How to invest in Life Biosciences stock pre-IPO

Life Biosciences is a clinical-stage longevity biotech startup that develops therapies aimed at the underlying biology of aging, rather than a single disease.³ Its epigenetic restoration technology platform aims to restore cells to a younger, healthier state. Epigenetics does not involve changing DNA but rather altering what genes are turned on or off. Aging, along with other environmental and lifestyle factors like smoking and drinking, may cause epigenetic changes, so Life Biosciences tries to reverse these changes, which could potentially reverse age-related diseases like heart disease and Alzheimer's.⁴

In January 2026, Life Biosciences received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its lead program, ER-100, in what Life Biosciences describes as the first FDA-cleared cellular rejuvenation therapy to start human clinical trials using epigenetic reprogramming.⁵ The company's trials will start by targeting optic neuropathies, with the goal of restoring vision in those with conditions like glaucoma and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Being able to go forward with these trials puts Life Biosciences in a leading position amidst a boom in longevity-related startups, according to a Fortune interview with CEO Jerry McLaughlin.⁶

To that point, Life Biosciences announced in April 2026 that it closed an $80 million Series D round that will fund operations through the second half of 2027, including completing Phase 1 of the ER-100 trial.⁷ And in June 2026, the company announced that the first patient had been dosed in the ER-100 trial.⁸

However, Life Biosciences remains privately held and has not announced any IPO plans. For investors interested in gaining exposure before any potential public listing, note that shares are not available through traditional brokerages. Instead, accredited investors may be able to access pre-IPO Life Biosciences shares through a private marketplace such as Forge, subject to share availability, investor eligibility and other applicable requirements. Non-accredited investors may also be able to gain indirect exposure through other assets, as this guide explains.

Life Biosciences: Company background

Life Biosciences, based in Boston, was founded in 2017 and co-founded by David A. Sinclair, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School.⁹ Paired with Sinclair's work studying aging, the company's other co-founder (and former CEO¹⁰), Tristan Edwards, has a background in finance, having held senior investment roles at firms such as Goldman Sachs.¹¹ Jerry McLaughlin, a veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry whose career started at Merck, serves as Life Biosciences' CEO,¹² while Sinclair is chairman of the board.¹³

The company's lead program, ER-100, is a gene therapy targeting optic neuropathies, including open-angle glaucoma (OAG) and non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).¹⁴ The program's scientific approach centers on partial epigenetic reprogramming, using three Yamanaka transcription factors, OCT4, SOX2 and KLF4 (together, OSK), while purposefully omitting a fourth factor, c-Myc, that reportedly promotes cancer.¹⁵ The goal is to then return cells to a younger state, while keeping the DNA sequence intact.¹⁶ A second program, ER-300, targets liver disease, with human trials potentially starting in 2027 or 2028, pending factors such as regulatory approval and ER-100 results.¹⁷

Life Biosciences stock history and funding history

Life Biosciences has raised capital across multiple private rounds since 2017, although much of its stock history and valuation data remains unknown at this time.

That said, the company has announced several primary funding rounds, including a $50 million Series B raise in January 2019, exceeding its initial $25 million fundraising target due to outsized investor demand, according to Life Biosciences.¹⁸ In January 2022, it raised another $82 million for its Series C, led by Alpha Wave Ventures, bringing total capital raised since founding to more than $158 million at that time.¹⁹

In its latest round, Life Biosciences announced raising $80 million for its Series D in April 2026, which the company described as fully subscribed. The round was positioned to fund operations into the second half of 2027, covering the early clinical work behind ER-100.²⁰

At this time, Life Biosciences has no publicly quoted share price or Forge Price, and its valuation remains unknown. You can check Life Biosciences stock page on Forge for updates, which could come from trading activity on Forge that informs its private market price, or via publicly reported data such as from primary funding rounds.

Forge Price is a derived data point that reflects the up-to-date price performance of venture-backed, late-stage companies, and is calculated based on a proprietary model incorporating pricing inputs from primary funding round information, secondary market transactions and indications of interest (IOIs) on Forge.

