Latest news with #Hevolution
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
Billion-Dollar Breakthroughs: Inside The Global Race To Extend Human Healthspan
Hevolution CEO Dr. Mehmood Khan in conversation with GSK Chair Sir Jonathan Symonds In a luxurious conference center buzzing with Nobel laureates, biotech executives and Saudi royalty, one number kept surfacing during presentations: eight billion. Not dollars—though investment figures approached that scale—but people. The potential market for healthspan technologies encompasses every human on earth, creating what might be the ultimate investment opportunity of the 21st century. At the Hevolution Global Healthspan Summit 2025, the world's largest gathering for healthspan science, the discussion wasn't if humans could live longer, healthier lives, but how quickly we could make it happen. "I'm a firm believer, when you put several hundred scientists collectively working in a connected manner in the world, not in any one country, but in the world, from the west to the east, to solve a common challenge, that is how you put a man on the moon," declared Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO of Hevolution. "That is your moonshot." Hevolution is a first of its kind global non-profit organization incentivizing independent research and entrepreneurship in the emerging field of healthspan science. The urgency behind this global mobilization is clear. Dr. Anshu Banerjee, Director at the World Health Organization, presented sobering statistics: "The number of older people above 60 is going to double by 2050, from 1.1 billion to 2.1 billion, and soon we'll have more people above 60 than under 10." Even more concerning: "Life expectancy is increasing, but healthspan is actually worsening. The increase in healthy life expectancy is not following the same pace as life expectancy overall." Global Lifespan versus Global Healthspan Women face particular challenges in this equation. While they "live longer than men," Banerjee noted they "spend more years in poor health," with the healthspan gap between genders widening since 2002. While American researchers navigate the FDA's complex pathway, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself as the global accelerator for healthspan innovations. His Excellency, addressing attendees, detailed the kingdom's "Innovation Pathways" designed for rapid approval of promising medicines, AI systems, and medical devices. This regulatory agility represents a strategic advantage in what has become a geopolitical race to commercialize healthspan technologies. With "maturity level four" recognition from the WHO and pending "world listed Authority" status, Saudi Arabia is creating an ecosystem where longevity science can flourish without traditional regulatory bottlenecks. The summit's scientific presentations ventured far beyond traditional human-centered research. Comparative biology—studying extraordinarily long-lived species like bowhead whales that can live over 200 years—emerged as a frontier with untapped potential. "These are models of disease resistance, healthspan, and lifespan," explained Dr. Vera Gorbunova, whose work on naked mole rats has revealed remarkable cancer resistance mechanisms. Pedro Magalhães, developer of a comprehensive database tracking lifespans across species, argued that understanding "why we live as long as we live" requires examining the evolutionary innovations that allow certain animals to far outlive humans. This approach faces funding challenges, however. Despite promising discoveries, researchers called for "more consortia" and a "big effort in comparative biology of aging" to translate animal longevity secrets into human applications. The unexpected star of the summit wasn't a new compound but an existing class of medications: GLP-1 agonists, originally developed for diabetes and now famous for weight loss. Dr. Christoph Westphal, co-founder of Longwood Fund, made a stunning prediction: "If all of us in this room, within three or four or five years, can prove that with GLP-1s you can extend healthy lifespan, it will actually be the first healthy lifespan increasing drug available. It's going to totally change the world." Westphal's enthusiasm reflects a paradigm shift in longevity research. "If you had told me that you would take something that has an effect in the brain and all over the body, and it's perfectly safe and it actually makes you live longer, I would have said, no way. But that's exactly what a GLP-1 is." The lesson for investors is clear, according to Dr. Srinivas Akkaraju of Samsara BioCapital: "A drug that shows measurable effects in a modest time with a modest number of patients can lead to longer studies for confirmation." The challenge is finding "near- to medium-term measurements that de-risk the investment." Perhaps the summit's most ambitious initiative is already underway in the UK. Professor Rahid Ali's "Our Future Health" program has collected data from over 1.5 million participants, with 1.3 million providing blood samples, making it the "world's largest health research study of its type." By deploying collection points in everyday locations like supermarkets and pharmacies, the program has democratized participation across socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. The goal: five million participants creating an unprecedented dataset that could reveal the early signals of disease and the effectiveness of preventative interventions. Notably, Ali reported that "about 80% of the general population, once they understand the importance of working with industry, are willing to participate" despite growing privacy concerns around health data. "We're investing across the entire value chain, from idea all the way into clinical trials and beyond," explained a senior Hevolution executive. The foundation isn't just writing checks—it's creating an "action shop and a money shop" designed to shepherd promising longevity science from laboratory concepts to market-ready interventions. Dr. William Greene, Chief Investment Officer at Hevolution Foundation, emphasized the need to "invest in translation, since there's a valley of death between interesting laboratory observation and something that seems to actually impact health." The goal is finding "the outcome that we're looking for that will actually make humans into big mice"—transitioning laboratory findings into human benefits. This fundamental challenge was echoed by Dr. Jarod Rutledge: "If you're trying to do genomic management, or something that's purely preventative, commercial models are very challenging, but if you can start from a state of disease and walk all the way back to state of youthful health, then I think that is really promising." In an industry where early adopters could pay millions for unproven therapies, Hevolution's emphasis on global equity stood out. Arthur Caplan, head of medical ethics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, emphasized that proposals undergo rigorous ethical review centered on one question: "Is the science good, but can it help fulfill the commitment to benefit all?" This principle—extending healthspan advancements to "all of human humanity" rather than creating a longevity gap between wealthy and developing nations—appears foundational to Hevolution's approach. HRH Dr. Haya Al Saud, SVP of Research at Hevolution, outlined the broader societal benefits: "First, we'll be able to reduce healthcare costs. Healthcare spending is skyrocketing worldwide, so this is a crucial and immediate impact. Second, we can tackle the workforce challenge we're seeing today... If we're able to extend healthspan, people can live—and work—longer, in good health." Dr. Haya at Global Healthspan Summit 2025. She also highlighted a surprising social benefit: "Many women leave the workforce because they are the primary caregivers for sick family members. By extending healthspan, we can support and encourage women to remain in the workforce." The summit highlighted how philanthropic organizations are evolving from passive funders to active ecosystem builders. Her Royal Highness Princess Dr. Haya bint Khaled Al Saud described philanthropy as a "catalyst for change" in the healthspan field. Yet Dr. Khan insists that true global access requires commercial involvement: "I do not believe there is an example, other than maybe mass polio vaccine campaigns, where the public sector can, on its own, democratize something. Every example I can think of in democratization has happened because the private sector figured out how to get something into the hands of as many people as possible." He added a historical perspective: "Government invented the internet, the private sector scaled it, and then leveraged it for core commerce." As Dr. Khan concluded the summit, he emphasized that it's not heroic individuals but collective wisdom that will transform aging: "It is not heroes that we are developing. It is the future of this collective wisdom that we're actually investing behind, because it's going to take the village, not a hero." The fundamental question remains: Can we translate scientific breakthroughs into practical interventions that meaningfully extend the healthy human lifespan? The convergence of unprecedented funding, regulatory innovation, massive datasets, and ethical frameworks suggests we're entering a new phase in longevity science—one where theory meets application. Whether the first beneficiaries emerge from clinical trials in Riyadh, research labs in Boston, or digital health platforms in London remains to be seen. What's clear is that the race for extended healthspan has evolved from fringe science to mainstream pursuit. With eight billion potential customers waiting, the winners stand to transform not just healthcare, but the fundamental human experience of aging itself.
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
$101m longevity research prize aims to ‘shatter the limits' on ageing
Admitting its goal is 'audacious', the largest longevity-focused prize in history – offering $101m in prize money – will announce its shortlist of candidates on Monday. The aim of the seven-year XPrize Healthspan is to develop a way for humans to dramatically rejuvenate muscles, cognition and immune functions, the three systems crucial to healthy ageing. 'This competition isn't just accelerating progress, it's shattering the limits of what's possible when it comes to ageing,' said Jamie Justice, the executive director of XPrize, run by the XPrize Foundation and backed by funders including the Hevolution Foundation. The winning team should be able to restore these three systems by a minimum of 10 – but ideally 20 – years in humans aged 50 to 80. A key condition of the final prize is that the innovation is accessible to as many people as cheaply and easily as possible. Another condition is that there will be no delay in rolling out the solution: the winning idea must be scalable in 12 months or less of the final award being made in 2030, after a final $81m one-year clinical trial in older adults. 'Success will profoundly change our approach to ageing and positively affect quality of life and healthcare costs,' Justice said. XPrize is not the only multimillion-dollar prize on offer to those striving to come up with an answer to ageing: the Saudi-backed Hevolution Foundation has pledged $1bn to fund longevity research, clinical trials and global collaborations over a decade. The Methuselah Mouse prize (Mprize) has committed more than $4.5m to extend the lifespan of mice as a proxy for delaying human ageing. The Rejuvenation Startup Challenge awards $2-3m to support startups with promising rejuvenation technologies. The Palo Alto longevity prize offers $1m to extend lifespan in mammals. All these prizes are devised to address the fact that while global life expectancy has more than doubled in the last 100 years, the quality of our health as we age has stalled. There are enormous gaps around the world between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy: in the UK, women can expect to live up to 22 years in poor health. Men live on average 17 years with chronic illness, disability or reduced quality of life. The aim of XPrize is not to develop cutting-edge therapeutics. 'The standout aim is to redefine our approach to extending the healthy, quality years of human life,' Justice said. 'The winning intervention will not be disease-specific and reactive, like modern medicine. Instead, it will target the mechanisms of biological ageing itself. 'That will propel our ability to address physical and cognitive functional decline, enhance resilience in the face of illness or disease, and ultimately delay the onset of disability and death.' On Monday, the biggest prize in the longevity field comes closer as 40 semi-finalist teams are pulled from the XPrize longlist, which comprised more than 1,000 scientists, clinicians, biomedical engineers, longevity technology leaders, pharmaceutical companies, students, biohacker groups and newcomers to the field. These teams – 14 of which come from the UK – have suggested a wide range of innovations including pharmacological approaches, biological therapies and lifestyle-based interventions, and often combinations of all three. A common focus of solutions is to regenerate or maintain cellular and tissue function over time through biologics such as stem cell therapy. Immunotherapies and seeking to reverse age-related gene change at the molecular level are another approach. New or repurposed drugs are frequently posited as solutions by the competing teams, including metformin and rapamycin, for both of which funding has long been sought to clinically prove what many hope will be a breakthrough in anti-ageing. Of the devices proposed, most focus on electrical stimulation of neural pathways, neuromuscular activation or muscle maintenance. No matter how technologically advanced the oncoming solutions, Justice says nothing will replace diet and exercise – albeit highly personalised and specific techniques – as the central element in healthy ageing. 'We're not talking about your five a day here,' she said. 'While wholefoods and supplements are the most commonly proposed nutritional solutions from our teams, they're often suggested in combination with substances like nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), a naturally occurring molecule that is gaining attention as a potential anti-ageing agent.' Nutraceuticals – foods that offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value – also feature, with a focus on wheatgrass, seaweed, berries, proteins, amino acids, herbal products and metabolism-supporting compounds. Lifestyle and behavioural approaches are also prominent, often combined with cognitive training, sleep optimisation and community engagement. The most frequent combinations include aerobic and resistance exercise with dietary changes, as well as sleep health paired with meditation, prayer or breathing exercises.
