The Challenges of Community Building

This special episode features a panel discussion moderated by Chris Patil at the 2023 SynBioBeta conference. The panel brings together leaders from the synthetic biology and longevity communities to explore opportunities for collaboration and cross-pollination between these fields. Panelists discuss the talent bottleneck in longevity research, challenges in translating new discoveries into therapies, the need for improved communication and education, and a shared vision for transforming health and society. The conversation covers existing resources for learning about longevity science, as well as calls to build new communities and networks to accelerate progress. Overall, the panel makes a compelling case that by coming together, synthetic biologists and longevity advocates can achieve breakthroughs that neither field could accomplish alone.

Guests:

• Nathan Cheng, Longevity Biotech Fellowship
• Stephanie Dainow, Lifespan.io
• Daniel Goodman, UCSF
• Kat Kajderowicz, MIT/Whitehead

The Details

• The talent shortage in longevity research and need to attract people from outside the field
• Challenges in developing model systems and translating discoveries from simple organisms to humans
• The role of improved communication, education and “edutainment” in enabling progress
• Existing online resources and communities in longevity science and synthetic biology
• The Time Fellowship and opportunities to get involved for students and early career researchers
• Visions for how synthetic biology could enhance longevity research, including new tools for measurement and diagnostics
• Hopes for progress in the short, medium and long term, from gaining years of healthspan to far future transformational changes
• The importance of breaking down silos, incentivizing collaboration and taking action to achieve ambitious goals

Quotes:

Quotations have been lightly edited for clarity.

Nathan Cheng

• “A lot of people here asked me the difference between working on diseases of aging versus aging itself. And I think a lot of people aren't aware that age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, even cancer — these are late-stage manifestations of the aging process itself.”
• “I think it's incumbent on us within the longevity community to go seek out the tool developers because they are inundated with all this interest from other players in other fields.”

Stephanie Dainow

• “When it comes to aging, a lot of people you are under the impression that you're born, you will age there probably will be suffering, and then you will die. And that is the cycle of life. Right? That's kind of a standard. And I think this field is pushing that narrative in a direction that is uncomfortable because we're not used to it.”
• “Incentive structures matter. And in longevity, there aren't a lot of organizations that have products yet — forget the supplements, I'm talking about therapeutics — and that means that there aren't business development people, which means there's no selling, which means there's no marketing, which means there's no focus on articulation of the best way to create a narrative around the value prop.”

Dan Goodman:

• “Synthetic biology has lots to offer, as far as measurement and diagnostics and being able to cheaply and at scale measure the effects of aging and the effects of longevity therapies on large populations.”
• “As we get more comfortable, and we get more and more skilled at deploying these tools for disease, it'll be to the point that healthy people will be willing to take these sorts of therapies. and we can do so much to modify the body and immune system to affect longevity.”

Kat Kajderowicz:

• "Often I find folks working on problems really directly relevant to aging and longevity, but they don't consider themselves as being part of the field, or they're the only person in their lab, where they don't really have a community."
• "Find folks who you get along with and trust — find good mentors. There's so many great resources as well, so you can learn and get to the speed at which you are able to know which questions to ask.”

Links: 

Email questions, comments, and feedback to podcast@bioagelabs.com

Translating Aging on Twitter: @bioagepodcast

BioAge Labs Website bioagelabs.com

BioAge Labs Twitter @bioagelabs

BioAge Labs LinkedIn

Longevity Biotech Fellowship

Lifespan.io

Twitter handles of the panelists:

• Nathan Cheng - @realNathanCheng
• Stephanie Dainow - @sdainow
• Dan Goodman - @dbgoodman
• Kat Kajderowicz - @KKajderowicz
• Chris Patil - @DoNotGoGently