Life Biosciences IPO outlook

Life Biosciences is privately held and has not announced an IPO. The company has not published a public listing timeline, and its April 2026 Series D was positioned to fund operations into the second half of 2027, which suggests near-term financing needs are addressed through private capital rather than public markets.²¹

For a clinical-stage biotech, an eventual public listing would typically follow further clinical progress with relevant data, rather than being more conceptual.²² Any IPO timing remains uncertain, and investors should not assume a listing will occur on any particular timeline.

How to invest in Life Biosciences pre-IPO

Life Biosciences has not gone public, and as such, its shares are not available to trade via traditional brokerages.

Instead, accredited investors may be able to access shares of some pre-IPO companies like Life Biosciences through secondary market transactions on private marketplaces like Forge, through which existing shareholders such as employees or early investors may sell their holdings. An accredited investor is a person or entity that meets income or net-worth thresholds, or professional criteria, as set by the SEC.²³

However, private market access can come with constraints. Share availability is not guaranteed, and companies often impose transfer restrictions, including a Right of First Refusal (ROFR) that lets the company or existing investors buy shares before an outside buyer can when an existing shareholder tries to sell. Private company shares are also typically illiquid, especially compared to public market securities, and valuations can be uncertain.

Potential indirect exposure to Life Biosciences for non-accredited investors

Investors who do not meet accreditation requirements cannot access Life Biosciences shares directly, and arguably the most direct comparisons are themselves private, such as Altos Labs and NewLimit.²⁴

That said, retail investors may still be able to gain indirect exposure via thematic investing, such as buying biotech or genomic ETFs or individual publicly traded companies in these categories. Another option is to invest in more diversified pharmaceutical or healthcare companies or funds, which may have some exposure to longevity therapies, as part of a broader portfolio. However, none of these investments provide direct or economically equivalent exposure to Life Biosciences, and their performance reflects their own businesses rather than Life Biosciences' results.

How to analyze Life Biosciences stock

Because Life Biosciences is still in an early clinical stage, standard measures such as revenue growth or annual recurring revenue do not apply in the way they would for many other companies. Instead, investors might weigh factors such as clinical pipeline progress and funding history.

Competitive positioning could also matter. Life Biosciences sits alongside private peers such as Altos Labs, Retro Biosciences and NewLimit that are all involved in cellular reprogramming/longevity therapies, so an investor may assess how its platform and clinical lead compare.

Note that private companies generally provide far less public disclosure than listed companies, and valuations set in private rounds can be subjective — and at this time, Life Biosciences has not even disclosed primary funding round valuations. For now, at least, investors might consider expecting limited financial visibility and conduct their own due diligence before making any decision.

Potential risks of investing in pre-IPO Life Biosciences stock

Investing in a private, pre-IPO company such as Life Biosciences involves assuming risks around company performance, valuation, liquidity and potential investment outcomes. The factors below provide context for those risks and are not exhaustive. Investors should conduct their own independent due diligence before making any decision:

• Company-specific and clinical risk: Life Biosciences only has one program in clinical trials, ER-100. Setbacks in Phase 1 of those trials could affect its prospects and valuation, as other programs like ER-300 may depend on the initial program's results.²⁵
• Competitive pressure: Well-funded private peers such as Altos Labs and NewLimit,²⁶ along with Retro Biosciences,²⁷ are pursuing related science, and competition for talent, data and future partnerships could weigh on the company.
• Execution and regulatory challenges: As a clinical-stage biotech pursuing a novel therapeutic approach, Life Biosciences faces uncertain and potentially lengthy and/or costly regulatory pathways. Future trials may not succeed or may not proceed on the company's intended timeline.
• Valuation considerations: Private-round valuations are negotiated with limited disclosure and may not reflect a value achievable in a future financing or public listing.
• Private market investing risks: Private market shares are often illiquid, information is limited compared with public companies and transfer restrictions can constrain when and whether an investor can sell.
• Potential loss of capital: As with any investment, and especially with speculative pre-IPO holdings, investors could lose some or all of their capital.

Learn more about investing in Life Biosciences on Forge

If you are interested in investing in Life Biosciences before a potential IPO if/when shares become available, eligible investors can open a free Forge account. Once your account is active and your accreditation is verified, you may gain access to real-time private market data, context-rich insights and a marketplace built for self-directed investors. 

Not sure where to begin? You can read our buyer's guide to investing in private market shares. And if questions come up along the way, Forge's experienced specialists are available to support you.