SPEAKERS ARDD 2024
Björn Schumacher
Director, Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease
University of Cologne
University of Cologne
Since 2013, Björn Schumacher is full professor and director of the Institute
for Genome Stability in Ageing and Diseases (IGSAD) at the CECAD
Research Centre of the University of Cologne. He received his PhD at the
Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich and conducted his
postdoctoral research as EMBO and Marie Curie fellow at the Erasmus
Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Professor Schumacher is President of the
German Society for DNA Repair (DGDR), co-Director of the Minerva Center
of the Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Ageing at Bar-Ilan University (IL),
and between 2014 and 2020 served as President of the German Society
for Ageing Research (DGfA). He was awarded with the Eva Luise Köhler
Research Prize, the Innovation Prize of the State of North Rhine-
Westphalia, the European Research Council (ERC) starting grant,
coordinated the FP7 Marie Curie initial training network on chronic DNA
damage in ageing (CodeAge) and serves on several editorial boards. His
research interest focuses on the molecular mechanisms through which
DNA damage contributes to cancer development and ageing-associated
diseases. Employing the C. elegans system and mammalian disease
models, his group uncovered cell-autonomous and systemic responses
through which the organism adapts to accumulating DNA damage with
ageing. Through the understanding of the basic mechanisms of genome
instability-driven ageing, Schumacher aims to contribute to the
development of future strategies to prevent ageing-associated diseases.
for Genome Stability in Ageing and Diseases (IGSAD) at the CECAD
Research Centre of the University of Cologne. He received his PhD at the
Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich and conducted his
postdoctoral research as EMBO and Marie Curie fellow at the Erasmus
Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Professor Schumacher is President of the
German Society for DNA Repair (DGDR), co-Director of the Minerva Center
of the Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Ageing at Bar-Ilan University (IL),
and between 2014 and 2020 served as President of the German Society
for Ageing Research (DGfA). He was awarded with the Eva Luise Köhler
Research Prize, the Innovation Prize of the State of North Rhine-
Westphalia, the European Research Council (ERC) starting grant,
coordinated the FP7 Marie Curie initial training network on chronic DNA
damage in ageing (CodeAge) and serves on several editorial boards. His
research interest focuses on the molecular mechanisms through which
DNA damage contributes to cancer development and ageing-associated
diseases. Employing the C. elegans system and mammalian disease
models, his group uncovered cell-autonomous and systemic responses
through which the organism adapts to accumulating DNA damage with
ageing. Through the understanding of the basic mechanisms of genome
instability-driven ageing, Schumacher aims to contribute to the
development of future strategies to prevent ageing-associated diseases.
Leaders in the aging and longevity field will describe the latest progress in the molecular, cellular and organismal basis of aging and our search for interventions.
Kotb Abdelmohsen
National Institute on Aging,
National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
Dr. Kotb Abdelmohsen received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany. His postdoctoral work at the NIH's National Institute on Aging (NIA) focused on post-transcriptional gene regulation. His research explores the roles of RNA-binding proteins and noncoding RNAs in gene expression, crucial for understanding stress responses, senescence, and aging.
As a Senior Associate Scientist at NIA, Dr. Abdelmohsen investigates RNA modifications, stability, and translation, focusing on the interaction between RNA-binding proteins and RNA sequences in the context of aging and age-related diseases. His research spans both coding and noncoding RNAs, exploring their impact on cell growth, aging, and senescence. Further, Dr. Abdelmohsen is investigating extracellular vesicles and particles from various organs and cells including the human trophoblast stem cells to advance our understanding of cellular aging and senescence. Leveraging the unique features of these nanoparticles, his work offers insights into cellular senescence, aging and disease, aiming to develop anti-aging and senotherapeutic strategies.
As a Senior Associate Scientist at NIA, Dr. Abdelmohsen investigates RNA modifications, stability, and translation, focusing on the interaction between RNA-binding proteins and RNA sequences in the context of aging and age-related diseases. His research spans both coding and noncoding RNAs, exploring their impact on cell growth, aging, and senescence. Further, Dr. Abdelmohsen is investigating extracellular vesicles and particles from various organs and cells including the human trophoblast stem cells to advance our understanding of cellular aging and senescence. Leveraging the unique features of these nanoparticles, his work offers insights into cellular senescence, aging and disease, aiming to develop anti-aging and senotherapeutic strategies.
Andrew Adams
PhD, Group Vice President – Molecule Discovery, and Director of Genetic Medicines, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Dr. Andrew Adams serves as the Group Vice President of Molecule Discovery and Director of Genetic Medicines at Eli Lilly and Company. Andrew is responsible for leading the discovery of new therapies across Neuroscience, with a specific focus in our core strategic areas of pain and neurodegeneration. Andrew is also responsible for our growing portfolio of genetic medicines at Lilly, spanning RNA, gene therapy and gene editing. Andrew holds a degree in biology and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Prior to joining Lilly in 2011, Andrew was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School. During his time at Lilly, he has served in a number of roles in discovery, external innovation and as a leader of Lilly’s early trailblazer teams, spanning diabetes and complications, neuroscience, genetic medicine and the MIH.
Jeroen Aerssens
Chief Development Officer, Rejuvenate Biomed
Dr. Jeroen Aerssens joined Rejuvenate Biomed as Chief Development Officer. In this role, he oversees all aspects of clinical research and development in the company, including compound development strategy, clinical trial design and execution, and collaborations with stakeholders. Jeroen brings over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical R&D, encompassing preclinical drug discovery, translational research and clinical development. He is particularly recognized for his expertise in biomarkers and clinical translational science. Before joining Rejuvenate Biomed, Dr. Aerssens held senior scientific leadership positions at Johnson & Johnson companies, including Janssen Pharmaceutica and Tibotec, where he built and managed research teams across various divisions. Jeroen contributed to the clinical development programs of several market-approved drugs, such as galantamine and simeprevir. Apart from his work in the pharmaceutical industry, he also had a successful academic career at the universities of Leuven (postdoc) and Maastricht (assistant professor). Throughout his career, Jeroen maintained a strong interest in patient-oriented research aimed at addressing knowledge gaps at the molecular level. He co-invented over 20 patent applications and co-authored more than 130 peer-reviewed publications, making significant scientific contributions to a diverse range of diseases, including infectious diseases, bone disorders, metabolic syndrome, gastroenterology, neuroscience, and oncology. Dr. Aerssens holds a PhD in Medical Sciences and a master’s degree in Bioengineering from Leuven University, and a certificate in Health Economics from EHSAL Management School (Belgium).
Luc Aguilar
PhD, Chief Scientific Officer advanced research L’ORÉAL R&I, France
Luc Aguilar is committed to pioneer and transform research into disruptive innovations in beauty to change consumer and patient’s life.
Luc Aguilar is a research biologist by training who gathers more than 25 years of experience in the biotech, pharmaceutical and the cosmetic Industry. He joined L’ORÉAL 13 years ago to build the biotechnology Department to develop nature-based ingredients and biotech platforms. He gathers expertise in industrial biotech, cell and tissue engineering applied to skin and hair, as well as clinical development of cosmetics, MD and drugs with a deep understanding of regulatory paths to reach market authorization.
After pioneering research on the skin microbiome at L’ORÉAL R&I for dermatological and cosmetics applications, he led globally Skin Microbiome and Exposome research initiatives from 2018 to 2023. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Research.
After pioneering research on the skin microbiome at L’ORÉAL R&I for dermatological and cosmetics applications, he led globally Skin Microbiome and Exposome research initiatives from 2018 to 2023. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Research.
ACHIEVEMENT & INFLUENCE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
A multi-study analysis enables identification of potential microbial features associated with skin aging signs. Front Aging. 2024
The epidemiology of acne vulgaris in a multiethnic adolescent population from Rotterdam, the Netherlands: A cross-sectional study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024
Skin microbiome dysbiosis and the role of Staphylococcus aureus in atopic dermatitis in adults and children: A narrative review.JEADV.2023
Skin microbiome differentiates into distinct cytotypes with unique metabolic functions upon exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Microbiome 2023
La Roche Posay Scientific Board Member and member of the board of biotech companies
Luc Aguilar is a research biologist by training who gathers more than 25 years of experience in the biotech, pharmaceutical and the cosmetic Industry. He joined L’ORÉAL 13 years ago to build the biotechnology Department to develop nature-based ingredients and biotech platforms. He gathers expertise in industrial biotech, cell and tissue engineering applied to skin and hair, as well as clinical development of cosmetics, MD and drugs with a deep understanding of regulatory paths to reach market authorization.
After pioneering research on the skin microbiome at L’ORÉAL R&I for dermatological and cosmetics applications, he led globally Skin Microbiome and Exposome research initiatives from 2018 to 2023. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Research.
After pioneering research on the skin microbiome at L’ORÉAL R&I for dermatological and cosmetics applications, he led globally Skin Microbiome and Exposome research initiatives from 2018 to 2023. He is currently Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Research.
ACHIEVEMENT & INFLUENCE WITHIN THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY
A multi-study analysis enables identification of potential microbial features associated with skin aging signs. Front Aging. 2024
The epidemiology of acne vulgaris in a multiethnic adolescent population from Rotterdam, the Netherlands: A cross-sectional study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024
Skin microbiome dysbiosis and the role of Staphylococcus aureus in atopic dermatitis in adults and children: A narrative review.JEADV.2023
Skin microbiome differentiates into distinct cytotypes with unique metabolic functions upon exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Microbiome 2023
La Roche Posay Scientific Board Member and member of the board of biotech companies
Uri Alon
Professor and Systems Biologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Neal D. Amin
MD, PhD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University, USA
Dr. Neal Amin is a practicing physician scientist at Stanford investigating the etiology of neurological and psychiatric disorders. He identified a post-transcriptional gene regulatory pathway active specifically in motor neurons and now implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. At Stanford, Dr. Amin has been developing stem cell-derived human organoid technology and applying it towards understanding the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of brain disorders.
Rozalyn Anderson
Professor of Medicine
Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
School of Medicine and Public Health
University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology
School of Medicine and Public Health
University of Wisconsin Madison, USA
Adam Antebi
Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Germany
Prof. Antebi received his PhD in Biology from Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, and performed his post-doctoral studies at the Johns Hopkins
University. He is currently a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of
Ageing, Cologne, Germany. Dr Antebi’s work has focused on dietary, metabolic
and endocrine regulation of longevity from worms to verterbrates. His research
seeks to decipher convergent mechanisms of longevity across pathways and
evolution, using molecular and systems approaches.
Technology, and performed his post-doctoral studies at the Johns Hopkins
University. He is currently a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of
Ageing, Cologne, Germany. Dr Antebi’s work has focused on dietary, metabolic
and endocrine regulation of longevity from worms to verterbrates. His research
seeks to decipher convergent mechanisms of longevity across pathways and
evolution, using molecular and systems approaches.
Alberto Aparicio
PhD, Assistant Professor of Bioethics and Health Humanities, The University of Texas Medical Branch, USA
Alberto Aparicio is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioethics and Health Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch. As a social scientist, his research focuses on the social, ethical and cultural aspects of longevity biotechnology, and the governance of emerging biotechnologies. He currently advises for XPRIZE Healthspan on ethics and governance. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Global Observatory for Genome Editing, Harvard University, and the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute. Previously, Dr. Aparicio received his PhD in Science and Technology Studies from University College London, and his MPhil in Technology Policy from Cambridge University. He has held policy and management roles, in academic, consultancy and government institutions.
Steven Austad
PhD, Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Biology, University of Alabama Birmingham, USA
Steven Austad is the Senior Scientific Director and Interim Board of Directors’ Chair of the American Federation for Aging Research.He is also a Distinguished Professor and the Protective Life Endowed Chair in Healthy Aging Research in Department of Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). His research has won multiple international awards. In addition, he is Founding Director and current Co-director of UAB’s Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. He has published more than 200 scientific papers and 7 books and has authored more than 150 essays and op-eds in print and electronic media.
Daniela Bakula
The University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Daniela Bakula graduated in Biology from the University of Tübingen, Germany. She obtained her PhD with the highest honors from the University of Tübingen within the International Max-Planck Research School “From Molecules to Organisms“. Her PhD work focused on molecular mechanisms regulating autophagy and was awarded with highly competitive dissertation prizes. Daniela Bakula did her postdoc in the lab of Morten Scheibye-Knudsen at the Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen before transitioning into an assistant professorship. Her work focuses on understanding how genomic instability may impact aging. Based on her work she received a DFG postdoctoral fellowship as well as a Lundbeck foundation postdoctoral fellowship and several other grants to fund her research. She is an associate editor with Frontiers in Aging and is co-organizing ARDD since 2020.
Bruno Balen
Co-founder at Ani Biome, Croatia
Bruno Balen is a co-founder at Ani Biome, a longevity company focused on detecting, predicting, and reversing psychogenic aging.
They have developed a machine learning architecture for mapping the gut-brain axis and personalizing molecules for its optimization.
Their solutions are preclinically and clinically validated, and have multiple ongoing trials.
Bruno believes the longevity drug will not be solely a molecule, but an algorithm.
Besides being a founder, Bruno is a passionate futurist, technologist, and inventor, and he merged all of his passions in his work at Ani Biome.
They have developed a machine learning architecture for mapping the gut-brain axis and personalizing molecules for its optimization.
Their solutions are preclinically and clinically validated, and have multiple ongoing trials.
Bruno believes the longevity drug will not be solely a molecule, but an algorithm.
Besides being a founder, Bruno is a passionate futurist, technologist, and inventor, and he merged all of his passions in his work at Ani Biome.
Albert-László Barabási
Northeastern University
Robert Gray Dodge Professor of Network Science,
Distinguished University Professor,
Director, Center for Complex Network Research;
Harvard University
Lecturer in Medicine, Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital;
Central European University
Visiting Professor, Center for Network Science, USA
Robert Gray Dodge Professor of Network Science,
Distinguished University Professor,
Director, Center for Complex Network Research;
Harvard University
Lecturer in Medicine, Department of Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital;
Central European University
Visiting Professor, Center for Network Science, USA
Albert-László Barabási is the Robert Gray Dodge Professor of Network Science and a Distinguished University Professor at Northeastern University, where he directs the Center for Complex Network Research. He holds appointments in the Departments of Physics and Computer Science at Northeastern University as well as in the Department of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women Hospital, and he is a visiting professor at the Department of Network and Data Science at Central European University in Budapest. A Hungarian born native of Transylvania, Romania, he received his Master’s in Theoretical Physics at the Eotvos University in Budapest, Hungary and was awarded a Ph.D. three years later at Boston University. Barabási is the author several general audience books, like “The Formula: The Science of Success (2018)” "Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do" (2010), "Linked: The New Science of Networks" (2002) and of the textbooks Network Science (2020) and the monograph Science of Science (coathored with Dashun Wang).
Barabasi's work lead to the discovery of scale-free networks in 1999 and proposed the Barabási-Albert model to explain their widespread emergence in natural, technological and social systems, from the cellular telephone to the WWW or online communities.
Barabási is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of the 2023 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of APS. He was awarded the FEBS Anniversary Prize for Systems Biology in 2005 and the John von Neumann Medal by the John von Neumann Computer Society from Hungary, for outstanding achievements in computer-related science and technology in 2006. He has been elected into the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2004) and the Academia Europaea (2007). He received the C&C Prize from the NEC C&C Foundation in 2008. In 2009 the US National Academies of Sciences awarded him the 2009 Cozzarelli Prize. In 2011 Barabási was awarded the Lagrange Prize-CRT Foundation for his contributions to complex systems, awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, became an elected Fellow in AAAS (Physics), and is a 2013 Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences.
Barabasi's work lead to the discovery of scale-free networks in 1999 and proposed the Barabási-Albert model to explain their widespread emergence in natural, technological and social systems, from the cellular telephone to the WWW or online communities.
Barabási is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the recipient of the 2023 Julius Edgar Lilienfeld Prize of APS. He was awarded the FEBS Anniversary Prize for Systems Biology in 2005 and the John von Neumann Medal by the John von Neumann Computer Society from Hungary, for outstanding achievements in computer-related science and technology in 2006. He has been elected into the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2004) and the Academia Europaea (2007). He received the C&C Prize from the NEC C&C Foundation in 2008. In 2009 the US National Academies of Sciences awarded him the 2009 Cozzarelli Prize. In 2011 Barabási was awarded the Lagrange Prize-CRT Foundation for his contributions to complex systems, awarded Doctor Honoris Causa from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, became an elected Fellow in AAAS (Physics), and is a 2013 Fellow of the Massachusetts Academy of Sciences.
