Harvard Prof Reveals Age-Reversing Science to Look & Feel Younger w/ David Sinclair

In this discussion, Peter Diamandis and Dr. David Sinclair explore the future of age reversal and longevity, focusing on Sinclair's groundbreaking work in epigenetic reprogramming. They discuss the potential for reversing aging through gene therapy and AI-driven drug discovery, with Sinclair predicting significant advancements in human trials by 2035. The conversation highlights the economic benefits of extending healthy lifespans, the role of AI in accelerating research, and the challenges posed by current funding cuts. They also delve into personal longevity practices, the importance of exercise, and the potential societal impacts of extended lifespans.

• Discussion on the potential of age reversal technology that could allow people to take a pill for a few weeks and become physiologically younger.
• The focus is on epigenetic reprogramming, which aims to reset all cells in the body to a youthful state.
• The potential for teenagers today to live into the 22nd century due to advancements in longevity science.

"Have we reached some state of age reversal technology that truly works? We can cure diseases and injuries that have never been cured before."

• The exploration of age reversal technology and its potential to cure previously incurable diseases and injuries.

• The concept of resetting the epigenome without cloning, allowing the body to become young again.
• The use of genes that are typically active only in embryos to reprogram adult tissues, potentially curing diseases like blindness.
• The role of AI in accelerating the pace of research and development in this area.

"We've gone from the idea that, oh, we just take a supplement or we do some exercise to slow down aging. Now, we're talking about the ability to truly reset the body."

• The shift from slowing down aging to actively resetting the body's cells to a youthful state through epigenetic reprogramming.

• Predictions for 2035 include the widespread availability of age reversal treatments, potentially costing only a few dollars a day.
• The potential for these treatments to be administered through gene therapy or orally via pills.
• The importance of AI in screening molecules and developing cost-effective alternatives to gene therapy.

"Imagine in 10 years you just take a pill for 4 weeks and you get younger."

• The vision of a future where age reversal is as simple as taking a pill for a short period.

• The concept that scientific advancements will eventually extend life expectancy by more than a year for each year lived.
• Predictions by various experts on when this might occur, with some suggesting as early as 2030.
• The potential for doubling the human lifespan within a decade.

"Longevity escape velocity...is the idea that at some point in the future for every year that you're alive science is extending your life for more than a year."

• The idea that scientific progress will soon allow humans to extend their lifespan indefinitely.

• The theory that aging is caused by the loss of information in the epigenome, similar to software corruption.
• The potential to reset the epigenome and restore youthful function to cells.
• Recent evidence supporting this theory, including the ability to reverse aging in mice and potentially in humans.

"The epigenome is the issue because going through sperm and an egg and fertilization resets the epigenome."

• The concept that the epigenome can be reset to restore youthfulness, akin to the natural reset that occurs during reproduction.

• Ongoing research into the mechanisms of aging and potential interventions to reverse it.
• The exploration of factors in the blood that may influence aging and rejuvenation.
• The development of new therapies, including stem cell treatments and plasma exchange.

"What we think is that the observer has a physical state...when we show that breaking that system prevents age reversal from happening, then I think that the community will believe us."

• The search for the underlying mechanisms that enable age reversal, with the goal of proving the information theory of aging.

• The discussion highlights the growing acceptance and regulation of stem cell therapy within the United States, with Florida and Utah being notable examples.
• Fountain Life is expanding with centers in Naples, Orlando, and Miami, focusing on advanced stem cell therapeutics and other cellular medicines like NK cell supplementation.
• NK cells play a crucial role in the innate immune system by targeting cancer and virally infected cells.
• The conversation touches on a new type of stem cell that integrates into tissue, offering potential advancements over current stem cell therapies.

"Before this you'd go to Panama or Costa Rica or Antigua to do it, which is fine except you don't have your medical team around you."

• This quote emphasizes the challenges of seeking stem cell treatments abroad and the benefits of having such treatments available domestically.

"We're always developing cancers and we depend on our immune system to find them and kill them."

• This highlights the importance of NK cells in the immune system's role in cancer prevention.

• Senescent cells are significant because removing them can improve metabolism and potentially reverse aging-related damage.
• Unity Biosciences faced challenges in this area, but ongoing research suggests promise in both killing and rejuvenating senescent cells.
• Epigenetic reprogramming shows potential in converting senescent cells back to healthy cells and may even cause cancer cells to self-destruct.

"We have a project in my lab on that and so far it looks like yes we can do both rejuvenation of stem cell of senescent cells so that they don't cause havoc."

• This quote underscores the potential of epigenetic reprogramming in managing senescent cells and reducing their harmful effects.

"If you wake up a cancer cell, it looks like it realizes it should kill itself and it does."

• This highlights a promising approach in cancer treatment through epigenetic reprogramming, leading to self-destruction of cancer cells.

