AGE vs MRK

AgeX Therapeutics Inc.

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company, focuses on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics targeting human aging and degenerative diseases in the United States. The company's lead cell-based therapeutic candidates in development include AGEX-BAT1, a cell therapy product candidate for the treatment of various age-related metabolic disorders, such as Type II adult-onset diabetes and obesity; and AGEX-VASC1, a cell-based therapy to restore vascular support in aged ischemic tissues, such as the ischemic heart. Its lead drug-based therapeutic candidate in discovery is AGEX-iTR1547, a drug-based formulation to restore regenerative potential in a range of aged tissues afflicted with degenerative diseases. In addition, the company markets human embryonic stem cells; and GeneCards Database Suite, including genomic interpretation algorithms and analysis tools for use by researchers at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and other institutions. AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. has a research collaboration with the University of California, Irvine on neural stem cell research program for Huntington's disease and other neurological disorders; a collaboration with Sernova Corp.; and a research collaboration with The Ohio State University using AgeX's brown adipocyte tissue cell therapy candidate AgeX-BAT1 in mice to determine whether transplantation of AgeX-BAT1 cells may improve diet-induced obesity, metabolic health, and cardiac function. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Alameda, California.

Merck & Company Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. operates as a healthcare company worldwide. It operates through two segments, Pharmaceutical and Animal Health segments. The Pharmaceutical segment offers human health pharmaceutical products in the areas of oncology, hospital acute care, immunology, neuroscience, virology, cardiovascular, diabetes, and women's health, as well as vaccine products. The Animal Health segment provides discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets a range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and health management solutions and services, as well as a suite of digitally connected identification, traceability, and monitoring products. The company has collaborations with AstraZeneca PLC; Bayer AG; Eisai Co., Ltd.; and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. It serves drug wholesalers and retailers, hospitals, and government agencies; managed health care providers, such as health maintenance organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, and other institutions; and physicians and physician distributors, veterinarians, and animal producers. The company has collaboration agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc. to co-develop and co-commercialize long-acting investigational treatment combinations of Lenacapavir and Islatravir in HIV; Amathus Therapeutics to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases; and Linnaeus Therapeutics, Inc. to evaluate LNS8801 in combination with KEYTRUDA for patients with advanced cancer. It also has a collaboration with Biomed X Gmbh for building on ongoing research projects in the fields of oncology (DNA damage response and RNA splicing) and autoimmunity (intestinal epithelial barrier in autoimmune diseases); and a collaboration agreement with NGM Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. to focus primarily on the development of novel medicines for unmet patient needs in retinal and CVM diseases, including heart failure. Merck & Co., Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Kenilworth, New Jersey.