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In this episode of Longevity by Design, our host Dr. Gil Blander welcomes Dr. Aubrey de Grey, a biomedical gerontologist, to explore the frontiers of aging research and lifespan extension. Dr. de Grey shares his work identifying and addressing the seven major categories of aging-related diseases. He discusses how targeted damage repair offers a promising alternative to traditional methods to slow aging, providing a path to longer, healthier lives.
The conversation delves into the hallmarks of aging, their implications for medical research, and the challenges of translating results from animal models to human applications. Dr. de Grey emphasizes the importance of combining multiple interventions, such as senolytics, gene therapy, and stem cell treatments, to achieve significant gains in lifespan. He also shares insights from his work with the LEV Foundation and the Methuselah Foundation.
Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the science behind rejuvenation and the potential for humanity to reach longevity escape velocity within the coming decades. Dr. de Grey underscores the critical role of continued research, innovation, and funding in accelerating progress toward defeating aging-related diseases.
Episode highlights:
- Introduction: 00:00:00
- The Seven Hallmarks of Aging: A Foundational Framework: 00:07:00
- Challenges in Funding Longevity Research: 00:15:00
- Lifestyle, Genetics, and the Limits of Current Longevity: 00:23:00
- The Methuselah Foundation and Early Longevity Advocacy: 00:37:00
- Top tip to improve healthspan: 00:52:00
Rejuvenation Through Damage Repair: A Paradigm Shift in Longevity Science
Dr. Aubrey de Grey outlines a groundbreaking approach to aging research, emphasizing repair over prevention. Traditional methods focus on slowing down the aging process, but Dr. de Grey's framework tackles damage that has already accumulated at the molecular and cellular levels. He introduces the "seven deadly things," a classification system for aging-related damage, each with its own repair strategies. This methodology extends the potential benefits of aging research to individuals in middle or later life, providing a more inclusive and actionable path toward longevity. By addressing damage repair comprehensively, the approach increases the likelihood of achieving significant lifespan extensions and has become central to Dr. de Grey’s work with the LEV Foundation.
Longevity Escape Velocity: Extending Lifespan Beyond Current Limits
Dr. de Grey discusses the concept of Longevity Escape Velocity (LEV), where advancements in medical technology keep pace with aging, enabling repeated rejuvenation. By targeting cumulative damage and using combined interventions—such as senolytics, gene therapy, and stem cell treatments—LEV aims to extend healthy lifespans indefinitely. Dr. de Grey believes the key breakthrough will occur when therapies provide an additional 12 months of healthy life starting in middle age, which he predicts could happen within the next few years. This milestone would trigger accelerated innovation, ensuring subsequent generations receive even more effective treatments, ultimately breaking current lifespan limits.
Translating Aging Research: From Mice to Humans
Dr. de Grey highlights the complexities of translating anti-aging therapies from animal models to humans. While mice are common research subjects, differences in metabolism and environmental factors can hinder direct applicability. Dr. de Grey advocates for focusing on damage repair, which has a higher likelihood of success across species because it restores molecular and cellular integrity rather than altering metabolic processes. He also underscores the value of research on dogs, whose lifespans and living environments more closely resemble humans. By refining animal studies and testing combinations of therapies, researchers can better predict human outcomes, paving the way for clinical applications of longevity science.
The Hallmarks of Aging: A Foundational Framework
Dr. de Grey explains the significance of the hallmarks of aging, a conceptual framework that classifies aging-related damage into manageable categories. He contrasts his earlier classification with the widely cited "Hallmarks of Aging" paper published in 2013. The categories serve as a roadmap for researchers to develop targeted interventions that repair or mitigate specific forms of damage. Dr. de Grey emphasizes that addressing all categories is essential, as any remaining type of damage could lead to health decline. This framework forms the foundation of his work at the LEV Foundation.
“The body is a really complicated machine. It does a lot of different types of damage to itself. And any of them can kill you on schedule, however well we fix all the others.”
Lifestyle, Genetics, and the Limits of Current Longevity
The conversation shifts to lifestyle factors and their influence on lifespan. Dr. de Grey highlights the role of healthy habits in preventing premature death but underscores their limitations in extending lifespan beyond the natural genetic ceiling of around 122 years. He discusses how new medical interventions are essential to break this limit and why lifestyle optimization alone cannot achieve radical longevity. The focus must be on groundbreaking discoveries in aging science.
“If you already behave the way your mother told you to, then actually at this point there isn't much you can do to do better than that.”
Challenges in Funding Longevity Research
Dr. de Grey discusses the hurdles in funding clinical trials for aging therapies, citing the case of the TAME trial for metformin. He explains that because metformin is off-patent, no company stands to profit, making philanthropy the primary funding source. The conversation explores how regulatory bodies like the FDA evaluate such trials and why clinical endpoints must be clearly defined. This issue reflects broader funding challenges in the field of longevity research.
“Philanthropists have a lot of choices as to where to put their money. And there are questions as to whether metformin is the right drug to be testing.”
The Methuselah Foundation and Early Longevity Advocacy
Dr. de Grey recounts the founding of the Methuselah Foundation, which was established to raise awareness and funding for longevity research. Early efforts focused on the Methuselah Mouse Prize, incentivizing researchers to break lifespan records in mice. Despite limited resources, the initiative successfully elevated the profile of aging science and drew public attention to the potential for lifespan extension.
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