It has been a while since I covered news from the world of anti-aging and age reversal. There has been some major media coverage in that area in recent weeks. A cure for or slowing down in human aging would obviously also benefit hair loss (and reverse grey hair).
RAADfest 2023
RAADfest 2023 ran from September 7, 2023 through September 10, 2023 in Anaheim, California. It is run by the Coalition for Radical Life Extension non-profit organization, whose executive director is James Strole. The RAADfest Twitter (X) account has some updates from the conference. Note that RAAD is an acronym for “Revolution Against Aging and Death”.
I am always interested in this unique aging reversal related conference. However, this year they did not release any video presentations from the conference on their YouTube channel. There are some short videos on the Coalition for Radical Life Extension’s Instagram.
Of most interest to me was the list of speakers at the conference. They managed to attract some of the most well known people in the worlds of biology, genetics, anti-aging and technological progress. Among these include people that I have covered on this blog several times in the past:
- George Church. A Harvard University based vegan scientific genius who got an F grade in a graduate school course in 1976.
- Bryan Johnson. Of BluePrint biohacking fame who has been everywhere in the news this year. A marketing wizard bar none and also a vegan.
- Aubrey de Grey, who I talked to in an airport once when our flight was delayed. You can check out all his past Reddit comments where he did some AMAs. He never misses his daily beer.
- Ray Kurzweil, a famous inventor and futurist who I talked to at a Singularity Summit once. Renowned for taking over 150 daily vitamin and mineral supplements.
The only anti-aging scientist celebrity that was missing is Dr. David Sinclair of NAD and NMN fame. He is also a vegan.
Among the other presenters included two I have covered in the past: BioViva’s vegetarian CEO Liz Parrish; and Sierra Sciences ultramarathon runner CEO Bill Andrews (of telomerase fame).
The 69-year old still very youthful looking life extensionist William “Bill” Faloon has been a permanent presence at RAADfest since the first edition in 2016.
Longevity Summit Dublin
On a related note, Dr. Martin O’Dea and Dr. Audrey de Grey (via his LEV foundation) are running a new conference called Longevity Summit Dublin. Their comprehensive YouTube channel contains all the speaker videos from the first edition of this conference that happened in August 2023. Among the speakers included Dr. George Church.
Short but sweet :-) George just gave me his talk title: "A focused plan for extreme longevity (not mere aging reversal or slowing)." Yes, George Church himself is now describing aging reversal as "mere". We're gonna get this done… https://t.co/mBD7fnxOXc
— Aubrey de Grey (@aubreydegrey) July 24, 2023
Rapamycin in the News
Two new videos in regards to Rapamycin (which I covered in my recent post on autophagy).
- Dr. Peter Attia interviews Dr. David Sabatini & Dr. Matt Kaeberlein, two world-leading experts on rapamycin & mTOR. The latter of the two leads the infamous Dog Aging Project where they are testing to see if Rapamycin increases dog lifespan. Show notes for episode 272 here. Also of note, earlier this year, Dr. Attia released a popular new book called “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity“.
- In Peter Diamandis’ recent video interview with Dr. David Sinclair, they had a segment on their anti-aging supplementation routine. They start with the following quotes regarding taking Rapamycin:
Dr. David Sinclair:
“On and off”.
Mr. Peter Diamandis:
“I am taking 6 milligrams once a week.”
Second Ever Pig Transplant
The world’s second ever successful pig heart transplant to a human just occurred at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Wishing the very best to recipient Lawrence Faucette. The first person who successfully got a pig heart (in 2022, also at University of Maryland School of Medicine) only lived for 2 months.
Can Aging be Reversed?
The Economist (in a cover story and video below) and BBC discussed aging reversal in detail in September 2023. As did NPR, Netflix (Blue Zones), National Geographic and more. A globally ageing population means an ever pressing need and desire for anti-aging technologies to come to fruition.
Growing New Teeth
A Japanese pharmaceutical startup named Toregem Biopharma (funded by Kyoto University) is working on a drug to stimulate the growth of new teeth. This would be a world-first. The company plans to begin clinical trials in 2024, and put the drug on the market by 2030.
Toregem Biopharma was co-founded by Dr. Katsu Takahashi, head of dentistry and oral surgery at Kitano Hospital in Osaka. In a 2021 report, he stated the following:
“The fundamental molecules responsible for tooth development have already been identified. The morphogenesis of individual teeth depends on the interactions of several molecules including BMP, or bone morphogenetic protein, and Wnt signaling,”
The team already succeeded in growing new teeth in mice in 2018. Moreover, the team also administered the drug to ferrets, which have similar baby and permanent teeth to humans. Yet again, new teeth grew in the experiment.
Interestingly, Dr. Takashi Tsuji and his team at OrganTech (Japan) are working on regenerating both teeth and hair. Previously at RIKEN, they were also working on salivary gland regeneration.