Category Archives: Human Longevity

Billionaire biotechnology investor Jim Mellon has unveiled an investment in an ambitious new venture which seeks to tackle ageing and age-related diseases.

Insilico Medicine is a big data analytics company which says its mission is to extend healthy longevity.

This is a moonshot target in health which has seen investment from a number of ambitious research groups in the last few years.

Founded in 2014 and based at the Emerging Technology Centers at the world-renowned Johns Hopkins University campus in Baltimore, Insilico applies deep learning artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to drug discovery, biomarker development, and ageing research.

The company is pursuing internal drug discovery in cancer, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, sarcopenia and in geroprotectors therapeutics which aim to affect the root cause of ageing and age-related diseases.

Through its Pharma.AI division the company also provides advanced machine learning services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and skin care companies.

Jim Mellon

Despite announcing the investment with great fanfare, Jim Mellon hasnt disclosed just how much he has invested in the company.

However he says the investment will be directed into the companys efforts to validate the many molecules discovered using deep learning and launch multi-modal biomarkers of human ageing.

The British billionaire is an able self-publicist, and enjoys the epithet of being the British Warren Buffett, thanks to his trendspotting abilities over the last 20 years of investing across sectors.

He believes that science directed to tackling the ageing process is one of these next big trends, and has a new book out next month entitled Juvenescene . The book is co-authored with Al Chalabi and is based on his insights from meetings with anti-ageing researchers in Silicon Valley, Europe and the rest of the world.

Having travelled to seek out leaders in the field of anti-ageing therapeutics, Mellon believes Insilico are among the best placed to make progress.

I am thrilled to announce an initial investment into Insilico Medicine, which I hope will be the start of a long and productive collaboration. During the course of the past few months, I have travelled throughout Europe and America interviewing major figures in ageing research and learning about companies working in the field, said Mellon.

I believe that Insilico is a truly remarkable platform for drug discovery, and my colleagues and I look forward to working with them to develop effective treatments for ageing.

Alex Zhavoronkov

Insilicos founder and CEO Alex Zhavoronkov commented: Unlike many wealthy business people who rely entirely on their advisors to support their investment in biotechnology, Jim Mellon has spent a substantial amount of time familiarising himself with recent developments in biogerontology.

He does not just come in with the funding, but brings in expert knowledge and a network of biotechnology and pharmaceutical executives, who work very quickly and focus on the commercialisation potential. We are thrilled to have Mr. Mellon as one of our investors and business partners.

The moonshot status of anti-ageing and longevity therapeutics mean there are a number of other wealthy backers of similar ventures, especially in the US.

Most notable among these are Googles Calico, which was set up in 2013 and is currently led by ex-Genentech chief Arthur Levinson.

Meanwhile genomics guru Craig Venter has been pursuing a genome sequencing approach to uncovering the secrets of ageing in his own company, Human Longevity Inc. However Venter stepped down from the role in January this year, and has been replaced byformer GE Healthcare executive Cynthia Collins.

It is yet to be seen if these ambitious enterprises can leapfrog mainstream pharma in getting to the very nub of so many human diseases and conditions, though as with other start-ups, pharma is likely to be willing to invest some capital in these ventures.

Last year Celgene helped Human Longevity raise $220 million, though this is likely to be driven by the more concrete target of oncology research that Venters company is also pursuing.

Insilico is already active in research publications and collaborations.

In a recently published article at Nature Communications, Insilico Medicine describes a tool that it uses to study the minute changes in gene expression between young and old tissues and tissues afflicted by the disease. Another paper demonstrating the ability to predict the chronological age of the patient using a simple blood test was published in Aging, which the company says became the second most popular paper in the journals history.

However the company can be accused of indulging in quackery by collaborating on a new diet supplement Ageless Cell marketed by another company, LifeExtension.

They claim Ageless Cell costing $27.00 for four bottles can help combat aging, but as a diet supplement, the product doesnt require the same evidence based required by the FDA for prescription medicines.

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Billionaire Jim Mellon invests in anti-ageing research firm - pharmaphorum

A DNA sequence: multiplied by thousands, it may open the door to personalised medicine.

Science Photo Library -- PSIEKT

When it made the cover of Time magazine 16 years ago, the human genome project promised a new era of precision medicine: each persons health care would be customized to their genetic blueprint.

Some critics have quipped that so far, the impact on medicine has been minor.

Now a new collaboration aims to fulfil the promise. Launched this week by geneticists at Sydneys Garvan Institute and computer scientists at Victorias Deakin University Centre for Pattern Recognition and Data Analytics (PRaDA), it will use machine learning to decode individual human variation.

We are taking the first steps into a new world, says John Mattick, the Garvans executive director.

It will fundamentally change the way discoveries are made, the way the health system is organised, and have a major impact on the national economy.

The Human Genome Project has certainly delivered when it comes to diagnosing rare, single gene diseases. But the common stuff the cancers, the heart disease, the mental illness turns out to be complex.

These diseases turn out to involve hundreds of genes acting together. And forecasting just how they act is, so far, beyond current algorithms. Whether or not we get schizophrenia for instance, is about 80% determined by our genes. But so far, scanning the genome is unable to deliver a reliable prediction of who will get the disease.

Recent studies have identified 108 genes, and these predict only 4% of the risk.

Our DNA may be complex but it is decodable. Mothers do it all the time and with high fidelity. Look at identical twins; given the same DNA, mothers largely produce extremely similar individuals.

For scientists to decode genomes with that same fidelity will probably take the decrypting powers of machine-learning algorithms. Its an approach pioneered in 2013 by Human Longevity, a San-Diego-based company co-founded by Craig Venter, leader of the privately-funded group that first read the human genome.

Now Australia is getting into the act. Mattick has joined forces with computer scientist Svetha Venkatech, who heads Deakin Universitys PRaDA.

Their collaboration the Garvan-Deakin Program in Advanced Genomic Investigation (PAGI) was formally sealed on Tuesday .

Both institutes have form. Garvan, having so far read the genomes of 14,000 individuals, and able to process around 1200 per month, is now one of the largest DNA sequencing centres in the world. And as a scientist, Mattick is renowned as a pioneer of attempts to decode the 97% of our genome known as junk DNA.

PRaDA has some great success stories applying machine learning to diverse problems. Their global spin-offs include iCetana, intelligent video surveillance software that detects potential security threats in large data sets.

Another, TOBY, is an app that provides tailored learning for children with autism.

Can Australia compete with the might of a $300 million company founded by Craig Venter?

Absolutely, believes Venkatech. They [Human Longevity] havent solved the problem, she says.

Neither is she daunted by the competition. She points out the same challenges applied when they entered the security space, yet they came up with a novel twist that delivered iCetana.

Well find a twist here. Biology is very complex; it wont be solved by one group.

Another strength for Australia is its large clinical data sets, such as Monashs ASPREE trial that combines 16,000 patients DNA with their detailed clinical symptoms. So far, 2000 genomes have been sequenced, and Mattick is keen to extend the collaboration.

Subject to agreements this may be the first exemplar project of the next generation of data-driven biomedical discovery and healthcare transformation, he says.

University of Queensland Geneticist Peter Visscher is excited by the new announcement. I believe data science is the way forward; these are powerful complementary approaches, he says.

And as for genome hype, Mattick paraphrases a quote from Bill Gates: New discoveries are overhyped in the short-term and underestimated in the long term. In Matticks words, Precision medicine is ready for the street now.

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Australia launches machine-learning centre to decrypt the personal genome - Cosmos

T

he genomics pioneer who sequenced the human genome carved out a new niche just over a year ago,selling exhaustive $25,000 medicalworkupsto apparently healthy people.Now Craig Venters trying to take one small piece of that business to a much wider audience and to prove its worthwhile.

