London Futurists

The Longevity Singularity, with Daniel Ives

Mar 7, 2024

Discussing the field of epigenetic aging and the potential for reversing biological aging through innovative techniques. Exploring the use of AI transformer models to accelerate research. Delving into gene therapy for cellular rejuvenation and the implications of longevity singularity on society and politics.

47:27

Episode guests

Daniel Ives

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Epigenetic aging can be reversed through innovative research by Shift Bioscience, opening new possibilities for extending lifespan.

The integration of AI transformer models like SCGPT accelerates anti-aging research by exploring gene combinations for rejuvenation.

Deep dives

Epigenetic Aging and its Reversal

Epigenetic aging, altering the DNA packaging in cells over time, has garnered attention for its reversible nature. Shift Bioscience, led by CEO Daniel Ives, is researching this field extensively. The discovery of epigenetic aging clocks allows for accelerated anti-aging experiments. The potential to reverse aging and extend lifespan is a central focus of this research.

Introduction

2min

Exploring Longevity Research and Space Travel

17min

Accelerating Simulations for Health Rejuvenation

1min

Modeling Cellular Aging and Biological Clocks

10min

Exploring the Future of Gene Therapy for Cellular Rejuvenation

15min

Exploring the Impacts of the Longevity Singularity

2min

In the wide and complex subject of biological aging, one particular kind of biological aging has been receiving a great deal of attention in recent years. That’s the field of epigenetic aging, where parts of the packaging or covering, as we might call it, of the DNA in all of our cells, alters over time, changing which genes are turned on and turned off, with increasingly damaging consequences.

What’s made this field take off is the discovery that this epigenetic aging can be reversed, via an increasing number of techniques. Moreover, there is some evidence that this reversal gives a new lease of life to the organism.

To discuss this topic and the opportunities arising, our guest in this episode is Daniel Ives, the CEO of Shift Bioscience. As you’ll hear, Shift Bioscience is a company that is carrying out some very promising research into this field of epigenetic aging.

Daniel has a PhD from the University of Cambridge, and co-founded Shift Bioscience in 2017.

The conversation highlighted a way of using AI transformer models and a graph neural network to dramatically speed up the exploration of which proteins can play the best role in reversing epigenetic aging. It also considered which other types of aging will likely need different sorts of treatments, beyond these proteins. Finally, conversation turned to a potential fast transformation of public attitudes toward the possibility and desirability of comprehensively treating aging - a transformation called "all hell breaks loose" by Daniel, and "the Longevity Singularity" by Calum.

Selected follow-ups:
Shift Bioscience
Aubrey de Grey's TED talk "A roadmap to end aging"
Epigenetic clocks (Wikipedia)
Shinya Yamanaka (Wikipedia)
scGPT - bioRxiv preprint by Bo Wang and colleagues

Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration