Peter Diamandis’ XPrize on Wednesday launched a $101 million, seven-year global competition whose purpose is to incentivize teams of scientists to figure out a way to reverse aging.
The competition — XPrize Healthspan — will grant $101 million to the team that is successful in developing a “proactive, accessible therapeutic that restores muscle, cognition and immune function by a minimum of 10 years” in healthy people between the ages of 65 and 80.
An additional $10 million bonus prize will be granted to the team that is able to restore lost muscle function due to Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy.
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This effort to take advantage of a cross-section of science and technology — artificial intelligence, epigenetics, gene therapy and cellular medicine — to help people conquer the effects of aging comes as the global life expectancy has steadily increased, jumping by more than six years between the years 2000 and 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
But the global healthy life expectancy, while steadily ticking up from 58 years in 2000 to 63 years in 2019, has “not kept pace with increases in life expectancy,” according to the WHO.
Say goodbye to aging…@xprize
The $101 Million prize for age reversal is now live. pic.twitter.com/elhQpYOOsZ
— Peter H. Diamandis, MD (@PeterDiamandis) November 29, 2023
Diamandis, a serial entrepreneur and the founder and executive chairman of XPrize, said that the boost in healthy life expectancy will also provide a boon to the global economy.
“Adding just one additional year of healthy living to the global population is worth $38 trillion,” he said.
XPrize added in a statement that extending healthy living by a decade would be worth more than $300 trillion to the global economy.
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“People around the world are living longer, but quality of life has not kept pace. By targeting aging with a single or combination of therapeutic treatments, it may be possible to restore function lost to age-related degradation of multiple organ systems,” Diamandis said in a statement. “Working across all sectors, we can democratize health and create a future where healthy aging is accessible for everyone and full of potential.”
XPrize in April of 2021 launched a $100 million four-year contest, funded by Elon Musk, to incentivize the revolutionization of the carbon removal sector.
More than 1,300 teams are currently working on the contest around the world.
Tackling the question of aging is not a new venture for Diamandis.
He said in a July post that “we are edging closer toward a dramatically extended healthspan — where 100 is the new 60.”
Musk at the time challenged his claim, saying: “We seem to be leveling off with a mid-80-year lifespan. Are you aware of something presently that changes this outcome?”
The tech billionaire additionally questioned the benefit of a dramatically extended healthy lifespan, agreeing with a user who highlighted the “gerontocracy” that currently exists in many countries.
Bank of America analyst Felix Tran said in 2019 that a combination of innovations in genome sequencing, data science and wellness technology could soon boost human life beyond 100 years.
Beyond allowing for the quicker discovery of drugs, AI, according to a comment published by longevity scientists in 2021, can be used to substantially target aging in an effort to lengthen lifespans. Rather than targeting specific diseases, the team argued, this effort could help people live healthier, longer.
“We are more than the candles on a birthday cake,” executive director of Healthspan Jamie Justice said. “Aging is not a fixed property. We have a biology that can be targeted and treated.”
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