Sara Bonnes
Mayo Clinic, USA
Dr. Sara Bonnes, Associate Professor of Medicine, is the medical director of the Healthy Longevity Clinic at Mayo Clinic Rochester. She is board certified in internal medicine and lifestyle medicine. Before starting her medical training, she pursued undergraduate and graduate training in nutrition at Kansas State University. She completed her medical training at the University of Nebraska Medical Center before moving to Rochester, Minnesota for residency and chief residency. She has been on staff at Mayo since 2014 and continues to practice in general internal medicine, integrative medicine and nutrition clinics. Throughout her medical career, she continues to incorporate her nutrition and lifestyle medicine expertise into care of patients with a wide variety of health concerns, and interest in preventing chronic diseases. Given increased patient interest in how to improve their health span, she is working with the multidisciplinary team- including dietitians, exercise specialists, pharmacists, resiliency experts, and researchers- to develop a Clinic that utilizes an individualized, patient centered, evidence based approach to healthy longevity.
Stephanie Manson Brown
Vice President, Head of Clinical Development & Scientific Innovation and Skincare R&D at Allergan Aesthetics, AbbVie, USA
Dr Stephanie Manson Brown is Vice President, Head of Clinical Development & Scientific Innovation and Skincare R&D at Allergan Aesthetics, AbbVie.
Her Clinical Development and Scientific Innovation team are responsible for global clinical trial development strategy for the Aesthetic Medicine portfolio, covering pharmaceuticals and device; for developing innovative endpoint evaluation tools; bringing digital science and technology solutions to R&D programmes; and driving inclusion and diversity in the generation of data that is representative of individual needs. Her Skincare R&D team are responsible for developing an innovative product pipeline supported by robust scientific data and with a focus on aging science.
Prior to joining industry, Stephanie was trained to be a Plastic Surgeon and is a board-certified surgeon (MRCS). She carried out her training in Newcastle, London and Durham, UK. She received her Medical Degree (MBBS) from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Surgical qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and holds a diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, London). She was honored as a 2023 Healthcare Business Women’s (HBA) Luminary.
Stephanie is co-chair of the Aesthetics Pharmaceutical Governance Board and is the co-founder of the Science of Aging.
Her Clinical Development and Scientific Innovation team are responsible for global clinical trial development strategy for the Aesthetic Medicine portfolio, covering pharmaceuticals and device; for developing innovative endpoint evaluation tools; bringing digital science and technology solutions to R&D programmes; and driving inclusion and diversity in the generation of data that is representative of individual needs. Her Skincare R&D team are responsible for developing an innovative product pipeline supported by robust scientific data and with a focus on aging science.
Prior to joining industry, Stephanie was trained to be a Plastic Surgeon and is a board-certified surgeon (MRCS). She carried out her training in Newcastle, London and Durham, UK. She received her Medical Degree (MBBS) from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Surgical qualification from the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and holds a diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine, London). She was honored as a 2023 Healthcare Business Women’s (HBA) Luminary.
Stephanie is co-chair of the Aesthetics Pharmaceutical Governance Board and is the co-founder of the Science of Aging.
Michael Baran
PhD, MBA, Partner, Pfizer Ventures, Executive Director, External Science & Innovation, Worldwide R&D, Pfizer, Inc., USA
Mike has responsibility for growing venture investment transactions and managing equity investments aligned with future directions of Pfizer. He currently has responsibility for Pfizer’s investments in Anjarium Biosciences, Autobahn Therapeutics, Capstan Therapeutics, ImCheck Therapeutics, ImmunOs Therapeutics, Interius Biotherapeutics, Mediar Therapeutics, Incendia Therapeutics, TRex Bio, and VitaDAO.
From 2017-2018 Mike served as Senior Director of Portfolio Strategy, critically assessing the R&D portfolio from a volume, value, quality, risk and productivity perspective with the ultimate objective of maximizing R&D productivity and value generation. From 2011-2017 Mike was Senior Director, Scientific Affairs for the R&D President’s Office, enabling and communicating the R&D strategic agenda as well as leading colleague development capabilities. Mike joined Pfizer in 2008 in the market access space providing strategic and analytical support around marketing and managed care contracting with commercial and government payers.
Previously, Mike worked within the NIH Protein Structure Initiative’s Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium coordinating protein structure production efforts, including bioinformatics, protein expression/purification and 3D structure determination. Mike is also a co-founder of Nexomics Biosciences, a NJ-based biotechnology company focused on providing gene-2-structure services as well as early-stage drug target validation.
Mike earned his PhD from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in biochemistry. He holds a MBA from Rutgers Business School and received his BS in Biochemistry/Information Technology from Syracuse University.
From 2017-2018 Mike served as Senior Director of Portfolio Strategy, critically assessing the R&D portfolio from a volume, value, quality, risk and productivity perspective with the ultimate objective of maximizing R&D productivity and value generation. From 2011-2017 Mike was Senior Director, Scientific Affairs for the R&D President’s Office, enabling and communicating the R&D strategic agenda as well as leading colleague development capabilities. Mike joined Pfizer in 2008 in the market access space providing strategic and analytical support around marketing and managed care contracting with commercial and government payers.
Previously, Mike worked within the NIH Protein Structure Initiative’s Northeast Structural Genomics Consortium coordinating protein structure production efforts, including bioinformatics, protein expression/purification and 3D structure determination. Mike is also a co-founder of Nexomics Biosciences, a NJ-based biotechnology company focused on providing gene-2-structure services as well as early-stage drug target validation.
Mike earned his PhD from Robert Wood Johnson Medical School/Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in biochemistry. He holds a MBA from Rutgers Business School and received his BS in Biochemistry/Information Technology from Syracuse University.
Nir Barzilai
President of the Academy of Health & Lifespan Research, USA
Dr. Nir Barzilai is the founding director of the Institute for Aging Research, the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging and the Paul F. Glenn Center for the Biology of Human Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University (Einstein). He also directs the Longevity Genes Project, a genetics study of over 600 families of centenarians and their children. The participants are all Ashkenazi Jews, a group selected for their genetic homogeneity, which makes it easier to identify significant genetic variations. Dr. Barzilai found that many of the centenarians had very high levels of HDL, or the "good cholesterol." Dr. Barzilai is also co-founder of CohBar, Inc., a biotechnology company developing mitochondria based therapeutics to treat diseases associated with aging.
Dr. Barzilai discovered several "longevity genes" in humans that were validated by others. These include variants in genes involved in cholesterol metabolism (CETP and APOC3), metabolism (ADIPOQ and TSHR) and growth (IGF1R). These genes appear to protect centenarians against major age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and dementia.
Dr. Barzilai discovered several "longevity genes" in humans that were validated by others. These include variants in genes involved in cholesterol metabolism (CETP and APOC3), metabolism (ADIPOQ and TSHR) and growth (IGF1R). These genes appear to protect centenarians against major age-related diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and dementia.
David Barzilai
MD, PhD, MBA, MS
Founder and CEO, Healthspan Coaching LLC, USA
Founder and CEO, Healthspan Coaching LLC, USA
Dr. David Barzilai is a physician, founder, and CEO of agingdoc.com evidence-based coaching and consultancy service. He is an inaugural lecturer at the Geneva College of Longevity Science. Dr. Barzilai holds a PhD in health services research and focuses on precision, personalized medicine applied to longevity sciences.
Dr. Barzilai is a distinguished consultant specializing in promoting healthy longevity through evidence-based scientific approaches. Known as "agingdoc" on social media platform X (Twitter), he has amassed a distinguished following of esteemed academics, scientists, and scholars. His channel is a major hub for the latest research and insights in aging biology, healthspan, lifestyle medicine, and healthy longevity practices. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine with proficiency in best practices related to nutrition, physical activity, sleep health, emotional wellness, and health and wellness coaching.
A sought-after thought leader and speaker, Dr. Barzilai is celebrated for engaging a broad audience that includes the general public, the scientific community, longevity organizations and industry stakeholders. Dr. Barzilai has pioneered developing innovative approaches in precision and personalized medicine, emphasizing preventive and proactive care for all. Through Barzilai Consulting - Healthspan Coaching LLC, Dr. Barzilai collaborates with clients to optimize personalized healthy longevity practices.
Dr. Barzilai is a distinguished consultant specializing in promoting healthy longevity through evidence-based scientific approaches. Known as "agingdoc" on social media platform X (Twitter), he has amassed a distinguished following of esteemed academics, scientists, and scholars. His channel is a major hub for the latest research and insights in aging biology, healthspan, lifestyle medicine, and healthy longevity practices. He is a Diplomat of the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine with proficiency in best practices related to nutrition, physical activity, sleep health, emotional wellness, and health and wellness coaching.
A sought-after thought leader and speaker, Dr. Barzilai is celebrated for engaging a broad audience that includes the general public, the scientific community, longevity organizations and industry stakeholders. Dr. Barzilai has pioneered developing innovative approaches in precision and personalized medicine, emphasizing preventive and proactive care for all. Through Barzilai Consulting - Healthspan Coaching LLC, Dr. Barzilai collaborates with clients to optimize personalized healthy longevity practices.
Isabel Beerman
PhD, Stadtman Investigator
National Institute on Aging, USA
Andreas Beyer
SyBACol
CECAD
CMMC
Institute for Genetics,
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Cologne, Germany
CECAD
CMMC
Institute for Genetics,
Faculty of Medicine,
University of Cologne, Germany
Marc Bernegger
Founding Partner, Maximon, Switzerland
Marc P. Bernegger is a serial-tech entrepreneur who has been following developments in the field of longevity since 2009.
Besides co-founding the longevity company-builder Maximon and Longevity Investors, he launched the fund AltAlpha Digital and is among others in the board of CfC St. Moritz and GenTwo.
Marc explored Bitcoin in 2012 and was a founding shareholder and board member of Crypto Finance Group (acquired by Deutsche Boerse in 2021).
Marc started his entrepreneurial journey by founding the party platform usgang.ch right after college (acquired by Axel Springer Media). He is also a co-founder of amiando, a ticketing platform, which was purchased by Xing and named “Global Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Marc holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Zurich and is an alumni of the Singularity University.
Besides co-founding the longevity company-builder Maximon and Longevity Investors, he launched the fund AltAlpha Digital and is among others in the board of CfC St. Moritz and GenTwo.
Marc explored Bitcoin in 2012 and was a founding shareholder and board member of Crypto Finance Group (acquired by Deutsche Boerse in 2021).
Marc started his entrepreneurial journey by founding the party platform usgang.ch right after college (acquired by Axel Springer Media). He is also a co-founder of amiando, a ticketing platform, which was purchased by Xing and named “Global Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Marc holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Zurich and is an alumni of the Singularity University.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
Altos Labs, USA
Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, previously the Roger Guillemin Chair and Professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is currently Director of Altos Labs Institute of Science in San Diego. During life’s early stages cells display high levels of plasticity, regeneration and resilience against stress, disfunction and injury, which are key features of human health. Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, has contributed towards understanding the molecular basis underlying embryogenesis and early postnatal life, as well as gained insights into how to program and rejuvenate adult and diseased cells. He is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of life, with the objective of developing universal health therapeutics to overcome human.
Evelyne Bischof
MD, PhD, MPH
Internal medicine and oncology University Hospital Renji of Jiaotong University, Shanghai
Sheba Longevity Center, Tel Hashomer
Internal medicine and oncology University Hospital Renji of Jiaotong University, Shanghai
Sheba Longevity Center, Tel Hashomer
Specialist in Internal Medicine, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital health, with extensive experience in scientific research and clinical practice at the following well known and highly reputable institutions. Research focus is oncology and longevity medicine, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital health, precision medicine, biogerontology, and geronto-oncology. EB published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, is a frequent speaker at scientific and medical conferences in Asia and Europe. Long term member of various medical societies, e.g. European Federation of Internal Medicine, World Academy of Medical Sciences, Swiss Society of Internal Medicine etc.
EB spent a decade practicing medicine, lecturing at medical schools and performing clinical and translational research in New York, Shanghai and Basel, with extensive experience in scientific research and clinical practice at the following well-known and highly reputable institutions: University Hospital of Basel, Fudan Cancer Institute and Hospital; Zhongshan Hospital, Renji Hospital and Shanghai East Hospital. EB sits on several scientific and advisory boards of biotech and longevity hubs. Currently also affiliated with the Centre of Healthy Aging, Universität Zürich, and prev. senior attending physician of internal medicine at the University Hospital Basel.
Swiss board certified as internal medicine specialist (FMH), trained in Europe, USA and China (Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals (Mass General Hospital, Beth Israel MD, Dana Farber Institute) and Columbia University NYC; Tongji University hospitals, Shanghai and University Hospitals of Zurich and Basel (Switzerland).
EB spent a decade practicing medicine, lecturing at medical schools and performing clinical and translational research in New York, Shanghai and Basel, with extensive experience in scientific research and clinical practice at the following well-known and highly reputable institutions: University Hospital of Basel, Fudan Cancer Institute and Hospital; Zhongshan Hospital, Renji Hospital and Shanghai East Hospital. EB sits on several scientific and advisory boards of biotech and longevity hubs. Currently also affiliated with the Centre of Healthy Aging, Universität Zürich, and prev. senior attending physician of internal medicine at the University Hospital Basel.
Swiss board certified as internal medicine specialist (FMH), trained in Europe, USA and China (Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals (Mass General Hospital, Beth Israel MD, Dana Farber Institute) and Columbia University NYC; Tongji University hospitals, Shanghai and University Hospitals of Zurich and Basel (Switzerland).
Gil Blander
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at InsideTracker, USA
Dr. Gil Blander is internationally recognized for his research in the basic biology of aging and translating research discoveries into new ways of detecting and preventing age-related conditions. He leads a team of biology, nutrition & exercise physiology experts, and data scientists at InsideTracker, and has been featured in CNN Money, The New York Times, Forbes, Financial Times, The Boston Globe to name a few.
Dr. Gil Blander received a Ph.D. in biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science and completed his Post Doctoral fellowship at MIT, before going on to found InsideTracker. InsideTracker was founded in 2009 by top scientists from acclaimed universities in the fields of aging, genetics, and biology, InsideTracker is a truly personalized nutrition and performance system. Our mission is to help people add years to their lives and life to their years by optimizing their bodies from the inside out. By analyzing your body's data, we can give you a crystal clear picture of what's going on inside you along with a science-backed action plan for improving your health and becoming your best self.
Dr. Gil Blander received a Ph.D. in biology from the Weizmann Institute of Science and completed his Post Doctoral fellowship at MIT, before going on to found InsideTracker. InsideTracker was founded in 2009 by top scientists from acclaimed universities in the fields of aging, genetics, and biology, InsideTracker is a truly personalized nutrition and performance system. Our mission is to help people add years to their lives and life to their years by optimizing their bodies from the inside out. By analyzing your body's data, we can give you a crystal clear picture of what's going on inside you along with a science-backed action plan for improving your health and becoming your best self.
Elena Bonfiglioli
Microsoft, GM healthcare, Global
Elena Bonfiglioli Global Business Leader VP Healthcare, Pharma and Life Sciences Microsoft Elena is Microsoft’s Global Business Leader for Healthcare, Pharma Life Sciences. In this capacity she is responsible for go-to-market, commercial, and partnerships, enabling AI transformation initiatives in health providers, payors and Life Sciences’ organizations globally. In 2023 Elena was elected as Member of the DIA Europe, Middle East & Africa Regional Advisory Council. Elena was selected twice as one of the top 50 AI Innovators by Intelligent Health in 2020 and in 2023. She is one of the founding members of the Holomedicine Association; and Vice Chair of the DIGITALEUROPE Executive Council for Healthcare since its creation in 2021. She recently joined the Board of The Movement Health Foundation, an organization founded by Roche, Siemens Healthineers, Microsoft and CIFS to build strong and sustainable healthcare systems. A signature outcome of her work – together with engineering and research - was the design of the AI partnership with Novartis in 2019, and the AI for Leprosy initiative with Novartis Foundation and Fiocruz published in The Lancet/Elsevier. In 2021 Elena spearheaded an innovation project for the prevention of gastric cancer with data and AI, leading to the largest EU working with StratejAI and international health providers. Elena co-chaired the Health Cloud Council from 2015-2019 leading work on secondary use of data and the creation of the first global data collaborative in cardiovascular population health. In 2017, she was elected to the HIMSS Europe Governing Council. Elena has been working in the health sector for 20+ years, starting in health policy at EU level, as leader for Microsoft’s public sector healthcare in EMEA. She is an active advocate and public speaker representing Microsoft Healthcare and Life Sciences’ AI strategy, and how “Data help save Lives”. She supported the creation of the Healthcare Data Innovation Council, a partnership of healthcare actors to progress regulatory frameworks for data sharing in health and life sciences. Elena championed the transformational impact of meditation in personal and professional development, working with the Centre for Evolutionary Learning. She promotes empowerment of women in leadership as founding member of WiL Network and as champion for Diversity and Inclusion at Microsoft.
