains that if a method were found to block necrosis, the result would not be a single drug for a single disease; instead, it would be a “Swiss Army knife” type of medication capable of protecting the entire system.

The drug that blocks calcium overload

LinkGevity, based at Babraham Research Campus, claims to have developed a first‑of‑its‑kind drug that blocks calcium overload through two specific channels, allowing the cell to stabilise and begin repairing damage.

The data generated by LinkGevity has been independently verified by medicine‑research specialists at Domainex, which performed tests on human kidney cells at a laboratory in Pampisford, near Cambridge.

Dr Jesse Peterson, group leader at Domainex, states that Domainex remains truly independent when it comes to the science. Domainex presents the results, whether they confirm expectations or not.

Dr Jesse Peterson admits that his team, like many who initially encountered LinkGevity’s claims, approached the findings with scepticism. Typically, necrosis results in cell death between 24 and 48 hours after exposure to harm, yet Domainex observed that necrosis was blocked for up to 11 days – a remarkable result.

The remarkable results have attracted the interest and funding of renowned scientific organisations, including Innovate UK, the Francis Crick Institute, and NASA. In space, microgravity accelerates the ageing of human tissue, making the prevention of necrosis a key objective for long‑duration space exploration, an objective highlighted by the Artemis II mission, the first crewed Moon mission in fifty years.

Preparing for a human clinical trial

The next crucial step is a human clinical trial. While the regulatory approval process is still underway, the trial will focus on preventing necrosis in the kidney – an organ highly susceptible to this form of cell death.

It is estimated that seven million people in the United Kingdom have kidney disease, and currently there is no cure. Kidney failure is fatal without dialysis – a mechanical process that filters the blood – or without a transplant.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is also a common complication for patients undergoing heart surgery.

Narain Moorjani, clinical lead for cardiac surgery at Royal Papworth Hospital, explains that most heart surgery requires the patient to be placed on a heart‑lung bypass machine. Unfortunately, the bypass machine can have significant side effects on kidney function, ultimately resulting in kidney cell death. Kidney cell death is associated with extended stays in intensive care and increased mortality. Despite many attempts to reduce these effects, success has been limited.

Narain Moorjani believes that LinkGevity is the first effort to specifically block the endpoint of necrosis, making the plans for this trial especially exciting.

Phil Shelton, director of industry partnerships at Health Innovation East, notes that running a trial is costly, so Health Innovation East is co‑applying for grants with LinkGevity and assembling contacts. Addressing AKI represents a huge unmet need, and there is strong interest in the project. If the grant bids succeed, the trial could commence rapidly.

Potential broader impacts on medical research

Serena Kern-Libera and Dr Carina Kern also believe that the drug, designated LINK‑001, could benefit medical research beyond patient treatment.

Serena Kern-Libera observes that growing complex human tissue in a laboratory is difficult. In such cultures, cells in the centre quickly become starved of oxygen because, unlike in a living body, there is no blood supply, leading to necrosis that destroys tissue from the centre outward. A drug capable of preventing this necrotic cascade could pave the way for the growth of transplant‑grade organs in the lab, improve cryopreservation of complex tissue, and reduce the need for animal testing.

Blocking necrosis may not prevent disease onset, but it is likely to slow disease progression.

Serena Kern-Libera points out that an ageing, decrepit population represents one of the biggest challenges for the economy and society. Both Dr Carina Kern and Serena Kern-Libera state that they are not afraid of death itself, but they are concerned about the downward spiral in health that robs dignity, a spiral that took Sydia Kern’s life. Serena Kern-Libera believes that Sydia Kern would be very proud of Dr Carina Kern’s achievements.

Dr Carina Kern adds that no one wants to have their mind robbed or watch their body fall to pieces.