In Palo-Alto, in the heart of the American Silicon Valey, the Dr. Joo Yuna fund manager, has just offered a $1 million incentive prize to reward researchers who can “hack the code of life” and push human life expectancy to its plausible maximum, c ie 120 years.
This patron is convinced that it is possible to “solve aging” and lead the population to live to more than 100 years in good health. We must believe that this hope is not so unrealistic as that since fifteen teams of researchers from Europe and the United States have already applied for the Palo-Alto Longevity Prize. Initially, these researchers will have to succeed in extending lifespan in mice by at least 50% and show that old rodents have the same capacities and the same vitality as adult rodents.
Halting the midlife decline
Dr. Joon is one of those visionaries who are convinced that the inexorable road to old age does not have to be paved with pain, fatigue and disease. “The key to longevity for human beings lies in homeostatic capacity. That is, the ability of the physiological system to maintain its internal stability. Today this homeostatic capacity is robust but is beginning to decline towards 40. And maintaining it as the years pass is a challenge that researchers can take up,” he explains.
To those who observe this challenge with skepticism, Dr. Joo Yun replies that his objective is comparable to that of President Kennedy, during the conquest of space. “With all the scientific advances we have seen, it is impossible not to solve the question of longevity. This prize is simply a way to accelerate the movement in the race against time”.
A first progress of the projects will be presented in June 2016 and the longevity prize will be awarded in September 2018.
Read also
Longevity is not genetic
What is the best European country to grow old in?
Vegetarian diet helps you live longer