• Life Biosciences has demonstrated the ability to cure blindness in monkeys, with plans to begin human trials.
• The treatment involves a single injection using a virus to introduce genes that can be activated by an antibiotic trigger.
• The company is moving towards whole-body rejuvenation using AI to develop chemical alternatives to gene therapy.

"It's a single injection. So with macular degeneration, it's very common to get one injection or more."

• This quote explains the simplicity and potential effectiveness of the treatment for vision-related diseases.

"Stage two for the company, which is already underway, is using AI to convert to chemicals, so you have a pill instead."

• This indicates the company's direction towards more accessible and non-invasive treatments for aging and related diseases.

• The approach focuses on inducing age reversal to potentially cure age-related diseases by rejuvenating the body.
• Experiments in mice show promising results in reversing diseases like Alzheimer's, muscle diseases, and ALS.
• The ultimate goal is to achieve whole-body rejuvenation through a set of pills, affecting all tissues and organs.

"If you're able to actually induce some type of age reversal, does that cure the disease?"

• This question highlights the potential of age reversal as a method to cure diseases by restoring the body's natural healing abilities.

"We believe that we've uncovered the ability that salamanders have to regrow grow limbs and fish grow new tails."

• This suggests that the research is tapping into fundamental biological processes that could revolutionize regenerative medicine.

• The field has faced challenges in extending lifespan significantly, but new approaches focusing on age reversal show promise.
• Past efforts focused on slowing aging, while current research aims to reverse it using innovative therapies.
• The discussion includes the potential of using AI and robotics for rapid screening of molecules that can reverse aging.

"We were just slowing aging. We weren't reversing aging."

• This reflects the shift in focus from merely slowing down the aging process to actively reversing it.

"We can just do the crunch number crunching. And so yeah, so normally this docking would be done by hand by a person."

• This highlights the role of AI in accelerating research and development of new therapies.

• The conversation addresses significant funding cuts in scientific research, impacting progress in longevity studies.
• Extending healthy lifespan by even one year could have massive economic benefits, estimated at $86 trillion for the U.S. economy.
• The need for private funding and support for research is emphasized, with calls for donations and support from the community.

"All of those grants were terminated. 100% of those grants were terminated."

• This quote underscores the severe impact of funding cuts on ongoing research projects.

"Extending healthy lifespan just by one year was a value to the US economy of $86 trillion."

• This highlights the potential economic benefits of investing in longevity research.

• The discussion includes personal longevity practices such as diet, exercise, and supplements.
• A plant-focused diet, regular exercise, and reduced alcohol consumption are highlighted as key components of a longevity-focused lifestyle.
• The importance of maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding abundance mode is emphasized.

"I've given up alcohol except for, you know, on a celebration."

• This reflects a lifestyle choice aimed at improving overall health and longevity.

"Gaining weight is a bad thing. It puts our bodies into abundance mode."

• This underscores the importance of weight management in promoting longevity and overall health.

• Emphasis on maintaining the body in adversity mode to promote longevity.
• Preference for consuming no more than two meals a day, sometimes just one.
• Plants, rich in polyphenols, signal adversity to the body, aiding in longevity.

"I try not to eat more than two meals a day if I can, sometimes one. And the plants help because the plants send a signal also to the body. They're filled with polyphenols that also give the signal of adversity."

• Eating fewer meals and including polyphenol-rich plants in the diet is suggested to promote longevity by keeping the body in adversity mode.

• GLP-1 medications show promise for longevity, especially for weight reduction.
• Potential side effects include muscle loss, kidney and pancreas issues, and even blindness.
• Importance of not relying solely on GLP-1 for weight loss due to muscle loss concerns.

"The challenge is you lose the weight, you also lose muscle and then when you stop the GLP-1, you just put on fat again. You don't put the muscle back on."

• GLP-1 medications can lead to muscle loss, emphasizing the need for exercise to maintain muscle mass during weight loss.

• Discussion of NMN as a supplement and its role in increasing NAD+ levels.
• Concerns about the purity and quality of NMN supplements on the market.
• Clinical trials are being conducted to validate NMN's efficacy in humans.

"We have a study that we're just revising showing NMN extends lifespan mostly in female mice but it did improve frailty and a lot of health-related things."

• NMN has shown promise in extending lifespan and improving health markers in animal studies, but human trials are ongoing.

• Various supplements like fisetin, lipoic acid, and others are discussed for their potential longevity benefits.
• The importance of quality and reputable sources for supplements is emphasized.
• Discussion of ongoing research and personal experiences with different supplements.

"We showed pacetin is a sirtuin activator just like resveratrol and so I think it might be doing both things is to either calm down or kill senescent cells at high doses and at low doses it activates the sirtuin enzyme."

• Fisetin may have dual benefits in activating longevity-related enzymes and addressing senescent cells.

• Fasting and dietary habits are crucial for longevity, but must be done correctly.
• Importance of aligning fasting with circadian rhythms and ensuring nutritional adequacy.

"I still believe in the science of fasting and it just has to be done the right way."

