JangoBio is seeing positive results from ongoing animal testing for a therapy that could be used to treat aging-related diseases.

The therapy in question relies on stem cells to regrow key tissues that play a key role in balancing hormones. These tissues naturally degrade as the body ages, and the balance of hormones present in younger people is lost.

“Scientifically, the process of rebalancing hormones in animal models is yielding wonderfully positive results in the treated animals,” said Bill Kohl, COO for the Madison-based biotech company. “Key indicative hormones have been increased several-fold and are sustained through several months now.”

He says these animals will continue to be monitored and tested for health and cognitive effects as they age.

“Our next wave of animal therapy is beginning this month with refined techniques and cell cultures that we expect to yield even better results,” Kohl said. “Stay tuned… Human treatment may be in the not too distant future.”

The three-year-old company is nearing the end of its first seed funding round, with plans to move forward on its second round. JangoBio is certified by the state as a Qualified New Business Venture, so investors can get a 25 percent tax credit on the amount they invest in the company. Research so far has been largely funded by a $364,000 SBIR grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

And JangoBio is applying for a National Institutes of Health grant for about $1 million in the fall, along with several other grants.

The process of hormone-producing tissue degradation happens in animals as well as humans. Kohl says this provides JangoBio with an opportunity to get into the animal treatment market first, which takes less stringent testing than products for the human health market.

“Commercially, we continue to develop the companion animal therapy side of the business as our first revenue model,” Kohl said. Read the full story here.