Eternal youth explored- new breakthroughs in revolutionising ageing
By Grace Hilton
The quest for eternal youth has surged in popularity in recent years, captivating both scientific circles and the interest of the wider public. With advancements in biotechnology and longevity research, the aspiration to extend one’s youthfulness indefinitely has become a prominent topic of discussion. The UK is one of several countries that is demonstrating great expertise in ‘longevity research’. However, might it evolve into a sector that captivates the world’s wealthiest individuals, aiming for eternal youth?
Millions (of start-ups) and billions (of investment)
Although still in its early stages, the longevity science field is poised to transform into a multibillion-dollar industry, projected to reach $2 billion (£1.6 billion) by 2030, according to Insight Analytics. Several biotech start-ups such as Senisca in Exeter, Genflow Biosciences in London, and both Shift Bioscience and clock.bio in Cambridge, are striving to devise a formula aimed at extending human life by maintaining cellular health.
As life expectancy rises, with girls born in the UK in 2020 projected to live around 90 years and boys about 87 years, the pursuit of eternal youth becomes increasingly enticing.
Professor Lynne Cox at the University of Oxford, who specialises in cell senescence, the state in which cells are too damaged to continue to regenerate, explains that “you could live to 120 if you did all the right things and you were lucky enough to have the right genes.”
Eternal youth’s debut in the UK
Genflow Biosciences, London, became Europe’s first longevity company to go public in December 2022. Employing a gene variant which has been discovered in centenarians, the company aims to create a therapy capable of repairing DNA damage, with the potential to extend the period of good health by 25%. In the next 18 months, their plans include conducting trials of an experimental therapy on individuals with NASH, an age-related liver disease, in their pursuit of eternal youth.
Senisca, a spin-out from the University of Exeter, is also developing techniques to revive ageing cells. Aiming for cell rejuvenation, Senisca is exploring how to reinstate the capability of ageing cells to finely adjust gene expression. As we get older, our cells struggle to send messages with instructions based on their surroundings, according to Harries, Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Exeter.
Harries states: “We have found that if we restore the activity of those genes, we can restore the ability of the cell to make what it needs, which allows the cells to rejuvenate.” Senisca’s goal is to create treatments that will offer advantages to older individuals within the coming decade. This comes after findings show age-related muscle loss to be caused by the “destruction of nerves.”
Shift Bioscience, another biotech company founded by former Cambridge University biologist, Daniel Ives, employs machine learning to explore cellular reprogramming and thereby inducing eternal youth in cells. Shift Bioscience’s finance chief claims, “The idea is to introduce genes into cells to trigger processes which make those cells biologically younger. This new focus on reprogramming really represents a new paradigm targeting the root causes of ageing.”
Co-founder of clock.bio, Dr Mark Kotter, along with chief executive Markus Gstöttner, intends to initiate a clinical trial aiming to rejuvenate cells before 2030. Clock.bio uses human stem cells to create new treatments for age-related diseases. The biotech company is working to understand how cells naturally regenerate to develop therapies that target ageing and disease. “We have a bold mission of extending human health span by 20 years based on biomarkers of ageing in a Phase 3 trial by the end of this decade,” says Dr Kotter.
The UK is yet to see the same investment as the US, where the anti-ageing industry has garnered considerable attention from health-focused tech entrepreneurs, including a group known as “buff billionaires” due to their dedication to fitness. Notably, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos supports Altos Labs among these ventures.
Youth for the privileged
The advancement towards eternal youth within longevity research and the wealthy who intend to access it, raises questions about accessibility. The UK stands as a hub of expertise in this field, yet the trajectory seems to entice the world’s wealthiest individuals, hinting at a potential exclusivity.
This is especially obvious through the investment involvement of Bezos and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel in San Francisco’s Unity Biotechnology. The company concentrates on eliminating or adjusting senescent cells to repair damaged tissues, primarily targeting neurological disorders and eye diseases. As the anti-ageing industry gains interest from wealthy tech entrepreneurs and costs billions to fund, eternal youth may only be attainable for a privileged few.
However, this doesn’t mean that every day, working individuals are unable to make lifestyle changes to increase longevity and maintain a youthful appearance. There are some proven tips that people can adopt to extend their lifespan. Regular exercise, eating a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, getting 7–8 hours of sleep each night, and practising meditation, yoga, and deep breathing can all help to slow the ageing process and increase longevity.
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