Al-Ahram Weekly
08-02-2025
- Health
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Saudi Arabia Hosts Global Summit on Healthy Longevity - Health - Life & Style
Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing ageing research with the successful conclusion of the Global Summit on Healthy Longevity in Riyadh. Organized by the Hevolution Foundation, the summit brought together over 2,000 participants from 80 countries and 150 international speakers to discuss groundbreaking advancements in ageing-related disease treatments and longevity science. Speaking to Al-Ahram, Princess Dr Haya bint Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Senior Vice President of Research at Hevolution Foundation, emphasized that geroscience is a rapidly evolving field with immense potential. She highlighted the foundation's commitment to funding and supporting global research aimed at the early detection and prevention of ageing-related diseases. Established in 2018 by Royal Decree, Hevolution Foundation operates under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The organization follows a three-year funding cycle that prioritizes investments based on scientific data, including life expectancy trends, demographic shifts, and the prevalence of chronic diseases. Princess Dr Haya stressed that healthy ageing is a top priority for Saudi Arabia, given its direct impact on economic and social well-being. She called for global collaboration to develop effective ageing solutions with declining birth rates and ageing populations on the rise worldwide. 'If we can establish scientifically proven lifestyle strategies and safe preventive treatments, we can ensure that people remain healthy, active, and economically productive for longer periods,' she explained. She acknowledged the high cost and long-term nature of ageing research but reaffirmed Hevolution's commitment to funding leading researchers worldwide. The foundation provides grants, research funding, and training opportunities at top scientific institutions. Hevolution also offers prestigious research prizes to encourage innovation and competition and fosters collaborations with global health institutions and governments. The summit addressed several critical areas in longevity science. Experts explored strategies for preventing chronic illnesses and cognitive decline, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and medical advancements. The role of artificial intelligence and robotics in elderly care was a focal point, showcasing how emerging technologies can improve healthcare systems and enhance quality of life. Discussions also delved into the significance of proper nutrition and physical activity, examining how lifestyle choices contribute to prolonged health and vitality. Mental health was another key topic, with experts highlighting the need for preventive measures to address depression and anxiety in older adults, ensuring psychological well-being as part of a holistic approach to longevity. Short link:
Arab News
04-02-2025
- Health
- Arab News
People around the world want to remain healthy into old age, says Hevolution's CEO
RIYADH: People around the world want to remain healthy and independent into old age, according to the chief executive of Saudi Arabia's Hevolution Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to extending healthy human lifespan. 'We at Hevolution do not like to use the word longevity,' said Mehmood Khan, CEO of the Hevolution Foundation, during the opening session of the organization's Global Healthspan Summit in Riyadh on Tuesday, which has Arab News as a media partner. 'Most people that we serve around the world actually don't want to live longer just for the sake of living longer. They want to be independent; they want to be functional mentally and physically,' Khan added. The summit is back for its second edition in Riyadh, with health professionals, decision-makers, and investors gathering until Feb. 5. Most people that we serve around the world actually don't want to live longer just for the sake of living longer. They want to be indepen-dent; they want to be functional mentally and physically. Mehmood Khan, Hevolution Foundation CEO The two-day conference aims to focus on issues surrounding diseases resulting from aging, their impact on society, economics, and overall health. At the same time the event is negotiating investment opportunities to improve the quality of health in the Kingdom and worldwide. Khan added: 'I have to acknowledge Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose vision has led to the creation of Hevolution today. 'His unwavering support, I can tell you, as recently as four or five days ago, he wanted to know if everything was on track.' The CEO further touched on some of the keys for improving healthy human lifespan, including scientific research and the quality of healthcare. He said: 'This is no longer a discussion for a few experts and patients, and I like to use the word consumers because we are in the business of maintaining them as consumers and not becoming patients.' Touching on the networking opportunities presented by the summit, Khan added: 'You are all here in this unique gathering, which is unprecedented anywhere else in the world. This is your opportunity, and your opportunity is to communicate, to figure out how to collaborate, how to convene in smaller groups and subgroups, and to push the boundaries of science. 'For the entrepreneurs in this room, there is no other business in the world that is going to affect every single human in 8 billion people. 'You have the chance to create businesses that will not only give you financial opportunity, given the scale, but will touch the life of every single human being.' He concluded his speech by noting the concept of 'sadaqah jariyah,' an Islamic belief of doing good not only for now but for the long term. Khan added: 'If we do this today, the benefit of this, and the value of this, will not only be seen in our generation but for generations to come. That is a fundamental belief not only for Islam but probably for most faiths.'