Ed Boyden
MIT, USA
Rafael de Cabo
Chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch at the National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, USA
Dr. de Cabo earned his Ph.D. in 2000 from the Department of Foods and Nutrition at Purdue University. He received a postdoctoral position in the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging in Baltimore, Maryland. In 2004, he was appointed as a tenure track investigator in the Laboratory of Experimental Gerontology. He is now a senior investigator and Chief of the Translational Gerontology Branch at NIA. His research has focused on the effects of nutritional interventions on basic mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases, the effects of caloric restriction on aging, and pharmacological interventions for healthy aging. Ultimately his research aims to identify interventions that will improve healthspan and lifespan with translational potential to benefit human aging.
Filipe Cabreiro
Professor at University of Cologne, Germany
Imperial College London, UK
Imperial College London, UK
Dr. Filipe Cabreiro, is a Professor at University of Cologne -Germany and Imperial College London - UK. He is a biochemist, who has studied the biological mechanisms underlying molecular stress protection, metabolism and ageing. His seminal work led to a paradigm shift in the use of C. elegans for studying host-microbe-drug interactions throughout ageing. He was awarded an EMBO Young Investigator award and a Royal Society/Wellcome Sir Henry Dale Fellowship, for his important contribution to science on the role of the microbiota in drug effects on host physiology. His research aims at developing strategies targeting the microbiota to treat ageing. His talk will focus on the role of metformin in ageing and gene-environment interactions, including how the gut microbiota and sexual dimorphism regulate dietary restriction-like effects on host physiology.
Christina Camell
Assistant Professor within the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism (iBAM), USA
I am an Assistant Professor within the Institute on the Biology of Aging and Metabolism (iBAM) and a member of the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota as of September 2019. The research in my lab focuses on fundamental questions addressing the biology of
aging and age-related diseases, while investigating the changes that occur within the immune system.
Specifically, we are interested in the development of inflammaging and immunosenescence. We use mouse models of naturally aged mice to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to the dysfunctional immune system. A major aim of the lab is to determine the consequence of reverting or interfering with those molecular pathways. We have expertise in using lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs as model organs to understand the impact of inflammaging and metabolic dysfunction. We use numerous tools and techniques to dissect out the function of various cell types, including multi-parameter flow cytometry, single cell RNA sequencing and biochemical analyses. My research has revealed distinct roles for immune cell subsets that become immunosenescent-like – including an inflammatory and exhausted phenotype of CD8 T cells, macrophages and B cells (1,2). These age-dependent phenotypes have a negative impact on adipose tissue function and resilience of the older organism. In CD8 T cells, we identified heterogeneity of exhausted cells, where some maintain a progenitor
phenotype that can increase their cytotoxic capacity (2). We also identified an antibody-independent mechanism for B cells in regulating the inflammatory state of macrophages (1). A main emphasis of the lab optimized a mouse model of the humanized immune system – the normal microbial experience – mice that
exhibits the diverse and mature immune system seen in humans (3). We have already established the models of aging, and the techniques for analysis. Moreover, we have shown that key therapeutics that target senescent and exhausted immune cells improve immune responses and increase resilience to microbial
exposure. My research program also has substantial momentum. Three publications are recently accepted, under revision or submitted describing: (a) the impact of leukotriene signaling on macrophage inflammation during aging (4), (b) the impact of IL1β-signaling on B cells in adipose tissue during aging and (c) the consequence of macrophage-expressed GDF3 on chromatin accessibility and macrophage inflammatory phenotype.
aging and age-related diseases, while investigating the changes that occur within the immune system.
Specifically, we are interested in the development of inflammaging and immunosenescence. We use mouse models of naturally aged mice to investigate the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to the dysfunctional immune system. A major aim of the lab is to determine the consequence of reverting or interfering with those molecular pathways. We have expertise in using lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs as model organs to understand the impact of inflammaging and metabolic dysfunction. We use numerous tools and techniques to dissect out the function of various cell types, including multi-parameter flow cytometry, single cell RNA sequencing and biochemical analyses. My research has revealed distinct roles for immune cell subsets that become immunosenescent-like – including an inflammatory and exhausted phenotype of CD8 T cells, macrophages and B cells (1,2). These age-dependent phenotypes have a negative impact on adipose tissue function and resilience of the older organism. In CD8 T cells, we identified heterogeneity of exhausted cells, where some maintain a progenitor
phenotype that can increase their cytotoxic capacity (2). We also identified an antibody-independent mechanism for B cells in regulating the inflammatory state of macrophages (1). A main emphasis of the lab optimized a mouse model of the humanized immune system – the normal microbial experience – mice that
exhibits the diverse and mature immune system seen in humans (3). We have already established the models of aging, and the techniques for analysis. Moreover, we have shown that key therapeutics that target senescent and exhausted immune cells improve immune responses and increase resilience to microbial
exposure. My research program also has substantial momentum. Three publications are recently accepted, under revision or submitted describing: (a) the impact of leukotriene signaling on macrophage inflammation during aging (4), (b) the impact of IL1β-signaling on B cells in adipose tissue during aging and (c) the consequence of macrophage-expressed GDF3 on chromatin accessibility and macrophage inflammatory phenotype.
Pura Muñoz-Canoves
Altos Labs, San Diego Institute of Science, San Diego, CA, USA
Pura Muñoz-Cánoves studied Pharmacology at the University of Valencia. She obtained her PhD in Biology at the Madrid Autonomous University for work carried out at The Scripps Research Institute, and did postdoctoral work at the University of California-San Diego and The Scripps Research Institute, and in 1995 she joined the Cancer Research Institute (now IdiBell) in Barcelona as a postdoc, becoming an independent group leader in 1997. In 2002 her group moved to the Center for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Barcelona, and she became a senior group leader in 2007 in that Institution. Since 2008, she was an ICREA Professor and Cell Biology Professor in the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at the UPF in Barcelona, and later she hold a senior group leader position at Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) in Madrid. She is a member of EMBO and Academia Europaea. At present, she is a principal investigator in Altos Labs, San Diego Institute of Science. The focus of her laboratory is understanding tissue regeneration in aging and disease.
Eva Chin
PhD, Executive Director, SOLVE FSHD, Canada
Eva is a Canadian-trained scientist who has had an international career pursuing her curiosity to understand the defects of skeletal muscle in various diseases and now is passionate about finding effective therapies to treat rare neuromuscular diseases.
As the inaugural Executive Director for SOLVE FSHD, Eva will apply that passion and her insight into muscle biology and drug discovery and development to tackle the barriers and accelerate a cure for FSHD. Together with the relentless drive and support of Chip Wilson and Neil Camarta, this team will SOLVE FSHD!
Eva obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Sydney, Australia and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, focusing on the role of intracellular calcium in muscle fatigue, transcriptional regulation of muscle fiber type determination and muscle plasticity.
Eva’s career has spanned the academic and pharmaceutical industries, with previous positions at Pfizer, the University of Maryland, MyoTherapeutics, Cytokinetics and NMD Pharma. While at Pfizer Eva shifted her career from academic research focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms of muscle function to the discovery and development of muscle-targeted therapies. Her career has increasingly focused on targeting the underlying skeletal muscle pathologies in rare neuromuscular diseases, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Eva has also been a team leader in late-stage drug discovery to early phase clinical development programs across a span of therapeutic areas including neuromuscular and cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. Over the past five years she has led the nonclinical development of numerous drug candidates in clinical trials for ALS, SMA, myasthenia gravis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Eva has led or contributed to ten programs moving from a novel research idea to first in human clinical trials, focusing on translational pharmacology and safety to support IND and CTA filings. Ten of these molecules have safely been tested in Phase 1 and four have reached Phase 2 proof of concept milestones. Eva has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and more than 100 conference abstracts and presentations focusing on skeletal muscle fatigue and disease mechanisms for metabolic disease, aging and neuromuscular diseases.
As the inaugural Executive Director for SOLVE FSHD, Eva will apply that passion and her insight into muscle biology and drug discovery and development to tackle the barriers and accelerate a cure for FSHD. Together with the relentless drive and support of Chip Wilson and Neil Camarta, this team will SOLVE FSHD!
Eva obtained her Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Waterloo in Canada and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Sydney, Australia and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, focusing on the role of intracellular calcium in muscle fatigue, transcriptional regulation of muscle fiber type determination and muscle plasticity.
Eva’s career has spanned the academic and pharmaceutical industries, with previous positions at Pfizer, the University of Maryland, MyoTherapeutics, Cytokinetics and NMD Pharma. While at Pfizer Eva shifted her career from academic research focusing on cellular and molecular mechanisms of muscle function to the discovery and development of muscle-targeted therapies. Her career has increasingly focused on targeting the underlying skeletal muscle pathologies in rare neuromuscular diseases, including muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Eva has also been a team leader in late-stage drug discovery to early phase clinical development programs across a span of therapeutic areas including neuromuscular and cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis. Over the past five years she has led the nonclinical development of numerous drug candidates in clinical trials for ALS, SMA, myasthenia gravis and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Eva has led or contributed to ten programs moving from a novel research idea to first in human clinical trials, focusing on translational pharmacology and safety to support IND and CTA filings. Ten of these molecules have safely been tested in Phase 1 and four have reached Phase 2 proof of concept milestones. Eva has over 50 peer-reviewed publications and more than 100 conference abstracts and presentations focusing on skeletal muscle fatigue and disease mechanisms for metabolic disease, aging and neuromuscular diseases.
Anne Colonna
PhD, Head of Advanced Research, L’ORÉAL R&I, France
Interculturism and interdisciplinarity. In both her personal and professional lives, Anne Colonna is inspired by the firm belief that innovation is created at the interface of different cultures and areas of expertise. Every day, she and her teams are pushing the boundaries of science to help L’ORÉAL’s transformation towards a sustainable beauty that embraces all forms of diversity.
An engineer by training, Anne Colonna has a PhD in biotechnology. During her 17 years with L’ORÉAL R&I, she has been recognized for her expertise in cosmetics, particularly in the areas of clinical research, product launches, international regulations, and evaluating the efficacy of products. At Advanced Research, she is leading the transformation of 21 research centers around the world, working along with their 800 scientific experts and, along with numerous academic and industrial partners. Anna Colonna is also playing a leading role in accelerating the digital transition and the development of new scientific areas, so that the power and innovation of Advanced Research can be significantly increased. She is also involved in the strategic transformation of the portfolio of ingredients and the Group’s major shift to Green Sciences[1], reflecting the aims of its sustainability program, L’ORÉALfor the Future.
Anne Colonna joined Advanced Research at L’ORÉAL in 2005, working in its Material Sciences Department, where she quickly took responsibility for several invention laboratories. Later, she brought her expertise to Skincare brands, notably La Roche-Posay, where she led the development laboratories for three years. In 2016, she became head of Skincare in Japan and helped with the development of new products for the Asian market until 2019. Since her return to France, Anne Colonna has focused on strengthening the contribution to Group strategy of Advanced Research and became its head in 2021. Her mission is a key one for the Group’s progress in terms of innovation and sustainability.
[1] Green Sciences are scientific domains that the L’ORÉAL Group is using to achieve its sustainability objectives, whilst still offering safe and effective products.
An engineer by training, Anne Colonna has a PhD in biotechnology. During her 17 years with L’ORÉAL R&I, she has been recognized for her expertise in cosmetics, particularly in the areas of clinical research, product launches, international regulations, and evaluating the efficacy of products. At Advanced Research, she is leading the transformation of 21 research centers around the world, working along with their 800 scientific experts and, along with numerous academic and industrial partners. Anna Colonna is also playing a leading role in accelerating the digital transition and the development of new scientific areas, so that the power and innovation of Advanced Research can be significantly increased. She is also involved in the strategic transformation of the portfolio of ingredients and the Group’s major shift to Green Sciences[1], reflecting the aims of its sustainability program, L’ORÉALfor the Future.
Anne Colonna joined Advanced Research at L’ORÉAL in 2005, working in its Material Sciences Department, where she quickly took responsibility for several invention laboratories. Later, she brought her expertise to Skincare brands, notably La Roche-Posay, where she led the development laboratories for three years. In 2016, she became head of Skincare in Japan and helped with the development of new products for the Asian market until 2019. Since her return to France, Anne Colonna has focused on strengthening the contribution to Group strategy of Advanced Research and became its head in 2021. Her mission is a key one for the Group’s progress in terms of innovation and sustainability.
[1] Green Sciences are scientific domains that the L’ORÉAL Group is using to achieve its sustainability objectives, whilst still offering safe and effective products.
Anita D. Cosgrove
BS MA JD Precision Health Consultant
With a background in healthcare, communications and law, Ms. Cosgrove has 25+ years of experience as a senior executive serving world-class academic medical institutions and biotech start-ups.Personally recruited by J. Craig Venter, Ms. Cosgrove served as Senior Vice-President, Business Development for Human Longevity Inc.(HLI). Prior to joining HLI, Ms. Cosgrove served as Director, Provider Relations for Castlight Health, an employee benefits healthcare navigation company. Prior to Castlight, Ms. Cosgrove was personally recruited by Ann Wojcicki to lead Strategic Alliances for 23andMe. Additionally, Ms. Cosgrove served as Executive Vice-President and Chief Communications Officer for WorldCare, a global telemedicine company based in Cambridge MA and Dubai which provided 2nd opinion e-consultation for serious illness rendered by Mass General Brigham, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Cleveland Clinic and Duke University Health System via the American International Group (AIG). Ms. Cosgrove clerked on the 8th District Court of Appeals of Ohio and as the wife of Delos M. Cosgrove, MD immediate past President & CEO Cleveland Clinic, Ms. Cosgrove served on numerous Cleveland Clinic committees and boards raising funds and expanding the organization’s impact nationally and internationally.
Currently, Ms. Cosgrove serves as an advisor to:
• Human Longevity Inc., San Diego, San Francisco, Beijing
• NaNotics LLC, Mill Valley, CA
• Soteria Precision Oncology, San Diego, CA
• The Bio-Medical Engineering & Imaging Institute, Mount Sinai Medicine, New York
Currently, Ms. Cosgrove serves as an advisor to:
• Human Longevity Inc., San Diego, San Francisco, Beijing
• NaNotics LLC, Mill Valley, CA
• Soteria Precision Oncology, San Diego, CA
• The Bio-Medical Engineering & Imaging Institute, Mount Sinai Medicine, New York
Alex Colville
General Partner and Co-Founder of age1
Dr. Alex Colville is the General Partner and cofounder of age1 alongside Laura Deming. age1 is the continuation of the first longevity-focused VC fund founded in 2011 by Laura (5 IPOs). Alex is an advisor and previously served as founding Chief of Staff of the Amaranth Foundation, a family office dedicated to advancing interventions to extend healthy human lifespan where he led investments into over 20 companies and supported philanthropic initiatives including AFAR and the TIME Initiative. Prior to working for family offices, Alex received a PhD in genetics at Stanford University studying rejuvenation and the biology of aging in Tom Rando's lab. During his PhD he consulted for the business development group at Maze Therapeutics and the scientific team at Rubedo Life Sciences. Previously, he was an Associate Consultant at Putnam Associates, a boutique management consulting firm serving pharma.
Luka Culig
Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), USA
Luka Culig is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), working in the Epigenetics and Stem Cell Aging Unit under Dr. Beerman. He obtained his MSc in Molecular Biology from the University of Zagreb, Croatia, after which he worked as a research assistant at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He then earned his PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Tours, France, spending part of his doctoral research in Dr. Frankland's lab at the Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto, Canada. His doctoral work showed that increasing neural stem cells in the hippocampus of mice is sufficient to buffer against chronic stress and display antidepressant-like effects, and he used graph theory to explore this mechanism. At the NIA, Luka focuses on partial epigenetic reprogramming to delay aging symptoms and extend lifespan and healthspan. His current project involves long-term cyclic partial reprogramming in a non-progeric mouse model, NOLIFE, to evaluate its impact on normative aging. He seeks to understand the systemic effects of epigenetic changes across multiple biological domains, ranging from physiology and behavior to hematology and immunology, with the aim of leveraging big data approaches.
Steven Cummings
MD, Director, San Francisco Coordinating Center
Dr. Cummings is an emeritus Professor of Internal Medicine, Epidemiology and Biostatistics and Executive Director of the S.F. Coordinating Center (SFCC) in the CPMC Research Institute.
He has designed and led several large cohort studies related to aging, such as the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA). He also co-designed and led large pivotal randomized trials including several that won approval for commonly used treatments for osteoporosis. He is an editor of the standard Designing Clinical Research in 5th edition (Wolters Kuhler). Dr. Cummings organized the Longevity Consortium that has continued over two decades to discover the biological basis of longevity. He also served on the NIA National Advisory Council on Aging. He has over 700 publications and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
He has designed and led several large cohort studies related to aging, such as the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA). He also co-designed and led large pivotal randomized trials including several that won approval for commonly used treatments for osteoporosis. He is an editor of the standard Designing Clinical Research in 5th edition (Wolters Kuhler). Dr. Cummings organized the Longevity Consortium that has continued over two decades to discover the biological basis of longevity. He also served on the NIA National Advisory Council on Aging. He has over 700 publications and has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.
