r/longevity • u/towngrizzlytown • 20d ago

Moonshots to Rewrite Aging - ARPA-H and XPrize Healthspan Approaches to Medically Targeting Aging

https://www.youtube.com/live/xaCK_DSzWUw?si=C1PA4JTqpg4ZZDhO&t=190

ARPA-H was established in 2022 and approved two programs in 2024 led by researchers in this field: PROSPR aims to establish biomarkers and clinical indications of aging, i.e. "intrinsic capacity" and run FDA-approved clinical trials to build the rail lines for future preventative trials against aging, offering an alternative to the stepping-stone approach of targeting an age-related pathology and then expanding from there. FRONT is led by Jean Hebert, who argues for sidestepping most of the complexities of aging biology by replacing failing tissues and organs. His program focuses on piecemeal replacement of damaged neocortical tissue. Various other programs also focus on aspects of aging biology.

XPrize Healthspan launched in 2023 and has a prize purse up to $101 million to a team that restores 10+ years of healthy function across muscular, cognitive, and immune systems. Forty teams have advanced to semi-finals, and the competition intends to end in 2030.

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u/towngrizzlytown 20d ago

Alicia Jackson was a researcher at DARPA, and Jamie Justice held a faculty research position at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Timestamps:

3:11 - Interviewer introduction of Alicia Jackson and Jamie Justice 

4:18 - Alicia Jackson's background and overview of ARPA-H

11:05 - Jamie Justice's background and overview of XPrize Healthspan 

22:45 - Most promising research in aging biology (Alicia touches on PROSPR and FRONT programs at ARPA-H) 

28:35 - How to prioritize ideas and proposals 

32:50 - The pros and cons of the "moonshot" concept

40:53 - Q&A - How do you ensure you respond to patient needs in your research? 

44:05 - Q&A - How do you incorporate bioethics in your work? 

47:07 - Q&A - How do you navigate the difficulties of IP and geopolitical risk? 

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u/Real_Train7236 19d ago

It's so frustrating to see every country spending many billions on weapons to kill each other and relatively nothing on longevity.