An early step in that directioncame this month, when Venterscompany Human Longevitystruck a deal with a life insurer to boost its $2,500whole genome analysis product. For a discounted $1,400, customers and employees of the life insurer,MassMutual, can getevery inch of their DNA scoured and then interpreted for what it means for their disease risk. Its a way toturn risks into opportunities to outsmart the diseases that may lie in your future, Human Longevityswebsite says of the product.

This is a STAT Plus article and is only available to STAT Plus subscribers. To read the full story, subscribe to STAT Plus or log in to your account. Good news: your first 30 days are on us.

Rebecca Robbins can be reached at rebecca.robbins@statnews.com Follow Rebecca on Twitter @rebeccadrobbins

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Craig Venter wants $1,400 to sequence a genome. Is it worth it? - Stat - STAT

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One of the most visionary leaders in the world today is Elon Musk. He made his fortune by co-founding PayPal, which changed internet commerce and made Musk one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

Musk is currently the CEO of Tesla, which specializes in solar and electric energy sources, such as their successful cars, the Gigafactory, the Powerwall battery and recent plans to solve Australias electricity crisis. His recent passion has been space exploration, so he founded SpaceX, a private corporation whose ultimate goal is Mars colonization. Youve likely heard of SpaceX for their ongoing project of vertically landing rockets on floating platforms.

An ongoing theme of my column is how technological innovation, if used properly, has allowed us to have a quality of life unimaginable to previous generations. Many futurists believe the next step is to leave Earth and begin exploring and settling in other worlds. It will push the limits of our understanding of science and technology, as well as require the bravest men and women we can find (there is a high probability of many of these early trips being one-way).

Physicist Stephen Hawking has been one of the most prominent supporters of space exploration. He believes it is essential for human survival, arguing that, We are entering an increasingly dangerous period of our history, and we must learn to live on other planets to avoid disaster in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand or million.

Musk himself has a similar view, saying he believes, I really think there are two fundamental paths (for humans): One path is we stay on Earth forever, and some eventual extinction event wipes us outThe alternative is become a spacefaring and multi-planetary species.

On one hand, their arguments are compelling. The earths environment is in crisis, and sustainable off-world habitats will allow humanity to survive beyond whatever happens to our home planet. More cynical people have questioned this, wondering why people need to travel elsewhere when we cannot even take care of this planet why spread our tendency to self-destruct to other places?

The catch to any of this is, of course, cost. None of this is cheap, especially since it is new technology. Prices will not decrease until mass production, which is a long way away. This may result in a further divide between the wealthy and the middle and lower classes. Those who cannot buy their way off the planet will be condemned to remain here. Space travel will not be a viable option for the human race as a whole until it becomes widely affordable.

Money is a limiting factor for so many of these futurist projects. Consider human longevity the ability to extend life beyond what should be naturally possible. Imagine living until 200 years old, or maybe even longer. Enormous amounts of money are being spent on medical research to find the root causes of aging, and so far, 120 years appears to be a limit; only one person has lived beyond that.

I believe these projects are worth it. Humanity needs to continue pushing itself mentally, scientifically and technologically if it wants to survive. Perhaps most importantly, we need to improve morally. All of this progress has the potential for enormous downsides, and hopefully, those who are leading the way can instill their sense of wonder and duty in the rest of us following their path.

humanity morals space

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Before humanity looks to stars, it should look to morals for continuity - The Vermilion

HLIQ Whole Genome, which is ordered by a client's physician, includes comprehensive sequencing and analysis of the individual's whole genome. The report may give insight into health status and risk for disease, details on which pharmaceuticals may work better for individuals, carrier status for family planning decisions, along with ancestry and personal traits. Clients and their doctors will receive an electronic version of the genome report and their entire genome in a printable poster format.

HLI's data security standards are designed to fully protect client data. MassMutual will not receive from HLI any data, including genomic data, on these policy owners, customers, employees or financial professionals. MassMutual does not pay for or otherwise subsidize the cost of the HLIQ Whole Genome. This voluntary program is available to existing MassMutual customers as of March 14, 2017.