Vishwa Deep Dixit
Waldemar Von Zedtwitz Professor of Pathology, Comparative Medicine and of Immunobiology
Director, Yale Center for Research on Aging
Member, Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism
Yale School of Medicine, USA
Director, Yale Center for Research on Aging
Member, Yale Center for Molecular and Systems Metabolism
Yale School of Medicine, USA
Son of teachers, Deep grew up in Hisar (Northwest India). He studied Veterinary Medicine in India, did PhD Research in University of Hannover Germany and postdoc research in Morehouse School of Medicine and NIH. He currently holds Waldemar Von Zedtwitz endowed chair and is a Professor in the Departments of Pathology, Comparative Medicine and Immunobiology and is the director of Yale Center for Research on Aging at the Yale School of Medicine. Dixit lab studies Immunometabolism and aging. His team help establish NLRP3 inflammasome as a key mechanism of 'inflammaging' and immunosenescence that leads to age-related chronic diseases including metabolic dysfunction. Dixit and his collaborators have identified that switch from glycolysis to ketogenesis deactivates the inflammasome and reduces immunopathology. The ongoing work in his laboratory is aimed at understanding how adaptation to negative energy balance in a host can be harnessed to identify immunometabolic checkpoints to enhance health and lifespan.
Marсo Demaria
European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA);
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands
University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG), The Netherlands
Marco Demaria is a Professor of Cellular Ageing at the Medical Faculty of the University of Groningen (RUG) and the Group leader of laboratory of Cellular Senescence and Age-related Pathologies at the European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA, Groningen, Netherlands). He obtained his PhD in Molecular Medicine at the University of Torino, Italy, and trained as postdoc in the laboratory of prof. Judith Campisi at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, California USA. His research is focused towards understanding the role of cellular senescence in different physiological and pathological contexts with the goal to identify novel interventions to extend healthy longevity. His laboratory covers fundamental, translational and clinical aspects, and is funded by several intramural and extramural agencies. Since 2023, Prof. Demaria also serves as the Director of the Mechanisms of Health, Ageing and Disease (MoHAD) of the University Medical Center Groningen. Additionally, Prof. Demaria is the President of the International Cell Senescence Association and Editor in Chief of the Natural Publishing Group journal npj aging. In 2018 he co-founded a start-up company, Cleara Biotech, devoted to develop anti-senescence drugs.
Dominic Denk
University Hospital Frankfurt,Germany
Dr. Dominic Denk is a physician-scientist from Germany with a particular interest in tumor immunology. In 2021, he joined the Frankfurt Cancer Institute (Frankfurt, Germany) to study the role of the tumor microenvironment in colorectal cancer progression. His scientific work focuses on gastrointestinal malignancies, trying to understand the reciprocal relationship between anti-tumor immune responses and the tumor microenvironment while using this knowledge to identify novel strategies to sensitize cancer to immunotherapy.
Having found that immune dysfunction during cancer and aging share similarities, he has translated his findings into a clinical trial that focuses on immune aging.
Having found that immune dysfunction during cancer and aging share similarities, he has translated his findings into a clinical trial that focuses on immune aging.
Peter H. Diamandis
MD, XPRIZE Executive Chairman and Co-Founder + XPRIZE Healthspan Benefactor, USA
Named by Fortune as one of the “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders,” Peter Diamandis is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the XPRIZE Foundation, which leads the world in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions. He is also the Executive Founder of Singularity University.
As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 25 companies in the areas of health-tech, space, venture capital and education. He is Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of two public companies, Celularity and Vaxxinity. Dr. Diamandis is Co-founder & Chairman of Fountain Life, a fully-integrated platform delivering predictive, preventative, personalized and data-driven health. Finally, he also serves as Co-founder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with a half-billion dollars under management being invested in exponential technologies and longevity companies.
Diamandis is a New York Times Bestselling author of four books: Abundance – The Future Is Better Than You Think, BOLD – How to go Big, Create Wealth & Impact the World and The Future is Faster Than You Think. Most recently he co-Authored the #1 best seller LIFE FORCE with Tony Robbins which chronicles the extraordinary healthcare and biotech revolution unfolding before our eyes.
He earned degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Diamandis’ favorite saying is “The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.
As an entrepreneur, Diamandis has started over 25 companies in the areas of health-tech, space, venture capital and education. He is Co-founder and Vice-Chairman of two public companies, Celularity and Vaxxinity. Dr. Diamandis is Co-founder & Chairman of Fountain Life, a fully-integrated platform delivering predictive, preventative, personalized and data-driven health. Finally, he also serves as Co-founder of BOLD Capital Partners, a venture fund with a half-billion dollars under management being invested in exponential technologies and longevity companies.
Diamandis is a New York Times Bestselling author of four books: Abundance – The Future Is Better Than You Think, BOLD – How to go Big, Create Wealth & Impact the World and The Future is Faster Than You Think. Most recently he co-Authored the #1 best seller LIFE FORCE with Tony Robbins which chronicles the extraordinary healthcare and biotech revolution unfolding before our eyes.
He earned degrees in molecular genetics and aerospace engineering from MIT and holds an M.D. from Harvard Medical School. Diamandis’ favorite saying is “The best way to predict the future is to create it yourself.
Domenico DiFraia
Vera Gorbunova's laboratory in Rochester, USA
I earned my degree in bioinformatics from the University of Roma Tor Vergata in Italy. I then completed my PhD in bioinformatics under the supervision of Dr. Alessandro Ori at the Leibniz Institute on Aging in Jena, Germany, where I studied the molecular mechanisms of aging in the short-lived killifish. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher in Vera Gorbunova's laboratory in Rochester, where I work on the comparative biology of aging.
Boris Djordjevic
Chief Executive Officer 199 Biotechnologies, UK
Boris Djordjevic is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of 199 Biotechnologies and 199 Longevity Clinic, two pioneering ventures that together redefine the boundaries of medical research, therapeutic innovation, and integrative health management. At 199 Biotechnologies, Boris Djordjevic leads a multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and clinical advisors dedicated to advancing cellular reprogramming and epigenetic therapeutics, with a particular emphasis on tackling cancer—one of the most formidable health challenges of our time.
David W. Dodick
Emeritus Professor of Neurology, Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator and Distinguished Educator, Mayo Clinic, USA
David W. Dodick, MD, is Emeritus Professor of Neurology. He is a Mayo Clinic Distinguished Investigator and Distinguished Educator. He founded and directed the headache and concussion programs at Mayo Clinic. He is Affiliate Professor at the University of Copenhagen, Guest Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and Adjunct Professor at Thomas Jefferson University. He has authored more than 900 peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts and authored/edited 13 books. He is the Chief Science Officer and Co-Chair of the Atria Academy of Science and Medicine, and Chief Medical Officer of Atria Health. He is Co-Director of the World Federation of Neurology’s World Brain Day and Co-Chair of WFN’s Public Awareness and Advocacy Committee. He is the co-founder and Chair of the International Concussion Society. He is the Chair of the American Brain Foundation and Immediate Past Chair of the International Headache Society’s Global Patient Advocacy Coalition. He is Past Chair of the American Migraine Foundation. He is a former Editor-in-Chief of Cephalalgia, a Past-President of the American Headache Society and a Past-President of the International Headache Society.
Zoe Du
Buck institute, USA
Huixun "Zoe" Du is a fifth year Ph.D. candidate in the Biology of Aging program at the Buck Institute/University of Southern California in the lab of Daniel A. Winer. Her research focuses on investigating the role of mechano-signals in cellular senescence and the immune system, with a particular interest in understanding how these mechanisms contribute to age-related diseases and the aging process itself.
Collin Ewald
Associate Director of Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine (DARe), Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Novartis, Switzerland
Dr. Collin Y. Ewald is a distinguished molecular biologist with a prolific career in aging research. With over 20 years of experience at leading institutions such as FMI, CUNY, Harvard, ETH Zürich, and Novartis, Dr. Ewald has made significant contributions to our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of healthy aging, age-related pathologies, and tissue function restoration.
Currently, Dr. Ewald serves as the Associate Director of Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine (DARe) at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. He also holds a Lecturer/Docent position at ETH Zürich. His research focuses on drug discovery and developing strategies to promote health during aging and regenerating cellular and extracellular matrix homeostasis.
Dr. Ewald is the founder and president of the Swiss Society for Aging Research and the vice-president of the German Society for Aging Research. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the NYAS Future Entrepreneur award from the New York Academy of Sciences. He is recognized as one of the top 1000 Longevity Leaders worldwide and one of Switzerland's top 15 Longevity Influencers. For more information, please visit his [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_Y._Ewald), [Google Scholar] (https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=UKHh5uAAAAAJ&hl=en), [Interview/Portrait-inspiring people] (https://69inspiringpeople.ch/en/people/dr-collin-ewald/), and [LinkedIn profile](www.linkedin.com/in/collin-ewald-b014a019).
Currently, Dr. Ewald serves as the Associate Director of Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine (DARe) at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research. He also holds a Lecturer/Docent position at ETH Zürich. His research focuses on drug discovery and developing strategies to promote health during aging and regenerating cellular and extracellular matrix homeostasis.
Dr. Ewald is the founder and president of the Swiss Society for Aging Research and the vice-president of the German Society for Aging Research. His work has earned him numerous accolades, including the NYAS Future Entrepreneur award from the New York Academy of Sciences. He is recognized as one of the top 1000 Longevity Leaders worldwide and one of Switzerland's top 15 Longevity Influencers. For more information, please visit his [Wikipedia page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collin_Y._Ewald), [Google Scholar] (https://scholar.google.ch/citations?user=UKHh5uAAAAAJ&hl=en), [Interview/Portrait-inspiring people] (https://69inspiringpeople.ch/en/people/dr-collin-ewald/), and [LinkedIn profile](www.linkedin.com/in/collin-ewald-b014a019).
Jing-Dong Jackie Han
Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Center for Quantitative Biology (CQB), China
Prof. Jing-Dong Jackie Han obtained Ph.D. degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She had her postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 2004, she became an investigator/professor at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2010-2019, she was a director of the CAS-Max Planck Partner Institute for Computational Biology. In 2019, she became Boya professor at Peking University. Her research focuses on the structure and dynamic inference of molecular networks，using a combination of large-scale experiments and computational analysis to explore the design principles of the networks and to find how the complex phenotypes, in particular aging and stem cell development are regulated through molecular networks. She was awarded the NSFC Outstanding Young Scientist Award in 2006, and the Hundred Talent Plan Outstanding Achievement Award in 2009, selected as a Max Planck Follow in 2011 and a MaxNetAging Fellow in 2014, F1000 faculty in developmental biology in 2016.
Alexander (Zan) Flemming
Founder and Executive Chairman, Kinexum, USA
Dr. Alexander Fleming is Founder and Executive Chairman of Kinexum, a company of professionals from across the world with diverse expertise in developing drugs, biotech products, medical devices, and digital health technologies. He is also President and co-founder of Kitalys Institute. Dr. Fleming received his M.D. and internal medicine training from Emory, fellowship training in endocrinology at Vanderbilt and metabolism at National Institutes of Health, where he was a senior fellow.
At the US Food and Drug Administration from 1986-98, led many landmark drug and biotech approvals and innovations as well as represented the Agency at the ICH and WHO Geneva, where he was posted. Dr. Fleming has authored diverse scientific articles, books, and book chapters. He has served on many corporate and advisory boards to academic and commercial institutions and professional societies.
Dr. Fleming coined the term, Metabesity, which refers to the constellation of chronic diseases, cancer, and the aging process itself, all which share common metabolic root causes and potential for shared preventions.He organized the first Congress on Metabesity in London in 2017, which has since been followed by yearly conferences. He founded Kitalys Institute to support the conference [now called the Targeting Healthy Longevity Conference] and related objectives.
At the US Food and Drug Administration from 1986-98, led many landmark drug and biotech approvals and innovations as well as represented the Agency at the ICH and WHO Geneva, where he was posted. Dr. Fleming has authored diverse scientific articles, books, and book chapters. He has served on many corporate and advisory boards to academic and commercial institutions and professional societies.
Dr. Fleming coined the term, Metabesity, which refers to the constellation of chronic diseases, cancer, and the aging process itself, all which share common metabolic root causes and potential for shared preventions.He organized the first Congress on Metabesity in London in 2017, which has since been followed by yearly conferences. He founded Kitalys Institute to support the conference [now called the Targeting Healthy Longevity Conference] and related objectives.
Mara Fornaro
Associate Director, Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine, Biomedical Research at Novartis, Switzerland
Mara Fornaro is Associate Director in the department of Diseases of Aging and Regenerative Medicine (DARe), Biomedical Research at Novartis in Basel, Switzerland. The mission of DARe is to restore cell and tissue function in diseases of aging. Mara obtained her PhD in Pharmacology at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy. She carried-out her postdoctoral research on the role of integrins in prostate cancer biology in the Pathology department at Yale University in New Haven CT, USA where she continued to work as Associate Research Scientist until end of 2004. She joined Novartis in 2005 as Senior Investigator in the Musculoskeletal Diseases department at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research where she contributed to the discovery of targets and drug candidates for the treatment of neuromuscular and musculoskeletal diseases to restore mobility and independence in old age.
Kristen Fortney
BioAge Labs, Inc., USA
Kristen Fortney is the co-founder and CEO of BioAge, a clinical-stage biotechnology
company developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting the molecular causes of aging. The company uses its discovery platform, which combines quantitative analysis of proprietary longitudinal human samples with detailed health records tracking individuals over the lifespan, to map out the key molecular pathways that impact healthy human aging. By targeting these pathways with a large and mechanistically diverse portfolio of drugs, BioAge will unlock opportunities to treat or even prevent diseases of aging in entirely new ways.
Kristen's scientific background is in aging biology and bioinformatics. She received her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto, followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she was a fellow of the Ellison Medical Foundation / American Federation for Aging Research.
company developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting the molecular causes of aging. The company uses its discovery platform, which combines quantitative analysis of proprietary longitudinal human samples with detailed health records tracking individuals over the lifespan, to map out the key molecular pathways that impact healthy human aging. By targeting these pathways with a large and mechanistically diverse portfolio of drugs, BioAge will unlock opportunities to treat or even prevent diseases of aging in entirely new ways.
Kristen's scientific background is in aging biology and bioinformatics. She received her PhD in Medical Biophysics from the University of Toronto, followed by postdoctoral training at Stanford University where she was a fellow of the Ellison Medical Foundation / American Federation for Aging Research.
Georg Fuellen
Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research in Rostock, Germany
Georg Fuellen is Full Professor of Medical Bioinformatics and Director of the Institute for Biostatistics and Informatics in Medicine and Ageing Research in Rostock/Germany. Next year, he and his team are launching a startup on data analytics for longevity biotech, towards better biomarkers, intervention rankings and recommendations based on lab data and omics, including how AI may improve such analytics.
Additionally, he is in search of dietary interventions that may act in similar ways to senolytics or epigenetic reprogramming interventions, studying a polyphenol-rich diet to this end.
Additionally, he is in search of dietary interventions that may act in similar ways to senolytics or epigenetic reprogramming interventions, studying a polyphenol-rich diet to this end.
David Furman
PhD, Associate Professor and Bioinformatics Core Director, Buck Institute for Research on Aging Director, Stanford 1000 Immunomes Project, Stanford School of Medicine, USA
Dr. David Furman is the Director of the Stanford 1000 Immunomes Project, and Associate Professor and Director of the Bioinformatics Core at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. His work involves the use of Machine Learning tools to better define the role of the immune system in aging. Dr. Furman has published over forty scientific articles in top-tier journals such as Cell, Nature Medicine, PNAS, The Lancet, and others.
Fedor Galkin
Senior Scientist at Insilico Medicine AI, Abu Dhabi
Scientific Advisor at Deep Longevity, Hong Kong
Scientific Advisor at Deep Longevity, Hong Kong
Fedor Galkin leads and oversees multiple research projects exploring the applications of AI in aging research and anti-aging drug discovery. He has co-authored multiple research papers and patents on aging biomarkers and aging clocks. Currently residing in Abu Dhabi, Fedor is developing LLMs that can generate and interpret omics-level data for various research settings, effectively creating a digital high-throughput lab.
