Billionaire investor Jim Mellon and economist Andrew Scott discuss the potential of the longevity industry to extend human lifespan past 100. Topics include life-extending drugs, societal adaptations for longer lifespans, genetic research, and promoting longer, healthier lives through prevention and public health investments.
Advancements in longevity industry aim to extend lifespan to 110-120 years in the near future.
Focus on prevention in healthcare shifts towards avoiding illnesses throughout life, highlighting cost-effective strategies.
Deep dives
Growing Interest in the Longevity Industry
The longevity industry aims to revolutionize aging by using advancements in science and technology to extend lifespan and improve health in later years. Scientists are exploring key pathways of aging, with trials underway for compounds that could enhance longevity and health. The goal is to make living up to 110 or 120 years a standard old age within the next few decades.
Shift Towards Prevention in Healthcare
The focus of the longevity industry extends beyond new treatments to emphasize prevention in healthcare. This shift involves valuing prevention across one's life course to avoid illnesses rather than solely treating them. Investments in preventing conditions like obesity and cancers are highlighted as cost-effective strategies with significant returns on investment.
Contemplating Longevity and Future Possibilities
Experts and researchers are envisioning a future where people could potentially live much longer, with discussions ranging from aiming for 150 or even 200 years to contemplating the possibility of cryonics for potential future revival. The notion of living longer is intertwined with societal challenges and the need to adapt policies and economies to accommodate longer lifespans, posing questions about the ethical and practical implications of extending human life.
The longevity industry aims to let everyone enjoy a healthy, active life well past the age of 100. But the question everyone will be asking is... will it happen in my lifetime?
Manuela Saragosa reports from the Longevity Forum conference in London, where hundreds of researchers, investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers have gathered to try and answer this question.
Among them, she speaks to billionaire investor Jim Mellon; London Business School economist Andrew Scott; the youthful venture capitalist Laura Deming; Columbia University geriatrician Linda Fried; and cryonics fan Anders Sandberg of the Future of Humanity Institute.
Producer: Laurence Knight
(Picture: Retired couple larking about on a moped; Credit: stevecoleimages/Getty Images)
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