Cynthia Collins, HLI Chief Executive Officer stated, "Current practice of medicine is reactive, focused on management of disease and costly. The HLIQ Whole Genome is one of HLI's novel solutions to help make healthcare more predictive, proactive, and preventative. We continue to believe that genomics will play an increasingly important role across a variety of business sectors including insurance and look forward to working with MassMutual."

HLI has developed one of the world's largest databases, which currently has approximately 40,000 genomes and related phenotype (physical trait) data. This distinct database, combined with HLI's proprietary tools and machine learning capabilities, may enable HLI to make new discoveries from the genome, which could lead to more novel insights for customers. Clients also have the added benefit of knowing that their genomic data is helping to enhance the overall understanding of health and disease.

The offer is available through March 14, 2018. To learn more about HLIQ Whole Genome, customers should start by visiting MassMutual's website at http://www.massmutual.com/HLI. More information about HLI and HLIQ Whole Genome can be found at http://www.humanlongevity.com.

About Human Longevity, Inc.

Human Longevity, Inc. (HLI) is the genomics-based, health intelligence company creating the world's largest and most comprehensive database of whole genome, phenotype and clinical data. HLI is developing and applying large scale computing and machine learning to make novel discoveries to revolutionize health. In addition tothe HLIQ Whole Genome and HLIQ Oncology, HLI's business also includes the HLI Health Nucleus, a genomic powered clinical research center which uses whole genome sequence analysis, advanced clinical imaging and innovative machine learning, along with curated personal health information, to deliver the most complete picture of individual health. For more information, please visit http://www.humanlongevity.com or http://www.healthnucleus.com.

About MassMutual

MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policy owners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit http://www.massmutual.com. MassMutual Financial Group is a marketing name for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) and its affiliated companies and sales representatives.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/human-longevity-inc-and-massmutual-sign-groundbreaking-agreement-to-offer-hliq-whole-genome-sequencing-to-massmutuals-customers-financial-professionals-and-employees-300424133.html

SOURCE Human Longevity, Inc.

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Human Longevity, Inc. and MassMutual Sign Groundbreaking Agreement to Offer HLIQ Whole Genome Sequencing ... - PR Newswire (press release)

Xconomy San Diego

Human Longevity Inc., founded in 2014 by the gene pioneer J. Craig Venter to create a database for interpreting the human genome (and to make healthcare more proactive instead of reactive) said it has signed a partnership deal with MassMutual.

Beginning today, San Diego-based Human Longevity plans to offer its whole genome sequencing service to customers, employees, and affiliated financial professionals of the Springfield, MA-based insurer formally known as the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.

In the three years since it was founded, Human Longevity has amassed about 40,000 genomes and related data on physical traits. Through its multi-year initiative with MassMutual, Human Longevity expects to add about 200,000 whole genome sequencing reports to its database, according to a statement from the company.

MassMutual participants get knowledge and insight about themselves, and new insight concerning their health, said Heather Kowalski, a Human Longevity spokeswoman.

Human Longevity said its whole genome sequencing product, to be ordered by a customers doctor, would include comprehensive sequencing and analysis of the customers genome. Customers and their doctors would get an electronic version of the genome report, and their entire genome in a printable poster format.

MassMutual would not receive genomic or related data from Human Longevity on its policy holders, customers, employees, or financial professionals. Human Longevity said it is offering this comprehensive genomic sequencing and analysis at a reduced cost and that MassMutual would not pay for or otherwise subsidize the cost of the service, officially known as HLIQ Whole Genome. Customers would pay $1,400 for the offering, according to a MassMutual website.

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call (619) 669-8788

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Human Longevity Offers Genome Sequencing Through MassMutual - Xconomy

Did you detect any common threads among this years winners and shortlisted candidates?

Leo Johnson: The core business principles that shaped the 20th century fossil fuel-driven mass production are undergoing a tectonic change. With the likes of Dong Energy and Air Liquide in the running for the Corporate Responsibility/Environment prize, were seeing an acceleration towards renewables an unstoppable trend, in my view, over the next 20 years. We also had a set of winners whose dominant model involves not costly machines of mass production but the algorithm.