Jennifer Garrison
Co-Founder and Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & Equality (GCRLE)
Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Assistant Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Jennifer Garrison, PhD, is a passionate and vocal advocate for healthy aging in women and is pioneering a global movement to advance science focused on understanding the fundamental drivers of female aging as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Global Consortium for Reproductive Longevity & Equality (GCRLE, soon to be ProductiveHealth.org). She is also a faculty member at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and holds secondary appointments in the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at UCSF and the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at USC. Her research lab studies inter-tissue communication, particularly how age-related changes in the chemical conversation between ovaries and brain may lead to accelerated aging in females. Her goal is to discover how and why ovaries age before other tissues and use that knowledge to extend healthspan in women.
Dr. Garrison plays an active role in the longevity research field, as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Aging Association (AGE), as Associate Director of the Buck-USC Biology of Aging PhD program, and as a reviewer for the American Federation of Aging Research (AFAR). She also redesigned and restarted the MBL Biology of Aging Advanced Research Training Course at Woods Hole, which will train the next generation of leaders in geroscience. She serves as an Advisor for the National Menopause Foundation, the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4Li), and the Leading Edge. Dr. Garrison was named an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow and an Allen Institute for Brain Science Next Generation Leader, and is the recipient of a Glenn Medical Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, a Junior Faculty Award from the American Federation of Aging Research, and a Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award from the National Academy of Medicine.
Dr. Garrison plays an active role in the longevity research field, as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Aging Association (AGE), as Associate Director of the Buck-USC Biology of Aging PhD program, and as a reviewer for the American Federation of Aging Research (AFAR). She also redesigned and restarted the MBL Biology of Aging Advanced Research Training Course at Woods Hole, which will train the next generation of leaders in geroscience. She serves as an Advisor for the National Menopause Foundation, the Alliance for Longevity Initiatives (A4Li), and the Leading Edge. Dr. Garrison was named an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Research Fellow and an Allen Institute for Brain Science Next Generation Leader, and is the recipient of a Glenn Medical Foundation Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, a Junior Faculty Award from the American Federation of Aging Research, and a Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award from the National Academy of Medicine.
David Glass
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., USA
Vera Gorbunova
University of Rochester, Departments of Biology and Medicine, USA
Vera Gorbunova is an endowed Professor of Biology at the University of Rochester and a co-director of the Rochester Aging Research Center. Her research is focused on understanding the mechanisms of longevity and genome stability and on the studies of exceptionally long-lived mammals. Dr. Gorbunova earned her B.Sc. degrees at Saint Petersburg State University, Russia and her Ph.D. at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel. Dr. Gorbunova pioneered comparative biology approach to study aging and identified rules that control evolution of tumor suppressor mechanisms depending on the species lifespan and body mass. Dr. Gorbunova investigates the role of Sirtuin proteins in maintaining genome and epigenome stability. She also investigates the role of genomic instability and transposable elements in aging and disease. She demonstrated that LINE1 elements trigger innate immune response that drives age-related sterile inflammation. She has more than 100 publications including publications in high profile journals such as Nature, Science and Cell. Her work received awards of from the Ellison Medical Foundation, the Glenn Foundation, American Federation for Aging Research, and from the National Institutes of Health. Her work was awarded the Cozzarelli Prize from PNAS, prize for research on aging from ADPS/Alianz, France, Prince Hitachi Prize in Comparative Oncology, Japan, and Davey prize from Wilmot Cancer Center.
Laura Goetz
MD, Medical Deputy, XPRIZE Healthspan and Founder, N-of-One Medicine
Laura is the Medical Deputy for XPRIZE Healthspan. She is a board-certified Preventive Medicine physician, practicing in Loma Linda, CA, the only city in the United States that is a designated Blue Zone, an area with a life-expectancy up to 10 years longer than the national average.
Laura graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and after practicing as a surgeon for over 15 years, she decided many of the diseases she operated on were preventable. She changed her career completely, getting a Masters in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley and becoming board certified in Preventive Medicine. This change coincided with the advent of precision medicine, and an appointment at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, where she designed novel N-of-1 research protocols using precision medicine technologies for disease prevention and healthspan promotion. She subsequently founded a precision prevention clinical practice, N-of-1 Medicine, and co-founded an N-of-1 clinical trials company, Net.bio, whose combined goals are to ensure such novel technologies are incorporated into clinical care in a scientifically sound and meaningful way. Her vision is to see the N-of-1 approach - which celebrates each individual’s unique human experience - help breakdown existing barriers and disparities so that everyone has access to disease preventing and healthspan promoting medical care. She brings this vision to her role as the Medical Deputy of XPRIZE Healthspan.
Laura graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School and after practicing as a surgeon for over 15 years, she decided many of the diseases she operated on were preventable. She changed her career completely, getting a Masters in Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley and becoming board certified in Preventive Medicine. This change coincided with the advent of precision medicine, and an appointment at the Translational Genomics Research Institute, where she designed novel N-of-1 research protocols using precision medicine technologies for disease prevention and healthspan promotion. She subsequently founded a precision prevention clinical practice, N-of-1 Medicine, and co-founded an N-of-1 clinical trials company, Net.bio, whose combined goals are to ensure such novel technologies are incorporated into clinical care in a scientifically sound and meaningful way. Her vision is to see the N-of-1 approach - which celebrates each individual’s unique human experience - help breakdown existing barriers and disparities so that everyone has access to disease preventing and healthspan promoting medical care. She brings this vision to her role as the Medical Deputy of XPRIZE Healthspan.
Myriam Gorospe
Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics,
National Institute on Aging,
National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
National Institute on Aging,
National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA
Myriam Gorospe studied Biology in Madrid (Spain) and earned her Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from the State University of New York at Albany, USA. After post-doctoral training at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), she became a Principal Investigator in NIA/NIH in 1998. In the Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics (NIA/NIH), which she directs since 2014, she studies post-transcriptional gene regulation in mammalian models of cellular stress, senescence, and aging. Her program has a long-standing focus on RNA-binding proteins and noncoding RNAs that influence gene expression programs in aging physiology and pathology.
Vadim Gladyshev
Harvard Medical School, USA
Vadim Gladyshev is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Director of the Center for Redox Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Associate Member of the Broad Institute. Dr. Gladyshev's lab focuses on studying aging, rejuvenation and lifespan control using a combination of experimental and computational approaches. He has published more than 400 articles. Dr. Gladyshev is the recipient of NIH Pioneer, Transformative and Eureka awards and is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA.
Jan Gruber
A/Prof.,
Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme
National University Health System
Department of Biochemistry
Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine
National University of Singapore
Jan Gruber is an Associate Professor at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and Yale-NUS College, Singapore. Dr. Gruber’s research group focused on basic mechanisms of ageing and on developing interventions that target these mechanisms. Dr. Gruber is a co-founder of ORA biomedical, leveraging high throughput robotics to identify drugs and drug-drug interactions to extend healthy lifespan. Testing novel ageing interventions in long-lived animals and humans requires reliable biomarkers of ageing. Dr. Gruber has a long standing interest in developing such biomarkers, most recently combining computational approaches with clinical and -omics data to develop biological ageing clocks.
Aubrey de Grey
President and CSO at LEV Foundation
Co-founder at SENS Research Foundation and Viento
Co-founder at SENS Research Foundation and Viento
Dr. Aubrey de Grey is a biomedical gerontologist based in Mountain View, California, USA, and is the Chief Science Officer of SENS Research Foundation, a California-based 501(c)(3) biomedical research charity that performs and funds laboratory research dedicated to combating the aging process. In addition, he is Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research, the world's highest-impact peer-reviewed journal focused on intervention in aging. He received his BA in computer science and Ph.D. in biology from the University of Cambridge. His research interests encompass the characterisation of all the types of self-inflicted cellular and molecular damage that constitute mammalian aging and the design of interventions to repair and/or obviate that damage. Dr. de Grey is a Fellow of both the Gerontological Society of America and the American Aging Association, and sits on the editorial and scientific advisory boards of numerous journals and organisations. He is a highly sought-after speaker who gives 40-50 invited talks per year at scientific conferences, universities, companies in areas ranging from pharma to life insurance, and to the public.
Hal Gunn
Founder and CEO of Qu Biologics, Canada
Hal Gunn, MD, founder and CEO of Qu Biologics, is a physician-entrepreneur who has focused his professional life to understanding how to support the body’s innate immune capacity to heal. Dr. Gunn co-founded InspireHealth, Canada’s foremost supportive cancer care centres, to support the health, healing and immune system function of people undergoing cancer treatment and their families. Under Dr. Gunn’s leadership, InspireHealth grew to become a leader in supportive oncology with three centres in Canada, funded by government. Dr. Gunn was awarded the $250,000 Dr. Roger’s Prize for vision, leadership, and integrity in the field of Integrative Medicine. Dr. Gunn founded Qu Biologics to develop his discovery of the Site Specific Immunomodulation (SSI) platform, designed to restore the full depth and breadth of immune function in a targeted diseased organ, and is Qu’s CEO and a member of Qu’s Board of Directors. Dr. Gunn obtained his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of British Columbia (UBC) and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at UBC’s School of Medicine.
Sara Hägg
Associate Professor, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
I lead a research group that focuses on molecular epidemiological studies of aging, with a special interest in human biological aging mechanisms and the association with age-related traits such as frailty and dementia. Currently, I lead several projects on drug repurposing for biological aging and related diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Covid-19 and Cancer, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Cancer Society.
Alireza Haghighi
Founding Director, Harvard International Center for Genetic Disease
A/Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, USA
A/Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, USA
Alireza Haghighi, MD, DPhil, FACMG, is the Founding Director of the Harvard Medical School International Center for Genetic Diseases (iCGD), dedicated to advancing genomic and precision medicine globally through partnerships with governments, academia, and industry. In his research, funded by the NIH and the American Heart Association, he investigates the genetic basis of human diseases, with a focus on cardiovascular diseases, and works on translating research discoveries into improved diagnostics and better patient care. Dr. Haghighi has led numerous international projects aimed at improving health and well-being worldwide. He is the Founding Director of GEnetics NEtwork in the Middle East and Africa (GENE-ME), a clinical research network focused on identifying novel disease-causing mutations and advancing genomic and precision medicine in the region through capacity building. Additionally, he is the Founding President of the Advancement Initiative for Medicine and Science (AIMS), a global foundation that unites academics and physicians to advance medical science and healthcare globally.
He is internationally recognized for his leadership in international projects that aim to advance genomic and precision medicine across the world. Dr. Haghighi regularly
consults for and advises government leaders, as well as academic and industrial
organizations.
He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the International Genetic
Disorders Prevention Award for his excellence in genetic research and the Global Health Pioneer Award for his innovative strategies and capacity-building initiatives to enhance the quality of life. Dr. Haghighi is an American board-certified geneticist. He completed his graduate and clinical training at University of Oxford, and Harvard Medical School.
He is internationally recognized for his leadership in international projects that aim to advance genomic and precision medicine across the world. Dr. Haghighi regularly
consults for and advises government leaders, as well as academic and industrial
organizations.
He has received numerous prestigious awards, including the International Genetic
Disorders Prevention Award for his excellence in genetic research and the Global Health Pioneer Award for his innovative strategies and capacity-building initiatives to enhance the quality of life. Dr. Haghighi is an American board-certified geneticist. He completed his graduate and clinical training at University of Oxford, and Harvard Medical School.
Fraser Hall
President, Head of Intercontinental Region, Biogen, USA
Fraser Hall is President, Head of Intercontinental Region, which includes Latin America, Australia, Asia, Japan, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Turkey and Russia/CIS.
Prior to joining Biogen in July 2020 as Vice President for Latin America, Mr. Hall was with AstraZeneca for 5 years. There, he initially served as Vice President in the global organization, where he led the strategy and launch preparation for a new stroke treatment, and then as Country President for Brazil, where he led the COVID trial program and negotiations on vaccine supply with the Brazilian government.
Before AstraZeneca, Mr. Hall worked for Novartis for 13 years. This experience covered leadership and general management roles at country, region and global levels, with extensive work in Asia and developing markets.
Mr. Hall holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Aston University and has completed finance and organizational leadership courses at Harvard University and MIT.
Prior to joining Biogen in July 2020 as Vice President for Latin America, Mr. Hall was with AstraZeneca for 5 years. There, he initially served as Vice President in the global organization, where he led the strategy and launch preparation for a new stroke treatment, and then as Country President for Brazil, where he led the COVID trial program and negotiations on vaccine supply with the Brazilian government.
Before AstraZeneca, Mr. Hall worked for Novartis for 13 years. This experience covered leadership and general management roles at country, region and global levels, with extensive work in Asia and developing markets.
Mr. Hall holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Aston University and has completed finance and organizational leadership courses at Harvard University and MIT.
Yuliia Haluza
Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Germany
Yuliia obtained her bachelor’s degree in biology from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine and Master’s degree in Regenerative Biology and Medicine from the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden at Technical University Dresden. Then, she pursued her PhD at the Dresden International Graduate School for Biomedicine and Bioengineering. In Dr. Maximina Yun’s group, Yuliia is working on a model of super-regenerators, the salamanders. Her research focuses on establishing axolotls as an ageing research model. In particular, she aims to leverage the molecular markers of ageing to uncover whether and how the axolotl ages at the molecular level.
Jacob Hanna
MD, PhD, Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Born in Rama, an Arab Palestinian village in the Galilee region of Israel, Prof. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna earned his BSc in medical science (2001), PhD in immunology (2007), and MD in clinical medicine summa cum laude (2007) from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at MIT. He joined the department of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute in 2011.
Prof. Hanna is pioneering techniques in induced naïve pluripotency from adult cell and synthetic whole embryo models made solely from stem cells ex utero. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have regenerative properties almost identical to those of embryonic stem cells but can be created from adult cells without using an egg or fetal material. Prof. Hanna was the lead researcher in a study that showed how further-modified iPS cells could be used to treat sickle-cell anemia in mice, the first proof of concept of the therapeutic application of iPS cells. Prof. Hanna has uncovered novel pathways regulating the reprogramming process and was the first to derive pristine “naïve” human pluripotent cells equivalent to those derived from mice and (i) can generate “cross-species humanized chimeric” mouse models that have human derived tissues (ii) can give rise to human primordial germ cell (progenitors of egg or sperm) or (iii) to all extra-embryonic compartments (placenta and yolk-sac). He was the first to expand prolonged periods of advanced and normal mammalian embryo development from pre-gastrulation until late organogenesis in an “artificial uterus” environment outside the maternal womb. The latter platform enabled him to demonstrate the ability to be the first to generate advanced stage whole synthetic embryos made entirely from naïve pluripotent stem cells in the petri dish, that can complete gastrulation and demonstrate organ formation within adequate extra-embryonic compartments. He adapted these approaches and was able to derive the first complete human embryo model equivalent to day 14 made from human naïve stem cells. In addition to demonstrating the power of cell reprogramming and ex utero advanced embryogenesis, his work offers the promise of new research models for degenerative diseases, infertility, pregnancy failure and human early development.
During his postdoctoral work, Prof. Hanna received a prestigious Novartis Fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. In 2010, he was awarded the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment in the Weizmann Institute. He received an EMBO young investigator award (2012), a Rappaport Prize in biomedical research (2013), a Krill Prize by the Wolf Foundation (2013), and the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2014). In 2014, he was featured among “40 under 40” innovative scientists by the prestigious journal Cell and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2018. In 2021, he ranked at the top of the list of 50 leading world thinkers by Prospect magazine.
Prof. Hanna is pioneering techniques in induced naïve pluripotency from adult cell and synthetic whole embryo models made solely from stem cells ex utero. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have regenerative properties almost identical to those of embryonic stem cells but can be created from adult cells without using an egg or fetal material. Prof. Hanna was the lead researcher in a study that showed how further-modified iPS cells could be used to treat sickle-cell anemia in mice, the first proof of concept of the therapeutic application of iPS cells. Prof. Hanna has uncovered novel pathways regulating the reprogramming process and was the first to derive pristine “naïve” human pluripotent cells equivalent to those derived from mice and (i) can generate “cross-species humanized chimeric” mouse models that have human derived tissues (ii) can give rise to human primordial germ cell (progenitors of egg or sperm) or (iii) to all extra-embryonic compartments (placenta and yolk-sac). He was the first to expand prolonged periods of advanced and normal mammalian embryo development from pre-gastrulation until late organogenesis in an “artificial uterus” environment outside the maternal womb. The latter platform enabled him to demonstrate the ability to be the first to generate advanced stage whole synthetic embryos made entirely from naïve pluripotent stem cells in the petri dish, that can complete gastrulation and demonstrate organ formation within adequate extra-embryonic compartments. He adapted these approaches and was able to derive the first complete human embryo model equivalent to day 14 made from human naïve stem cells. In addition to demonstrating the power of cell reprogramming and ex utero advanced embryogenesis, his work offers the promise of new research models for degenerative diseases, infertility, pregnancy failure and human early development.
