Evening Standard’s Claire Cohen profiles tech investors like Bryan Johnson and Larry Ellison who fund longevity startups. She examines experimental approaches—NAD+ boosters, telomerase therapies, peptide infusions, nanorobots—and assesses their potential to extend healthspan toward 150 years.
Key points
High-net-worth individuals like Bryan Johnson and Larry Ellison allocate millions annually to emerging longevity modalities, exemplifying the financial impetus behind geroscience ventures.
Investigational therapies include NAD+ supplementation (oral), telomerase activation (gene therapy), rapamycin analogs (systemic dosing), and peptide infusions, demonstrating preliminary biomarker improvements in limited human studies.
Nanorobotic platforms aim for in vivo cellular monitoring and targeted repair, offering precision restoration of blood, hormonal, and tissue function, though remaining in preclinical stages.
Q&A
What is healthspan?
How does telomere extension work?
What is longevity escape velocity?
What role do peptide therapies play in ageing research?
What are nanorobots in longevity science?
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Academy
Healthspan vs Lifespan
Healthspan refers to the length of time an individual remains healthy and free of serious age-related diseases, while lifespan describes the total number of years lived. Efforts in longevity science focus on extending healthspan, aiming to ensure people live longer with vitality rather than merely adding years to life.
Key concepts:
- Hallmarks of Aging: Cellular senescence, telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction, epigenetic alterations.
- Healthspan Strategies: Lifestyle interventions, dietary supplements, pharmaceuticals, gene therapies, and advanced biotechnologies.
Major Longevity Interventions
NAD+ Supplementation: Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a coenzyme essential for metabolic reactions and DNA repair. NAD+ levels decline with age. Oral supplements or precursors like NMN aim to restore NAD+ pools, enhancing cellular energy and resilience.
Telomerase Activation: Telomeres protect chromosome ends but shorten over time, leading to cellular aging. Gene therapies or small molecules seek to activate telomerase — the enzyme that rebuilds telomeres — potentially maintaining cell division capacity and delaying senescence.
Rapalogs: Derivatives of rapamycin modulate the mTOR pathway, which regulates cell growth and autophagy. Inhibiting mTOR can promote cellular cleanup processes, reduce age-related inflammation, and extend lifespan in animal models.
Peptide Therapies: Short amino acid chains act as signaling molecules to promote tissue repair, muscle growth, and immune modulation. Administered via injections, peptides target specific pathways involved in regeneration, with early human studies showing improvements in biomarkers of aging.
Nanorobotics: Hypothetical or early-stage nanomachines could operate within the body to detect and repair molecular damage, clear senescent cells, or deliver drugs precisely. Nanorobots promise high-fidelity interventions at the cellular level, potentially addressing multiple hallmarks of aging simultaneously.
Adopting Longevity Practices
- Lifestyle Optimization: Balanced diet, regular exercise, quality sleep, stress management.
- Supplementation: Targeted vitamins, minerals, NAD+ precursors, and other compounds backed by research.
- Clinical Monitoring: Regular biomarker testing for metabolic, cardiovascular, and inflammatory indicators.
- Emerging Therapies: Participation in clinical trials exploring gene therapies, peptide infusions, and novel pharmaceuticals.
Understanding these interventions empowers longevity enthusiasts to make informed decisions and explore scientific advances responsibly, bridging the gap between lifestyle choices and cutting-edge biotechnologies.