Edward Bonham Carter: Were going from organic forms of intelligence to inorganic. Machine intelligence is being used to solve human problems. I was struck by the enormous variety of candidates, both in terms of the ingenuity of the products and services that they had developed, and the range of markets that they were addressing. I really liked the story, for example, of the tiny satellites manufactured by the Glasgow company Clyde Space in the Smaller Company category. In the running for the Developing Markets prize was Hector Beverages in Bangalore, with its traditional homemade soft drinks. Its now commercialising them on a wider scale and putting two fingers up to giants like Coca-Cola.

LJ: If there is a thread it is that we are we seeing the potential of using technology for good. Take DeepMind in the Drivers of Change category. Here we have AI (artificial intelligence) being used to radically improve cancer detection.

EBC: Thats right. Were in a world these days where complex problems such as disease management or even accurate weather forecasting could be solved by artificial intelligence.

Which companies did you feel were particularly bold?

EBC: Dollar Shave Club, winner of the Entrepreneurship award, struck me as especially bold as it took on the giants of the shaving market through its innovative marketing model. It was a case of the little David taking on the monsters. Its just a shame it sold out to one of them [Unilever bought Dollar Shave in July]. Its that argument again about the long versus the short term. Were all in such a rush, with people taking the greenback rather than aiming for, say, the old Victorian legacy of building something big.

LJ: For me, the bold companies are those that execute [a plan] at speed and scale to attack societys unsolved problems. Dong transformed from being the leading oil and gas company in Denmark to one of the leading renewables companies in the world. Engie in France and one of the companies on the Drivers of Change shortlist is another one. It shifted from fossil fuel power to sustainable energy production.

What were you looking for in the candidates?

LJ: Those that are using the means at our disposal to deliver something valuable for the many: clean water, sanitation, education. Look at Paytm on the Developing Markets shortlist. In India its mobile commerce platform tackles the massive problem of providing access to finance. In the Technology section, the Israeli company CropX is another. It uses big data to create targeted micro irrigation; farmers save water and energy by being able to water crops only in areas of their fields that need it.

EBC: Yes, its a bit of a curates egg this year, but there are hints of that here. Impossible Foods from California and its meat-free products in the Corporate Responsibility/Environment category is an interesting one. It aims to recreate the taste and nutrition of meat without the impact on the environment of animal farming. If we can replace meat, thats a worthy cause.

One test of a successful company is whether others can replicate what it does. Where is the economic moat, as Warren Buffett once put it, that will defend its revenues over the long term? Any of the winners catch your eye?

EBC: Judging enduring barriers to entry is virtually impossible as it involves a series of imaginative leaps into the future. Many, if not all, of the candidates and winners were operating at the frontiers of human ingenuity, so if developing a sustainable advantage will be a particular challenge, you can argue that Empresas Polar, the food and drinks maker based in Caracas, has developed a distinctive barrier to entry. It is competing successfully in the political, economic and social conditions in Venezuela. That in itself is a competitive advantage.

LJ: It brought back memories of Santa Teresa, the Venezuelan distiller that was unlucky not to win the Developing Markets prize a couple of years ago. Part of its economic moat is distinctiveness. Its a unique local rum, some of which, I am happy to say, it brought to the awards ceremony in London.

EBC: Companies that operate under conditions like these, you have to credit with ballsiness as well as boldness.

Was there any candidate slightly off the wall that took your fancy?

EBC: Many of the candidates and winners are focused on how homo sapiens can live sustainably on our small blue marble, though most of the products here are intangibles. I had a soft spot for The Furniture Recycling Group in Blackburn [UK]. It has developed an automated process for taking apart mattresses so that all parts of them can be recycled. You cant get much more tangible than that.

LJ: Youre right. There is yet to be a day on my home street when there isnt an old stained mattress dumped with little immediate hope of it being carted away. This shows what we need not technology substituting for the human, but technology aiding our ingenuity to solve real world problems.

Getting back to the subject of an overall theme for the year, we can see that robots and artificial intelligence, such as automated driving systems, are among activities that are well represented. What problems, or opportunities, is present day boldness in business opening up for future prize winners to address?