During his postdoctoral work, Prof. Hanna received a prestigious Novartis Fellowship from the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. In 2010, he was awarded the Sir Charles Clore Prize for Outstanding Appointment in the Weizmann Institute. He received an EMBO young investigator award (2012), a Rappaport Prize in biomedical research (2013), a Krill Prize by the Wolf Foundation (2013), and the Helen and Martin Kimmel Award for Innovative Investigation (2014). In 2014, he was featured among “40 under 40” innovative scientists by the prestigious journal Cell and was elected as a member of EMBO in 2018. In 2021, he ranked at the top of the list of 50 leading world thinkers by Prospect magazine.
Lars Hartenstein
McKinsey Health Institute, USA
Lars Hartenstein is a co-founder and co-leader of the McKinsey Health Institute (MHI), an enduring, non-profit-generating institute within McKinsey. MHI’s mission is to catalyze actions needed across continents, sectors, and communities to make material advancements in health. Lars is passionate to work across stakeholders and industries to mobilize leadership and resources for underinvested areas of human health and well-being. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in life sciences, global health, and impact finance. He is also non-executive chairman of the Societal Impact Financing Initiative (SciFi) and is on the steering committee of The Trinity Challenge. Lars obtained an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School, a PhD in Medicine, and a BSc in Scientific Method and Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Michael Haug
Institute of Medical Biotechnology, Germany
Lou Hawthorne
Founder & CEO, NaNotics LLC
Indra John Heckenbach
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Mogens Høgh Jensen
Niels Bohr Institute, The University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor of Complex Systems and Biocomplexity. Worked at University of Chicago for some years. Have contributed to the discovery of multifractals and shell models in turbulence. In recent years mainly worked on protein oscillations and coupled oscillators in cells. And most recently on condensate formation around DNA damage for optimal DNA repair. Former Secretary General and President of the Royal Danish Academy of Science and Letters.
Jens Juul Holst
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Christine Huang
Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab and the University of Hong Kong
Dr. Christine Yuan HUANG is the Technology Transfer Director of Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab. Dr. Huang is also the Founder of QuantumLife, and Managing Director of HK Longevity Medical Centre, focusing on providing end-to-end precision longevity medical technology solutions to improve health-span. Dr. Huang has vast experience in the biotechnology and longevity field and shares her professional insights as a Venture Partner of LongeVC. Dr. Huang was selected as one of Forbes China 2020 “30 Under 30 (Healthcare and Science)” for her development of cancer liquid biopsy technology, and was appointed a Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine (UK). She is also a member of the Advisory Board of Wing Wah Charity Foundation Hong Kong, and a columnist of Forbes China. Dr. Huang was elected as Vice President (Longevity) of Hong Kong Biotechnology Association in the year 2024. Dr. Huang obtained Doctor of Medicine from the Southern Medical University and Master of Public Health from the University of Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. Now she is also an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the University of Hong Kong.
Macsue Jacques
Monash University, Australia
Dr. Macsue Jacques completed her PhD at Victoria University in 2021 and is now a postdoctoral research fellow in Professor Nir Eynon's lab at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute Monash University. Her research centers on the intersection of skeletal muscle adaptations, exercise interventions, and aging. Currently, she is leading an ambitious project to develop an aging atlas, encompassing over 17 human tissues, using open-access data and advanced bioinformatics techniques.
Sergey Jakimov
Founding partner of LongeVC, Switzerland
Sergey Jakimov is a founding partner of LongeVC, a VC fund supporting early-stage biotech and longevity-focused founders who are changing the world.
Serial entrepreneur, having co-founded 3 deep-tech ventures and raised more than $50 million in venture funding for his own ventures and as an entrepreneur in residence. He has worked with several other early-stage companies in the therapeutics space on fundraising, IP protection, and clinical trial strategies, focusing on early treatments in cardiovascular, oncology, and neurodegenerative spaces. Visiting Lecturer to several universities on VC and intellectual property rights, co-authored a master's program in Technology Law for the Riga Graduate School of Law.
Since 2018, he has co-founded medical tech startup Longenesis, a cutting-edge company that unlocks the hidden value of biomedical data and accelerates novel drug treatment & and discovery. In 2021, he co-founded the Longevity Science Foundation, a non-profit organization advancing the field of human longevity by funding research and development of medical technologies to extend the healthy human lifespan. He is also a member of the Longevity Biotechnology Association.
Serial entrepreneur, having co-founded 3 deep-tech ventures and raised more than $50 million in venture funding for his own ventures and as an entrepreneur in residence. He has worked with several other early-stage companies in the therapeutics space on fundraising, IP protection, and clinical trial strategies, focusing on early treatments in cardiovascular, oncology, and neurodegenerative spaces. Visiting Lecturer to several universities on VC and intellectual property rights, co-authored a master's program in Technology Law for the Riga Graduate School of Law.
Since 2018, he has co-founded medical tech startup Longenesis, a cutting-edge company that unlocks the hidden value of biomedical data and accelerates novel drug treatment & and discovery. In 2021, he co-founded the Longevity Science Foundation, a non-profit organization advancing the field of human longevity by funding research and development of medical technologies to extend the healthy human lifespan. He is also a member of the Longevity Biotechnology Association.
Joshua Johnson
PhD
Associate Professor
Division of Reproductive Sciences
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Colorado Denver (AMC)
Associate Professor
Division of Reproductive Sciences
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
University of Colorado Denver (AMC)
Dr. Josh Johnson is originally from the interestingly-named city Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. A Badger, he earned his Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Wisconsin, and then his Ph.D. in Biology at Arizona State University, where he began his studies of the ovary and female reproductive tract aging. His training continued with a postdoctoral fellowship at the Vincent Center for Reproductive Biology within the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. After beginning his faculty career at the Yale School of Medicine, he is now an Associate Professor in the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Center. His home is the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Sciences and Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. His laboratory's main focus is the determination of mechanisms that control ovarian aging, with a long-term goal of preventing the early loss of ovarian function and fertility. Additional collaborative projects are in place studying the origins of ovarian cancer and the degenerative processes that result in the loss of pelvic organ structural support that can result in prolapse.
Jamie Justice
XPRIZE, USA
Dr. Jamie Justice, PhD, is Executive Director of XPRIZE Healthspan Prize and EVP of Health Domain at XPRIZE Foundation, and an Adjunct Professor in Internal Medicine Section on Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, and Sticht Center on Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention at Wake Forest University School of Medicine (WFUSM). Jamie completed graduate and postdoc training at University of Colorado Boulder and WFUSM. At WFUSM Jamie was director the Biogerontology Lab, and co-leader the Integrative Biology Core (IBC) of the WF Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center (OAIC), and an MPI of the National Institute of Aging-supported Geroscience Education. Jamie was the recipient of the Jarrahi Research Scholars Fund in Geroscience Innovation, the 2022 Vincent Cristofalo Rising Star in Aging Research, and the 2022 NIA Nathan W Shock Awardee.
Jamie is dedicated to geroscience which that advances the hypothesis that by targeting the basic biology of aging the incidence of multiple age-related diseases can be delayed or prevented. Her training background allowed her lead translational research to test the geroscience hypothesis in humans. This included: 1) serving as Co-I on large multicenter prospective cohort studies like the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA), and the NIH Cell Senescence (SenNet) Buck Institute Tissue Mapping Center for skeletal muscle; 2) leading proof-of-concept senolytics trials; and 3) designing trials of testing therapeutics that target biological age in older adults. In her new role as Executive Director of the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan she operates a $101 million global competition to drive teams to develop innovative solutions that make healthy human aging possible, for everyone.
Jamie is dedicated to geroscience which that advances the hypothesis that by targeting the basic biology of aging the incidence of multiple age-related diseases can be delayed or prevented. Her training background allowed her lead translational research to test the geroscience hypothesis in humans. This included: 1) serving as Co-I on large multicenter prospective cohort studies like the Study of Muscle Mobility and Aging (SOMMA), and the NIH Cell Senescence (SenNet) Buck Institute Tissue Mapping Center for skeletal muscle; 2) leading proof-of-concept senolytics trials; and 3) designing trials of testing therapeutics that target biological age in older adults. In her new role as Executive Director of the $101M XPRIZE Healthspan she operates a $101 million global competition to drive teams to develop innovative solutions that make healthy human aging possible, for everyone.
Steve Horvath
Altos Labs, USA
Dr. Horvath is a biogerontologist, whose research lies at the intersection of several fields including epigenetic biomarkers of aging, preclinical and clinical studies, genomics, epidemiology, and comparative biology. Dr Horvath is a principal investigator at Altos Labs. He and his UCLA colleagues published the first epigenetic clock for saliva in 2011. In 2013, he published the first pan-tissue clock, also known as the Horvath clock. Recently, he presented a universal clock that applies to all mammals. The recipient of several awards, he has been on Clarivate’s annual list of the world’s most influential scientific researchers every year since 2018.
Pankaj Kapahi
Buck institute, USA
Dr. Pankaj Kapahi, a distinguished scientist, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester and a BSc with first-class honors from St. Georges Hospital Medical School, University of London. He is currently a Professor at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Kapahi's groundbreaking research in aging has garnered prestigious awards, including the Glenn AFAR Award and the Gerontological Society of America's Nathan Shock New Investigator Award. He has published over 85 peer-reviewed articles, contributing significantly to the understanding of lifespan extension and disease modeling.
Brian Kennedy
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Dr. Brian Kennedy is internationally recognized for his research in the basic biology of aging and as a visionary committed to translating research discoveries into new ways of detecting, delaying, preventing and treating human aging and associated diseases. He is a Distinguished Professor in Biochemistry and Physiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at National University Singapore and serves as Director of (1) the Centre for Healthy Longevity at the National University Health System, (2) the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme, and (3) the Asian Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality. Collectively, NUS aging research seeks to demonstrate that longevity interventions can be successfully employed in humans to extend healthspan, the disease-free and highly functional period of life.
From 2010 to 2016, Dr. Kennedy was the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and he maintained a professorship there through 2020. Dr. Kennedy has an adjunct appointments at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington, where he was a faculty member from 2001 to 2010. In addition, Dr. Kennedy is also actively involved with a number of Biotechnology companies. In addition, Dr. Kennedy serves as a Co-Editor-In-Chief at Aging Cell. Finally, Dr. Kennedy has a track record of interaction in China, where he was a Visiting Professor at the Aging Research Institute at Guangdong Medical College from 2009 to 2014. His Ph.D. was performed in the laboratory of Leonard Guarente at M.I.T., where he published the first paper linking Sirtuins to aging.
From 2010 to 2016, Dr. Kennedy was the President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and he maintained a professorship there through 2020. Dr. Kennedy has an adjunct appointments at the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Washington, where he was a faculty member from 2001 to 2010. In addition, Dr. Kennedy is also actively involved with a number of Biotechnology companies. In addition, Dr. Kennedy serves as a Co-Editor-In-Chief at Aging Cell. Finally, Dr. Kennedy has a track record of interaction in China, where he was a Visiting Professor at the Aging Research Institute at Guangdong Medical College from 2009 to 2014. His Ph.D. was performed in the laboratory of Leonard Guarente at M.I.T., where he published the first paper linking Sirtuins to aging.
Morten Scheibye-Knudsen
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Morten Scheibye-Knudsen is Associate Professor and group leader at the Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Besides his research activity, he has been committed to educational programs and his online companies Mitodb.com and Forsøgsperson.dk. The latter has grown to become the largest single provider of study participants in Denmark. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen earned his MD in 2007 and his PhD in 2016 from the University of Copenhagen. After graduation, he worked as physician at Slagelse Hospital and at Nuuk Medical Clinic in Greenland. In 2008, he became a Postdoctoral Fellow at the National Institute on Aging at the NIH in Baltimore, Maryland. His work focused on the cross-talk between DNA repair and mitochondrial function in aging and has been honored by a number of competitive awards. In 2015 he was recruited to start his own research group at the University of Copenhagen, where his research group aims to understand the cellular and organismal consequences of DNA damage in the context of aging. With the ultimate goal to modulate and perhaps treat aging and age-related diseases, allowing everyone to live healthier and longer lives.
Omer Karin
Lecturer in Biomathematics, Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London, UK
Omer Karin completed a BSc in Computer Science and received an MSc and PhD from the Weizmann Institute. He was subsequently a JSMF postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge between 2021-2022. In 2022 he joined the Department of Mathematics at Imperial College London, where he is now a Lecturer in Biomathematics. Omer is interested in developing mathematical and computational approaches for systems biology and systems medicine, with a specific interest in understanding the mechanisms that control cell dynamics.
Matthew Thomas Keys
University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Matthew Keys is a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Southern Denmark. His research interests include the potential of repurposing licensed medicines for gerotherapeutic indications, family and twin studies for understanding the determinants of exceptional longevity, and epidemiological methods. His research on metformin has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, GQ magazine, and on several leading health and fitness podcasts.
Mehmood Khan
MD, CEO of Hevolution Foundation, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Mehmood Khan’s distinguished career has included several senior corporate roles, including Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Research and Development at PepsiCo, and President of Global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Before moving into the private sector Dr. Khan was a faculty member in endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic and Medical School, where he served as Director of the Diabetes, Endocrine and Nutritional Trials Unit. He also led programs in diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, and nutrition in Minneapolis.
Dr. Khan is a member of the Board of Directors of Reckitt Benckiser and of the Saudi Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), Executive Chairman of Life Biosciences, a member of the Saudi National Biotechnology Strategy Steering Committee, and Chairman of the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology of the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Dr. Khan earned his medical degree from the University of Liverpool School of Medicine, England, and completed a fellowship in clinical endocrinology and nutrition in the Department of Medicine and Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology, and an Elected Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at University of Oxford.
Before moving into the private sector Dr. Khan was a faculty member in endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic and Medical School, where he served as Director of the Diabetes, Endocrine and Nutritional Trials Unit. He also led programs in diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism, and nutrition in Minneapolis.
Dr. Khan is a member of the Board of Directors of Reckitt Benckiser and of the Saudi Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), Executive Chairman of Life Biosciences, a member of the Saudi National Biotechnology Strategy Steering Committee, and Chairman of the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology of the United States’ National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Dr. Khan earned his medical degree from the University of Liverpool School of Medicine, England, and completed a fellowship in clinical endocrinology and nutrition in the Department of Medicine and Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London, a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology, and an Elected Fellow in the Department of Pharmacology at University of Oxford.
Konstantin Khodosevich
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
MS: Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
PhD: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
Postdoc 1: Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
Postdoc 2: German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
Group leader: since 2015, Biotech Research and Innovation Center (BRIC), University of Copenhagen
Full professor: since 2023, same place.
PhD: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Moscow, Russia
Postdoc 1: Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
Postdoc 2: German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
Group leader: since 2015, Biotech Research and Innovation Center (BRIC), University of Copenhagen
Full professor: since 2023, same place.
Mette Kierkgaard
Minister for Senior Citizens, Denmark
Jitka Kolarova
Lead for Innovations in Health and Healthcare at World Economic Forum
Jitka is a strategic leader in market insights and healthcare innovation with extensive experience in business intelligence and strategic market planning. At the Forum, she identifies top emerging health innovations, collaborating with leaders across private and public sectors. Previously, Jitka held senior roles at Ferring International Centre, leading global market intelligence and strategic initiatives, and at Kantar where she led the analytical team. She has consulted for major organizations in pharma, FMCG, and financial services. Jitka lived and worked across the continents, she is a life enthusiast and passionate about sustainability and international collaboration.
James L. Kirkland
Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging, USA
The major research focus of James L. Kirkland, M.D., Ph.D., is the impact of cellular aging (senescence) on age-related dysfunction and chronic diseases, especially developing methods for removing these cells and alleviating their effects. Senescent cells accumulate with aging and in such diseases as dementias, atherosclerosis, cancers, diabetes and arthritis.
The goal of Dr. Kirkland's current work is to develop methods to remove these cells to delay, prevent, alleviate or partially reverse age-related chronic diseases as a group and extend health span, the period of life free of disability, pain, dependence and chronic disease.
The goal of Dr. Kirkland's current work is to develop methods to remove these cells to delay, prevent, alleviate or partially reverse age-related chronic diseases as a group and extend health span, the period of life free of disability, pain, dependence and chronic disease.
Marie Kveiborg
Novo Nordisk Foundation, Denmark
Marie Kveiborg (MK) received the PhD degree in Molecular and Structural Biology from Aarhus University, Denmark in 2000, and then moved on to train as a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University School of Medicine, USA. In 2005, MK got a tenure track assistant professorship and later an associate professorship at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark. During 2008-2009, MK did a sabbatical at the London Research Institute, Cancer Research UK. Back in Copenhagen, MK became group leader at the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), where she led an international research group, studying basic cancer biology. In 2022, MK changed career and is now working as a Senior Scientific Lead at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, where she oversees open calls within Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine. Moreover, MK works on developing the Novo Nordisk Foundation strategic research initiatives within biomedicine.