• Proper fasting practices are supported by science but require careful implementation to avoid potential harm.

• Various countries are investing in longevity research, with notable efforts in Singapore and the Middle East.
• The potential for significant advancements in longevity through increased global investment.

"In Asia, it's Singapore. In the Middle East, pretty much all the countries, but Saudi Arabia, UAE, and now Qatar are big on longevity."

• Global investment in longevity research varies, with significant efforts in Asia and the Middle East, highlighting the potential for advancements in this field.

• Regular exercise is emphasized as crucial for maintaining muscle mass and overall health, particularly as one ages.
• Personal strategies for incorporating movement into daily life are shared.

"I think it's very important a few times a week to get to the gym or at least at home have something some weights you can lift."

• Consistent exercise, including weight lifting, is vital for maintaining muscle mass and promoting longevity, especially after the age of 50.

• The speaker consumes a lot of plant-based protein and has gained 10 pounds of muscle mass in the past 18 months.
• Creatine supplementation is discussed, with the speaker taking five grams of creatine and one gram of protein per pound of body weight.
• There is debate about protein consumption, with some experts advising against high protein intake due to potential negative effects on longevity.

"I eat a lot of protein, but it's mostly plant-based."

• The speaker emphasizes a preference for plant-based protein, indicating a focus on health and longevity.

"I do five grams of creatine and it was one uh you know one gram of protein per pound of body weight."

• The speaker shares their specific regimen for muscle maintenance, highlighting creatine and protein intake.

• Certain amino acids, particularly branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) like leucine, isoleucine, and valine, may reduce lifespan.
• Plant-based proteins are suggested as they contain fewer of these potentially harmful amino acids.

"There are some really good amino acids and there are some that will reduce your lifespan and there are what's called branch chain amino acids lucine isolucine veining that are the bad ones."

• The speaker warns against specific amino acids found in meat that may negatively impact longevity.

• The speaker discusses the potential to disprove the epigenetic noise theory of aging through experiments, such as observing accelerated epigenome aging in mice.
• Successful experiments in mice support the theory, suggesting a strong link between epigenetic changes and aging.

"If we had accelerated the epigenome aging, so changing the methylation pattern, the gene expression, and those mice were normal and didn't look old, then I would have thrown out the theory."

• The speaker explains the criteria for disproving their theory on aging, emphasizing the importance of experimental validation.

• AI is seen as a potential tool for identifying observers in research and improving drug development.
• The speaker envisions AI being able to simulate interactions with proteins to predict toxicity and effectiveness of drugs.

"I would love if AI could tell me who the observer is, where the observer is."

• AI is highlighted as a tool for advancing research by identifying key elements and improving drug development processes.

• Non-reproducibility of research data is often due to variations in experimental conditions rather than intentional falsification.
• The speaker emphasizes the importance of rigorous scientific methods and reproducibility in their own research.

"It's not that the people are faking it. It's more that science is complicated and variable and depends on where and how you do it."

• The speaker addresses the challenges of reproducibility in scientific research, attributing it to inherent variability in experimental conditions.

• The speaker calls for more innovative startups in the field of longevity and biotech, emphasizing the potential for numerous companies to succeed.
• AI and robotics-driven labs, like Incilico Medicine, are highlighted as the future of research and drug development.

"I would love more labs to be working on finding new ways to reverse aging."

• The speaker encourages innovation and competition in the biotech field, likening the potential to the growth seen in AI.

• Extending lifespan is expected to have significant economic benefits, potentially adding trillions to the global economy.
• The willingness to pay for additional healthy years of life is a key factor in the economic value of longevity research.

"A slowdown in aging that increased life expectancy by one year is worth an estimated $38 trillion to the global economy."

• The speaker highlights the substantial economic value of increased life expectancy, emphasizing the potential financial impact.

• Exercise and diet are emphasized as crucial factors for longevity, alongside tailored supplements like nattokinase for cardiovascular health.
• Gadgets such as red light therapy devices and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are recommended for health monitoring.

"Exercise, you know, is pro I would think exercise is like the most important modality."

• The speaker underscores the importance of exercise as a fundamental aspect of a longevity-focused lifestyle.

• The philosophical question of life's meaning in the context of extended lifespan is explored, with the speaker valuing the present moment regardless of lifespan.
• Societal adjustments, such as increased retirement age in response to longer lifespans, are discussed as necessary adaptations.

"I don't think if the fact that I'm going to die one day makes this any more enjoyable."

• The speaker reflects on the philosophical aspect of longevity, emphasizing the intrinsic value of life independent of its length.

• The speaker expresses optimism about the future of AI and longevity research, envisioning a time when AI can match human creativity.
• Personal goals include continuing research and contributing to significant advancements in understanding and reversing aging.

"As long as I'm healthy and I have friends, I find no there will never be a day when I want to die."

• The speaker shares a personal perspective on longevity, prioritizing health and social connections as key factors in their desire to live indefinitely.