EBC: I suspect we will see an increasing number of enterprises focusing on robotic technology and AI, as well as the matter of increasing human longevity. For the first time in human history some forms of human intelligence will be overtaken by machines. How we live in this world will in itself be an exciting challenge.

LJ: We can look forward to some literally incredible things. Look at Human Longevity, the California company in the running for this years Drivers of Change award. With its human genome sequencing work, its looking to double life expectancy in the next 20 years. Some even say that anyone now under 50 has a 50/50 chance of living for ever. What does this mean? A new style of bermensch? I also feel uneasy about the potential impact on society of structural job loss, an automation bomb that could be detonated by AI. Without technological governance, we might be sleepwalking our way into it.

EBC: This is the dystopian view. Many millions of jobs are due to go in the next two decades or so. What are we going to do? There could be the most extraordinary concentration of wealth, with all the rest of us living on the universal basic income. As far as robots and AI are concerned, the genie is already out of the bottle, though of course and heres one for those bold award candidates of the future theres a counter argument that if machines get out of hand we can pull the plug. Im not sure we are clever enough.

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Leo Johnson and Edward Bonham Carter on what makes a bold entrepreneur - Financial Times

"No artificial colors" is listed on many product labels, given that most of us try to avoid unnatural ingredients. When 44,000 animals recently ingested a manmade dye as part of a new study, however, their longevity increased, with some living twice as long as usual.

The catch is that the animals were all various species of roundworms round-bodied, unsegmented worms, some of which are parasitic. Even so, roundworms share surprising genetic similarities to humans, and researchers suggest that the dye Basic Yellow 1, also known as Thioflavin T could someday work as an anti-aging drug for humans and other animals.

The authors of the new study, published in the journal Nature Communications, suspect that the dye extends lifespan by preventing damaged, improperly folded proteins that commonly occur as an individual ages.

"Proteins lose their 3D shape during aging, and as a result cannot function properly," co-senior author Gordon Lithgow of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging explained to Seeker. "This is also a feature of many age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's. Thioflavin T prevents this, at least in worms. It also turns on lots of genes that are the natural defense system to prevent protein misfolding."

RELATED: Parkinson's-Fighting Steroid Is Identified in Fast Food Fish

Lithgow, lead author Mark Lucanic, and their colleagues raised multiple species of roundworms on plates of agar, a gelatinous substance. They mixed various compounds into the agar, which the roundworms ate. The researchers then documented the lifespan of the roundworms, which normally live just 15 to 20 days.

Photo: Adult parasitic roundworms coming out of part of an individual's small intestine that was removed. Credit: Department of Pathology, Calicut Medical College; Wikimedia Commons

The roundworms' fast-living ways make them popular for longevity studies, since scientists can monitor the worms over a period of days or months instead of years. Roundworms also feature more genetic diversity than can be found between mice and humans, the researchers say.

The experiments, which were conducted in three separate labs, all came to the same general conclusion: Basic Yellow 1 extended the lives of roundworms.

RELATED: The Average Life Expectancy Will Break the 90-Year Barrier by 2030

"This paper was all about establishing a platform where we could reproducibly test compounds for effect on lifespan," Lithgow said. "I think this is important for the field to find compounds that could go forward to pre-clinical [mouse] and clinical studies."

"Importantly, we tested the compounds in very, very diverse genetic strains," he continued. "A compound that extends lifespan across such diverse strains might be targeting a conserved process. That gives us some confidence that such a compound could have similar effects in mammals, including humans."

The video that follows below shows Basic Yellow 1 experiments on worms as part of a prior study conducted by Lithgow and his team. The footage features a worm after 20 days under standard culture conditions (control) versus a 20-day-old worm treated with Thioflavin T. According to the researchers, the treated worm displays better movement and appearance, both of which are consistent with a delay in the aging process.