George Kuchel
MD, CM, FRCP, AGSF, Professor of Medicine, Travelers Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology at University of Connecticut, USA
George A. Kuchel is Professor of Medicine, Travelers Chair in Geriatrics and Gerontology, and Director of the UConn Center on Aging at UConn Health in Farmington, CT.
His work focuses on Precision Gerontology and Geroscience. This effort seeks to enhance function and independence in older adults by targeting heterogeneity in aging-related declines involving host defense, mobility, cognition and bladder control.
Dr. Kuchel leads the UConn Older Americans Independence Pepper Center, the NIA Geroscience Education and Training Network, and the KAPP-Sen NIH Common Fund Cellular Senescence Tissue Mapping Center. Dr Kuchel also serves as MPI of the NIA Translational Geroscience Network.
His work focuses on Precision Gerontology and Geroscience. This effort seeks to enhance function and independence in older adults by targeting heterogeneity in aging-related declines involving host defense, mobility, cognition and bladder control.
Dr. Kuchel leads the UConn Older Americans Independence Pepper Center, the NIA Geroscience Education and Training Network, and the KAPP-Sen NIH Common Fund Cellular Senescence Tissue Mapping Center. Dr Kuchel also serves as MPI of the NIA Translational Geroscience Network.
Joe Betts-LaCroix
Co-Founder, CEO, Retro Biosciences
Joe Betts-LaCroix began his distinguished entrepreneurial career as a scientist at Harvard, MIT, and Caltech. As part of a three-person team at Caltech, he contributed to the discovery of factors governing electron-tunneling rates in proteins. Their work has been published in journals such as Science and JACS, accumulating over 1500 citations.
He has co-founded three venture-funded startups. His first, OQO, created the world's smallest Windows computer (Guinness World Record 2006) and was acquired by Google. His second, Vium, automated animal research to accelerate medical studies and was acquired by Recursion Pharma. He has also spent several years as a part-time partner at Y Combinator, mentoring and investing in numerous bio startups.
Currently, Betts-LaCroix serves as CEO of his third [venture-funded] startup, Retro Biosciences. The company's mission is to increase healthy human lifespan by ten years.
He has co-founded three venture-funded startups. His first, OQO, created the world's smallest Windows computer (Guinness World Record 2006) and was acquired by Google. His second, Vium, automated animal research to accelerate medical studies and was acquired by Recursion Pharma. He has also spent several years as a part-time partner at Y Combinator, mentoring and investing in numerous bio startups.
Currently, Betts-LaCroix serves as CEO of his third [venture-funded] startup, Retro Biosciences. The company's mission is to increase healthy human lifespan by ten years.
Martin Lauritzen
Professor, MD, Dr.med.sci., University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Professor Martin Lauritzen has been a pioneering clinician-scientist in the field of cerebrovascular biology for over four decades. He has worked on our understanding of neurovascular functions, including the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the role of cortical spreading depolarization/depression (CSD) in migraine and acute brain injury. His first major contribution was his early work on migraine, and CSD as the mechanism of this neurological disorder, and later he focused on the role of CSDs in acute neurologic injury. A second major focus of Martin's research program has been the mechanistic understanding of neurovascular coupling, i.e. the regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) by neural activity and the generation of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) signals in health, aging and disease. Martin has development of advanced new imaging and image analysis tools for multimodal measurements of brain activity that underlie the cellular and molecular origin of neurovascular coupling. A third and recent focus is the exploration of the BBB by multiphoton microscopy and the quantification of permeability characteristics along para- and transcellular pathways. Martin's lab operates at the interface between neuroscience and clinical neurology, bridging the worlds of biology and technology, advancing measurement methods, and applying novel methods for addressing central neuroscience questions relevant for neurovascular physiology, regulation of CBF and metabolism, and the interpretation of findings in brain aging and disease states.
Yuta Lee
Founder and CEO of Accelerated Biosciences, USA
Yuta is the founder and CEO of Accelerated Bio, a regenerative medicine company based in Philadelphia commercializing the human Trophoblast Stem Cell (hTSC). hTSCs are the earliest pre-implantation, pre-placental cells that can be sourced ethically from an ectopic pregnancy. These naïve cells can scale to 85 population doublings with natural immune privilege, making them the most ideal starting cell source for allogeneic cell & gene therapies. Yuta is an inventor for 51 granted patents, providing freedom-to-operate for partners looking for a clear pathway to commercialization. Yuta is passionate about accelerating cell & gene therapies to advance healthy longevity. Accelerated Bio’s pipeline includes Parkinson’s Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, as well as Cell Senescence for longevity.
Peng Leong
PhD, Chief Business Officer at BioAge Labs, USA
Peng Leong, Ph.D., is the Chief Business Officer at BioAge Labs where he leads BIOAGE’s efforts to identify and execute strategic transactions that will help the company to convert prioritized drug targets into a portfolio of therapies for human aging. Dr. Leong has extensive experience in the biotech industry, previously serving in healthcare investment banking at Piper Jaffray and as Head of General Medicine Business Development at Merck KgaA and Chief Business Officer at Kazia Therapeutics.
Sharon Rosenzweig-Lipson
Chief Scientific Officer, Life Biosciences, USA
Dr. Rosenzweig-Lipson is the Chief Scientific Officer for Life Biosciences, Inc. She has held leadership positions in both big pharma and small biotechnology companies over the course of her 30+year career. She has a proven track record of advancing programs from the early exploratory phase through to Phase 2B. Her career in big pharma includes American Cyanamid, American Home Products, Wyeth, and Pfizer where she led a team to a successful Phase 2 proof of concept study. As VP of R&D for AgeneBio, Dr. Rosenzweig-Lipson led the clinical development of its lead asset through Phase 2B clinical trials as well as the company’s preclinical discovery program. Dr. Rosenzweig-Lipson is globally recognized for her top scientific and strategic leadership, having led global translational alliances and has a strong publication and patent record. A key focus for Dr. Rosenzweig-Lipson is building high quality integrated cross-functional teams utilizing both internal and external talent to deliver programs in a timely manner employing evidence-based decision making. She earned her BA in Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania and her PhD in Psychology (Behavioral Neuroscience) from Harvard University.
Wenbin Li
Beijing Tiantan Hospital, China
Wenbin Li, MD, PhD, chief Physician, professor, director of cancer center and the Neuro-oncology department, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, vice president of the National Health Care Big Data (Capital Medical University) Research Institute, dean of the Department of Oncology in Capital Medical University, Chairman-designate of the Neuro-oncological Drug Clinical Research Committee, China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association, deputy Chairman of the Gliomal Committee, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association, board member of “Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy” and “Cancer Biology & Medical”, chief Editor of “Neuro-Tumor Channel of Medical Reference”. He is one of Leading Experts of Chinese and Western Medicine in Beijing, honorary Research Fellow of the University of South Florida. He is an expert in chemotherapy and clinical trials for brain tumors, was PI for two phase I clinical trials of China key innovative drugs during the 13th Five-Year Plan period. He is also the general coordinator in China for GBM AGILE international multi-center clinical trials.
Zhiquan Li
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. Zhiquan Li is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Healthy Aging, University of Copenhagen. His research centers on identifying novel regulators of longevity downstream of FOXO transcription factors, such as OSER1. He also investigates the effects of natural small molecules like urolithin A and nicotinamide riboside in slowing aging. His work includes studying the roles of mitochondria, particularly mitophagy, as well as DNA damage response, autophagy, and inflammation in aging and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, using human cell and Drosophila models.
Johan Luthman
Executive Vice President
Research & Development, Lundbeck, Denmark
Research & Development, Lundbeck, Denmark
Johan Luthman is head of R&D, including medical affairs, at Lundbeck A/S. He has transformed Lundbeck’s R&D and its pipeline, with a shift towards specialist and rare indications in neurology and psychiatry as well as changed the company’s biological research areas. Before Lundbeck, Johan led neurology development Eisai. Johan has also worked at Merck Inc, leading early neuroscience development, as CEO at GeNeuro and was leading Neurology, Immunology & Inflammation Research at MerckSerono. Johan began his pharmaceutical career at Astra/AstraZeneca in discovery, and early development.
Johan studied medicine/dentistry and obtained a Ph.D, later becoming associate professor at the Karolinska Institute.
Johan studied medicine/dentistry and obtained a Ph.D, later becoming associate professor at the Karolinska Institute.
David Luu
MD, Founder LongevityDocs, Juisci, The Heart Fund, USA
Dr. David Luu is a medical doctor and tech entrepreneur focused on longevity science. As a philanthropist and a trained pediatric cardiac surgeon, he is on a mission to extend human healthspan.
In his quest to revolutionize the field, Dr. Luu has founded multiple health tech platforms, including Hearty, a concierge longevity care app and services for high-performing leaders; Juisci, an AI-powered medical education app used by 100,000 healthcare professionals and researchers; and Longevity Docs, the first network dedicated to physicians pioneering precision and evidence-based practices in longevity medicine.
As a thought leader in longevity, technology, and global health, he has been featured in prestigious publications such as Wired Magazine, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, and Men’s Health. He has been invited to speak at leading forums, including the Web Summit, World Heart Summit, Transform Africa Summit, and the United-Nations World Humanitarian Summit where he influences and inspires an international audience.
Dr. Luu serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. In this role, Dr. Luu helps accelerate the development of novel medical inventions across various fields, including imaging, nanomedicine, AI, robotics, and sensors.
Since 2001, Dr. Luu has been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts, notably through his role as the founding chairman of The Heart Fund, a United Nations ECOSOC-accredited non-profit organization democratizing cardiac care in developing nations through preventative mobile clinics and open-heart surgeries in Africa, India, and Haiti.
He is a French board-certified surgeon with fellowship training in pediatric cardiac surgery at leading pediatric heart hospitals such as Marie-Lannelongue and Necker in Paris. He completed his residency at the University of Antilles-Guyane and his research training at Lenox Hills Hospital in New York City, with his medical education from Montpellier University.
Dr. David Luu resides in New York with his wife, Moana Luu, the founder of ManLuu, and their son, Tayron-Khan. As a passionate advocate for health optimization, he enjoys playing tennis and is a healthy cooking enthusiast.
In his quest to revolutionize the field, Dr. Luu has founded multiple health tech platforms, including Hearty, a concierge longevity care app and services for high-performing leaders; Juisci, an AI-powered medical education app used by 100,000 healthcare professionals and researchers; and Longevity Docs, the first network dedicated to physicians pioneering precision and evidence-based practices in longevity medicine.
As a thought leader in longevity, technology, and global health, he has been featured in prestigious publications such as Wired Magazine, Huffington Post, Hollywood Reporter, and Men’s Health. He has been invited to speak at leading forums, including the Web Summit, World Heart Summit, Transform Africa Summit, and the United-Nations World Humanitarian Summit where he influences and inspires an international audience.
Dr. Luu serves as a member of the Board of Advisors for the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Institute at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine. In this role, Dr. Luu helps accelerate the development of novel medical inventions across various fields, including imaging, nanomedicine, AI, robotics, and sensors.
Since 2001, Dr. Luu has been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts, notably through his role as the founding chairman of The Heart Fund, a United Nations ECOSOC-accredited non-profit organization democratizing cardiac care in developing nations through preventative mobile clinics and open-heart surgeries in Africa, India, and Haiti.
He is a French board-certified surgeon with fellowship training in pediatric cardiac surgery at leading pediatric heart hospitals such as Marie-Lannelongue and Necker in Paris. He completed his residency at the University of Antilles-Guyane and his research training at Lenox Hills Hospital in New York City, with his medical education from Montpellier University.
Dr. David Luu resides in New York with his wife, Moana Luu, the founder of ManLuu, and their son, Tayron-Khan. As a passionate advocate for health optimization, he enjoys playing tennis and is a healthy cooking enthusiast.
Andrea B. Maier
Oon Chiew Seng Professor in Medicine and Functional Ageing, National University of Singapore, Professor of Gerontology Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Professor Maier, a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP), graduated in Medicine (MD) 2003 from the University of Lübeck (Germany), was registered 2009 in The Netherlands as Specialist in Internal Medicine-Geriatrics and was appointed Full Professor of Gerontology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (The Netherlands) in 2013. From 2016 to early 2021 Professor Maier has served as Divisional Director of Medicine and Community Care at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia, and as Professor of Medicine and Aged Care at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She continues her career at the National University of Singapore as Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Longevity. Professor Maier's research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms of ageing and age-related diseases. During the last 10 years she has conducted multiple international observational studies and intervention trials and has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, achieving an H index of 54, spearheading the significant contributions of her highly acclaimed innovative, global, multidisciplinary @Age research group. She is a frequent guest on radio and television programs to disseminate aging research and an invited member of several international academic and health policy committees. She currently is the President of The Australian and New Zealand Society for Sarcopenia and Frailty Research.
Julia-Magdalena Majewska
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Julia Majewska’s research focus is the systems biology of aging. Her postdoctoral work at the Weizmann Institute of Science addressed the hallmark of aging, the accumulation of senescent cells. The elimination of senescent cells extends health- and life span and thus attracted substantial interest in biomedical research. However, so far, senolytic drugs that clear senescent cells exhibit substantial side effects in humans due to insufficient specificity. Therefore, one of the main questions in the field was to understand the mechanism that senescent cells use to evade immune clearance and accumulate in aging tissues, and how to target this mechanism. Her work shows that senescent cells upregulate the immune checkpoint protein PD-L1 to evade immune clearance and promote aging phenotypes. However, targeting PD-L1 improves immunosurveillance of senescent cells and reduces systemic inflammation. Her further research interest is targeting the immune system aging for extension of health span and its role in immune oncology.
Robin Mansukhani
CEO and Co-Founder of Deciduous Therapeutics
Robin Mansukhani is the CEO and Co-Founder of Deciduous Therapeutics, a venture-backed start-up developing novel immunotherapies to treat age related diseases. He also been an advisor to several early stage biotech companies in the Aging and CNS space including Therini Bio, Reservoir Neurosciences, and Lime Therapeutics. Previously, Robin co-founded and served as President and CEO of Alzeca Biosciences, a diagnostic imaging company for CNS disorders, which is currently in clinical trials and supported by venture investors, the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation, and an NIH Direct to Phase 2 Grant. Robin has been an invited keynote speaker both domestically and abroad, including TEDx. Previously, Mr. Mansukhani worked in early stage venture capital at The Maple Fund and investment banking at Axiom Capital. He has also co-founded BlueStamp Engineering, an intensive, project-based engineering program for high school students. Robin previously served a term in AmeriCorps where he led health and literacy programs. Mr. Mansukhani holds a B.S. in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University.
J. “Scotch” McClure
MBA
Founder, CEO & Chairman of Maxwell Biosciences
Founder, CEO & Chairman of Maxwell Biosciences
Mr. McClure is an engineer with over 20 years of experience as a CEO, and 10 years of experience as a corporate board director. He is a multi-patent inventor including anti-viral applications of Maxwell’s platform, and human gene expression technology. His background includes leading engineering and scientific research teams, as well as military intelligence and commercial applications such as high tech hardware and software. He designed and commercialized the world’s first dual core laptop in partnership with Advanced Micro Devices. He is a pioneer in the field of plasma proteomics, Big Data computation, and biomimetic drug design. He has a wide ranging interest in physics, theory of mind and consciousness, information theory, nanobiology, and reversing disease and aging by restoring rejuvenative homeostasis. From 1992 to 2001, he served with distinction in the United States Air Force, in highly classified financial, electronic and other intelligence project management roles at the Electronic System Center and the Air Intelligence Agency. He is a graduate of the USAF Academy, with a B.S. in Management. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts.
Jerry McLaughlin
Chief Executive Officer, Life Biosciences, USA
Jerry McLaughlin is Chief Executive Officer and board member of Life Biosciences, Inc. He has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and has been involved in the discovery, clinical development, and global commercialization of more than a dozen FDA-approved drugs with multiple successful exits. Most recently, Jerry was President and CEO for Neos Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial stage pharmaceutical company. Before that, he served as President and CEO of AgeneBio, Inc., a clinical-stage private biopharma company developing therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Earlier, he held the role of Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at NuPathe Inc., acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Jerry began his career at Merck and was extensively involved in multiple blockbuster product launches. He holds a BA in economics from Dickinson College and an MBA from the Villanova School of Business.
Jerry McLaughlin
Chief Executive Officer, Life Biosciences, USA
Jerry McLaughlin is Chief Executive Officer and board member of Life Biosciences, Inc. He has over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and has been involved in the discovery, clinical development, and global commercialization of more than a dozen FDA-approved drugs with multiple successful exits. Most recently, Jerry was President and CEO for Neos Therapeutics, Inc., a commercial stage pharmaceutical company. Before that, he served as President and CEO of AgeneBio, Inc., a clinical-stage private biopharma company developing therapies for neurological and psychiatric diseases. Earlier, he held the role of Senior Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at NuPathe Inc., acquired by Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2014. Jerry began his career at Merck and was extensively involved in multiple blockbuster product launches. He holds a BA in economics from Dickinson College and an MBA from the Villanova School of Business.
