In Palo-Alto, in the heart of the American Silicon Valey, the Dr Joo Yun, a fund manager, has just offered a million dollar incentive prize to reward researchers who will “hack the code of life” and push human life expectancy to its plausible maximum, c that is, 120 years.
This patron is convinced that it is possible to “solve aging” and bring the population to live to more than 100 years in good health. We have to believe that this hope is not that unrealistic since about fifteen research teams from Europe and the United States have already applied for the Palo-Alto Longevity Prize. As a first step, these researchers will have to succeed in extending the lifespan in mice by at least 50% and to show that old rodents have the same capacities and the same vitality as adult rodents.
Stop the decline of quarantine
Dr Joon is one of those visionaries who believe that the inexorable path to old age doesn’t have to be one of pain, fatigue and illness. “The key to longevity for human beings lies in the homeostatic capacity. That is, the capacity of the physiological system to maintain its internal stability. Today this homeostatic capacity is robust but begins to decline towards quarantine. And managing to maintain it as the years go by is a challenge that researchers can meet, “he explains.
To those who view this challenge with skepticism, Dr. Joo Yun replies that his goal is comparable to that of President Kennedy, during the conquest of space. “With all the scientific advances that we have known, it is impossible not to resolve the question of longevity. This award is a simple means of accelerating movement in the race against time.”
A first step forward for the projects will be presented in June 2016 and the longevity prize will be awarded in September 2018.
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