Lithgow's postdoc, Silvestre Alavez, came up with the idea to test Basic Yellow 1 for longevity, since he noticed that the dye binds a type of unfolded protein (amyloid), which is a feature of Alzheimer's disease.

Too much of a potentially good thing can pose problems, though.

"At high concentrations, it is clearly toxic and kills the worms, just like most drugs," Lithgow said, referring to the dye.

Extensive future tests on the dye would be needed to better determine its mechanisms, how it might benefit humans and, if so, what the form and dosage should be.

In a statement, co-author Monica Driscoll of Rutgers University said that "the real goal of aging research should not be longevity at all, but rather a person's health span how long they can maintain an active, disease free, high quality of life."

"The greatest risk factor for diseases like diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disease is age," she added, "so that is why research looking at delaying the onset of age-associated decline is so important."

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Chemical Dye Doubles Roundworm Lifespan, Could Extend Human Longevity - Seeker

March 8, 2017

A group of Russian and German biologists and mathematicians led by profs. Victor Sadovnichii and Vladimir Skulachev (Moscow State University) and prof. Thomas Hildebrandt (Leibniz Institute, Berlin) have published a study in Physiological Reviews in support of a breakthrough hypothesis explaining the exceptional longevity of the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), an African rodent. According to the hypothesis, these animals had evolved a slow process of individual development resulting in a dramatic increase in the period of youth and a decelerated aging process.

A similar process has begun in humans, as well. Analysis of data on human longevity and the reproduction period indicates that humans have already slowed down the pace of our "master biological clock," and this deceleration has progressed throughout human history, resulting in increased lifespan and prolongation of youth.

Such regulation of the rate of aging means that the aging process (in both naked mole-rats and humans) is genetically programmed and cannot be explained by simple accumulation of random damage with age. This is a very important finding, because modern science is already capable of switching off some biological programsfor example, the process of cell suicide, apoptosis. Prof. Skulachev's research group is now trying to apply the same method to retard the program of aging using specially designed mitochondrially targeted antioxidants.

Victor Sadovnichii, rector of Moscow State University, says, "Aging studies are based on different statistical datasets. Traditionally it is one of the most mathematics-oriented areas of biology. In this particular case, statistical analysis demonstrated a very important fact: Human aging is already decelerating."

Vladimir Skulachev, head of Belozersky institute of Moscow State University, says, "I think our work proves that the biological evolution of two highly social species of mammals (humans and naked mole rats) resulted in deceleration of the aging program and prolongation of youth. So the aging is, indeed, a program, and it has already slowed down through natural selection. But we humans no longer rely on the extremely slow method of natural evolution. We use technical and scientific progress to achieve our goals. It is exactly the time when we must apply this method against aging."

Explore further: Synthetic compound slows down aging of mice with mutating

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A team of researchers repaired a hole in a mouse's skull by regrowing "quality bone," a breakthrough that could drastically improve the care of people who suffer severe trauma to the skull or face.

A hormone secreted by bone cells can suppress appetite, according to mouse studies conducted by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers. The hormonecalled lipocalin 2turns on neurons in the brain that ...

By comparing two strains of miceone that becomes obese and diabetic on a high-fat diet and another resistant to a high-fat regimenresearchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania identified ...

Regeneration is an inherent property of life. However, the potential to regenerate differs across species: while fish and amphibians can re-grow appendages such as limbs, tails, and fins, mammals, including humans, cannot ...

A type of drug used to treat weak bones is associated with an increased risk of 'micro-cracks' in bone, according to new research.

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Scientists reveal the secret of naked mole rat longevity - Medical Xpress

How do top CEOs lead during this exponential age?

How do you manage the explosion of information and onslaught of increasing competition?

How do you sort through the abundance of opportunity and avoid getting burned out?

How do you maintain agility during todays tsunami of change?

Todays post is the second of three parts deriving insights and advice from three incredible, forward-thinking leaders: Beth Comstock, Sue Siegel, and Arianna Huffington. Todays post will focus on Sue Siegels advice.

Sue, Beth and Arianna addressed my 2017 Abundance 360 CEO Summit in a module called Exponential Leadership.(Be sure to read part one for eight excellent insights from Beth Comstock.)

Lets dive in...

Sue Siegel is the CEO of GE Ventures. She heads GE's growth and innovation business comprised of GE Ventures, GE Licensing and New Business Creation (NBC).

GE Ventures is the venture capital arm of General Electric that invests hundreds of millions of dollars in and partners with the entrepreneurial ecosystem across healthcare, energy, software, advanced manufacturing and lighting, and starts and grows companies via its New Business Creation unit.

Previously, Sue was the president of Affymetrix, and shes had 30 years of combined commercial experience. She's also on my board at Human Longevity Inc., which I'm very proud of, and GE is an investor in HLI.

1. Always be an ambassador for your team, innovation happens everywhere: As a leader, you must always be an ambassador for your team. Not only is it important for you to always reflect your companys values, but its also important that you constantly search for opportunities, tools, people, and ideas that would be valuable to your team. In other words, if you go to an event or conference, always be on the lookout for great opportunities for your team.

2. Issues within the team should be resolved within the team: Given the pace of change and complexity of leading a high-performance team, there is often a lot of stress and confusion with implementing team decisions. This can lead to gossiping or complaining outside of the group. Sue notes that your colleagues outside the team dont want to sit there and actually help you; instead, they just want to hear the gossip and spread it. This can be detrimental to productivity and team morale. Instead, don't start rumors, dont spread them, and if you have an issue, take it up immediately within the team and solve it there.

3. Once a decision is made, it is supported. Period. This is really important. Once a decision is made in a meeting, there must be no second-guessing of that decision after the fact. Sue explains, When we walk out of that room, and you've had all the chance to actually defend your position to make the decision, its time to start executing. That's it. If you need to change a strategy, use data from implementation to support your argument and bring it up in the next decision-making meeting.

4. Proactive problem management go directly to the source: As complexity increases, so too does the potential for conflict or confusion. As an exponential leader, you must be proactive in managing this. Sues strategy is simple and clear: Go to the source, directly to the source. Dont complain to managers or others before youve gone to the person first to resolve the conflict.

5. Assume noble intent: I love this one. Its important as a leader to trust your team and assume that they have the teams best interests in mind. Its remarkable what you are able to achieve when you assume noble intent. Ultimately, this goes back to hiring as well. You must ensure that you are hiring team players who are inspired by the companys mission and purpose.

6. Ambidextrous leadership (investor + operator thinking): Sue believes there is enormous value in pairing venture capital investor-type thinking with operator-type thinking. Being able to step back and analyze opportunities from an investors perspective can be a valuable tool in helping entrepreneurs and managers alike make better decisions. And for investors, thinking like an operator is so important to understand the businesses they are investing in and, more than that, to best leverage your resources to help the companies.

7. You cant delegate culture: This is absolutely critical for exponential leaders. Culture can make or break a company, and therefore it a) must be very high on a leaders list of priorities and b) must come from the top. Leaders cant delegate culture. Sue goes on, Leaders are the culture bearers, the torchkeepers of culture in our companies. They might have change agents, or those that actually help them amplify their culture, but the leader cannot delegate culture. This is a truth that a lot of us forget because we're so busy. Employees and teams really want to see it from their leaders. They want to hear the talk, they want to watch them walk the talk, all the time. Interestingly, while leaders cannot delegate culture creation, they can delegate culture keeping.

8. Purpose and passion: Purpose and passion drive people to do what they do. Sue explains, Our people are very motivated by a purpose. And you have to go recruit for that kind of person. Purpose fuels passion. Passion creates energy to deliver. It empowers people to believe they can. Purpose and passion actually help people unlock the potential they never knew they had. It is up to leaders to define the purpose and build a team around it.

Change is coming. Exponential leaders must prepare for it and embrace it.

Youve got to resolve conflict proactively, expect the best from your team, and fuel their energy to solve problems and create extraordinary results.

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8 Principles for Leaders to Make the Most of the Exponential Age (Part 2) - Singularity Hub