João Pedro de Magalhães
Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab,
Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, UK
Institute of Inflammation and Ageing, University of Birmingham, UK
Prof de Magalhaes graduated in Microbiology in 1999 from the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia in his hometown of Porto, Portugal, and then in 2004 obtained a PhD from the University of Namur in Belgium. Following a postdoc with genomics pioneer Prof George Church at Harvard Medical School, in 2008 Prof de Magalhaes joined the University of Liverpool, and in 2022, he was recruited to the University of Birmingham as Chair of Molecular Biogerontology. He currently leads the Genomics of Ageing and Rejuvenation Lab (https://rejuvenomicslab.com/) in the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing. His lab studies the ageing process and how we can manipulate it to fend off age-related diseases and improve human health. Prof de Magalhaes has authored over 100 publications and given over 200 invited talks, including three TEDx talks. He also makes regular media appearances (BBC, CNN, the Washington Post, the Financial Times and many others). Prof de Magalhaes is an advisor/consultant for various organizations, including nonprofit foundations, universities, investment funds and biotech companies, and he is a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford. He was CSO of Swiss-based biotech company Centaura until 2021 and is currently CSO of YouthBio Therapeutics, a US-based biotech company developing rejuvenation gene therapies based on partial reprogramming by Yamanaka factors. Prof de Magalhaes founded Oxford Cryotechnology (https://oxfordcryotech.com/), a company employing computational and machine learning-guided design to develop improved cryopreservation methods with broad applications.
Maryam Matar
MD, PhD, Founder Sheikh Zayed Genetics Research Centre, UAE
Dr. Maryam Matar is celebrated as the most powerful scientist in the UAE. Her remarkable contributions to preventive healthcare and advancing genetic sciences in the Arab world have earned her a place among the top 20 Arab scientists, as recognized by the British Scientific Community. Dr Matar is an Epigenetics and regenerative therapies pioneer in the Arab region and makes continuous efforts for creating scientific conversations and communities for these topics, which she considers as the future of healthcare. Dr Matar is working towards building the better healthcare models in the Arab region with her projects and studies in these fields. Her signature Reprogram Your Genes awareness program is used in more than 200 academic institutions and over 150 organisations, where she has engaged with young students to working professionals, inspiring them to live healthier. Her scientific events and talks about the advancements in Epigenetics and regenerative therapies for betterment of the population health empower physicians and medical professionals with the tools and information to serve their patients better.
Inspirational women role model and scientist of the Arab world
Taking her vision of representing and promoting the women scientists, she has consistently initiated and supported campaigns and discussions on stage and she is chosen as one of the most influential role model and inspirational woman leader.
Dr Matar is the recipient of more than 35 leading scientific and leadership awards. recognitions and board memberships from the MENA region, recognizing her contribution towards preventive healthcare, epigenetics and regenerative therapies and women leadership. She has been a recipient of the pioneering Arab Woman in Healthcare Innovation during the ceremony of the 21st Pioneer Leadership Award in Healthcare in Kuwait and “Arab Excellence Award for Scientific Research” by the General Secretariat of the Arab League and the Women in Tech® Lifetime Achievement Award from The Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park towards promoting gender equality in the tech sector.
Inspirational women role model and scientist of the Arab world
Taking her vision of representing and promoting the women scientists, she has consistently initiated and supported campaigns and discussions on stage and she is chosen as one of the most influential role model and inspirational woman leader.
Dr Matar is the recipient of more than 35 leading scientific and leadership awards. recognitions and board memberships from the MENA region, recognizing her contribution towards preventive healthcare, epigenetics and regenerative therapies and women leadership. She has been a recipient of the pioneering Arab Woman in Healthcare Innovation during the ceremony of the 21st Pioneer Leadership Award in Healthcare in Kuwait and “Arab Excellence Award for Scientific Research” by the General Secretariat of the Arab League and the Women in Tech® Lifetime Achievement Award from The Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park towards promoting gender equality in the tech sector.
Lisa Melton
Senior News Editor, Nature Biotechnology
Lisa Melton is Senior News Editor at Nature Biotechnology. Lisa has a PhD in Immunology, and a degree in Biochemistry from The University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She moved to the UK to work as a postdoc at the National Institutes of Medical Research in London (now the Crick Institute) and later switched to science journalism at the Novartis Foundation. Lisa has written for the Economist, the New Scientist, Scientific American, the Observer and Times, and for the last 15 years, has reported and edited biotech news with a translational bent for Nature Biotechnology and Nature.
Natalia Mitin
Co-Founder and CEO of Sapere Bio, USA
Dr. Natalia Mitin is Co-Founder and CEO of Sapere Bio, a longevity technology company thatdevelops and commercializes aging-related bioprognostics. Sapere Sapere Bio's lead product, SapereX™, measures cellular senescence and immune function to optimize health practices, physiological performance, and, ultimately, aging trajectory. Sapere Bio has extensive clinical collaborations on
projects ranging from natural aging to diabetes, cardiovascular health, oncology, Alzheimer’s disease, and sickle cell disease. Prior to founding Sapere Bio, Dr. Mitin held faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Pharmacology and at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her leadership at Sapere Bio is widely recognized in the entrepreneurial community, as well as at the NIA and NCI where she has participated in advisory meetings on commercialization of aging technologies and best practices for aging biomarker
development and validation.
projects ranging from natural aging to diabetes, cardiovascular health, oncology, Alzheimer’s disease, and sickle cell disease. Prior to founding Sapere Bio, Dr. Mitin held faculty appointments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Pharmacology and at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her leadership at Sapere Bio is widely recognized in the entrepreneurial community, as well as at the NIA and NCI where she has participated in advisory meetings on commercialization of aging technologies and best practices for aging biomarker
development and validation.
Emad Moeendarbary
University College London, UK
Emad is a Mechanical Engineer and Professor of Mechanobiology at University College London (UCL), and is has made significant strides in cell mechanics during his research at UCL, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University of Cambridge, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His pioneering research has been published in top journals like Nature Materials and Nature Communications. He explores the biomechanical behaviour of cells in the context of ageing, cancer, and nervous system diseases by applying innovative single-cell-based biomechanical and microfluidic technologies. As the co-founder and chief science officer of 199, he is dedicated to applying interdisciplinary bioengineering approaches to develop solutions for ageing.
Tae Seok Moon
J. Craig Venter Institute, USA
Dr. Moon is a professor at J. Craig Venter Institute, an EBRC Council Member, a SynBYSS Chair, a Moonshot Bio founder, an EFB Executive Board Member, and an editor of 9 journals, including the New Biotechnology Editor-in-Chief. His 26 funded projects have secured $38M since 2012 and have resulted in 95 publications, 198 invited talks, 183 contributed presentations, and 10 patents. His service to SynBYSS provides a weekly forum for >1,000 global audiences. The 337 speakers (as of Jun. 2024) include a Nobel Laureate, 21 National Academy Members, 23 funders, 20 Editors-in-chief, 9 Nature/Cell journal editors, and 164 rising stars.
Alexey Moskalev
School of Systems Biology, George Mason University (GMU), Fairfax, VA, USA
Prof. Alexey Moskalev is a Corresponding member of Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Biology, the Head of the Laboratory of Geroprotective and Radioprotective Technologies in the Institute of Biology of Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Head of the Department of Ecology of the Syktyvkar State University named after Pitirim Sorokin, the Head of the Laboratory of Genetics of Aging and Longevity in the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology
Anders M. Näär
Professor of Metabolic Biology and Vice Chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley
He received a B.S. degree in biochemistry/biotechnology from the University of Lund, Sweden, in 1988, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Pathology with M. Geoff Rosenfeld at UC San Diego/HHMI in 1995, studying nuclear hormone receptor mechanisms of gene regulation. He was a postdoctoral research fellow with Robert Tjian at UC Berkeley/HHMI, where he discovered the human Mediator transcriptional co-activator complex. Dr. Näär was a Professor in the Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, from 2001-2018. A major focus of his lab is to understand transcriptional and microRNA regulatory mechanisms controlling metabolic homeostasis to guide novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases associated with aging such as heart failure, aging-linked sarcopenia, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), obesity, type 2 diabetes, metabolism-associated fatty liver diseases (MAFLD/MASH), and cancers, as well as rare muscular dystrophies such as Duchenne/Becker muscular dystrophy.
Georg Nebgen
LongeVC, Switzerland
20+ years of US and European private equity investment and operational industry experience in Pharma, Biotech and healthcare - Professional fund manager with numerous private equity investments, IPO’s, follow-on offerings, corporate spin-outs and exit transactions across a broad spectrum in healthcare - Extensive expertise on public and private boards.
Maiken Nedergaard
M.D., D.M.Sc., University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Laura Niedernhofer
MD, PhD, University of Minnesota, USA
Her research career has been dedicated to investigating the impact of DNA damage on the structure of DNA, cell function and organism health. The DNA in each of our cells is damaged thousands of times per day by exposure to environmental factors, dietary components, chemotherapeutic agents and even endogenous by-products of normal metabolism. Studying patients with rare diseases caused by inherited defects in DNA repair provides important insight into the consequences of DNA damage. These patients have a dramatically increased risk of cancer and age prematurely. We engineered mouse models of these genome instability syndromes as a sensitive tool to test hypotheses about how DNA damage promotes cancer and aging.
Jens Nielsen
CEO of BioInnovation Institute, Denmark
MSc in Chemical Engineering, PhD (1989) in Biochemical Engineering and dr.techn. (1995) from the Danish Technical University (DTU). Honorable dr.med. from University of Gothenburg. Fulbright visiting professor at MIT in 1995-1996. Professor at DTU in 1998. In 2008 he was recruited as Professor to Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. In 2015 he was founding Head of the Department of Life Sciences, which now encompass more than 250 people. Jens Nielsen was also a co-founder of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Biosustainability that now has more than 300 people affiliated, for which he served as CSO 2013-2018. From 2019 CEO of the BioInnovation Institute in Denmark, which is a new institute financed by USD500M that fosters translational research and support new spin-out companies in life sciences. He has trained more than 280 scientists in his research group and published >850 publications that have been cited more than 126,000 times (current H-factor 162). Inventor of >50 patents and founder of six biotech companies. Has received numerous awards, including the ENI Award, the Eric and Sheila Samson Prime Minister Prize for Transportation Fuels, the Novozymes Prize, and the Gold Medal from the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences. Member of 13 academies, including NAS, NAE, NAM, Chinese Academy of Engineering, EMBO and Royal Swedish Academy of Science.
Lada Nuzhna
Founder and CEO, Impetus Grants, USA
Lada helped launch and is a director of Impetus Grants, a program that identifies high-risk high-reward aging research, focusing on counterfactual impact for the field of life extension. Since 2021, they have funded more than 150 clinical trials, tools and biomarkers in the field of aging, giving out more than 34 million. She is also a founder of a biotech company developing editing tools for the diseases of aging, operating out of stealth in the San Francisco Bay area.
David Nutt
Imperial College, UK
Andrea Olsen
California Institute of Technology,USA
My name is Andrea Olsen. I’m pursuing a career in computational neuroscience and entrepreneurship at Caltech. Previously I led a Glioblastoma case study at Insilico, where I discovered targetable genetic pathways with AI. My research led me to publishing papers whilst being at high school, and presenting at ARDD as the first student ambassador of the Inspire Longevity program. Thanks to this program, I founded The Youth Longevity Association to support students in building an early career in aging research.
Now I am working on a medical AI startup, Luria, which personalizes the journey of increasing your own longevity.
Now I am working on a medical AI startup, Luria, which personalizes the journey of increasing your own longevity.
Linda Partridge
University College London, UK
Linda Partridge works on the biology of ageing. Her research is directed to understanding the mechanisms by which healthy lifespan can be extended in laboratory model organisms and humans. Her work has focussed in particular on the role of nutrient-sensing pathways and diet, and her primary interest is in geroprotective drugs. She is the recipient of numerous awards, was honoured with a DBE for Services to Science in 2009 and is a Fellow of the Royal Society. She is the founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and the Biological Secretary of the Royal Society.
Shahaf Peleg
Group Leader FBN Dummerstorf
Shahaf Peleg received his BSc from Ben Gurion University, Israel in 2006 and his PhD from the University of Göttingen, Germany in 2010. He later did his postdoctoral training at the University of Munich where he focused on metabolism – epigenetics connectivity during early aging. Since 2018, his laboratory at the FBN where he is researching molecular changes that are associated with the progression of aging. Together with Andrew Wojtovich, he currently works on the concept of energy replacement to extend healthy longevity by enabling metazoans to harness the energy of light and translate it to chemical energy in their mitochondria.
Yianni Psaltis
PhD, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, PHD Ventures
Lauren Pierpoint
PhD, Technical Lead, XPRIZE Healthspan, USA
Lauren joins XPRIZE as a Senior Researcher in the Health Grand Challenge Area, bringing her diverse scientific background in clinical and epidemiological research to provide expertise in biostatistics, study design, and data management.
Before joining XPRIZE, Lauren was the founder and principal consultant for her own company providing scientific analytic services to clients wanting to better understand how to collect and interpret large amounts of data. Before that, she was the hip research manager for the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, investigating patient-reported outcomes following hip arthroscopy. She also has a background in injury epidemiology and has been the lead investigator for large-scale injury surveillance studies. During her academic career, she has published over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented at multiple national and international conferences, and was elected Chair of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association.
Lauren holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus and an M.S. in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Before joining XPRIZE, Lauren was the founder and principal consultant for her own company providing scientific analytic services to clients wanting to better understand how to collect and interpret large amounts of data. Before that, she was the hip research manager for the Steadman Philippon Research Institute, investigating patient-reported outcomes following hip arthroscopy. She also has a background in injury epidemiology and has been the lead investigator for large-scale injury surveillance studies. During her academic career, she has published over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts, presented at multiple national and international conferences, and was elected Chair of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of the American Public Health Association.
Lauren holds a Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus and an M.S. in Integrative Physiology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Nika Pintar
Ani Biome, Croatia
Nika Pintar is the founder of Ani Biome, a pioneering techbio startup using AI to decipher the gut microbiome's signals to achieve emotional, mental, and biological longevity. Ani Biome has developed an infrastructure to support mental health today - through the gut. The company is bridging the gap between digital and biological by applying their machine learning models to decipher the language of the gut-brain axis. The digital part consists of longitudinal digital diagnostics using multispectral imaging; predictive analytics that connects the data from the diagnostics with the ones from their clinical research and public databases and calculates the pace of ageing; and optimal molecule search platform to design synergistic effects of bioactives on one’s gut and brain. Once the bioactives are targeted, these are produced by using fermentation, and delivered to Ani Biome clients in the form of a liquid supplement, AgeBiotics. They have more than a dozen finished or pending trials focused on connecting gut health with mental and emotional health, as well as low-grade chronic inflammation.
Ani Biome is backed by an extensive network angel investors, LongeVC, a longevity-specific VC with the most rigorous DD process in the industry, theIntelligent VC , and EIT Climate-KIC, the sustainability and impact arm of The European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
They are recognized as one of the most prospective longevity startups, as selected by Sifted and Recursive, and highlighted by the Nutrition Business Journal as one of the companies to watch in their 2024 industry report.
Ani Biome is backed by an extensive network angel investors, LongeVC, a longevity-specific VC with the most rigorous DD process in the industry, theIntelligent VC , and EIT Climate-KIC, the sustainability and impact arm of The European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
They are recognized as one of the most prospective longevity startups, as selected by Sifted and Recursive, and highlighted by the Nutrition Business Journal as one of the companies to watch in their 2024 industry report.
Jesse Poganik
Harvard Medical School, USA
Dr. Jesse Poganik is an Instructor in Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on understanding the most fundamental aspects of aging and leveraging this knowledge to identify the most efficient ways to extend healthy lifespan. Dr. Poganik also serves on the Executive Committee of Biomarkers of Aging Consortium.
Frank Pun
Insilico Medicine, Hong Kong
Dr. Frank Pun is the Head of the Hong Kong Office at Insilico Medicine, where he leads a team of application scientists focused on the AI-driven biological target discovery platform, PandaOmics. His primary objective is to provide cutting-edge AI technology to scientists, medical professionals, biotechnology firms, and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, enabling them to identify actionable therapeutic targets and expedite the process of drug discovery and development.Frank received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2010. Following his graduation, he served as a visiting scholar, leading a team dedicated to studying human CNS diseases and cancer for several years. In 2019, he also obtained an MBA from Rutgers Business School in the United States. Throughout his career, Frank has made significant contributions to target discovery, publishing numerous impactful papers in the field. He is recognized as a key opinion leader in his respective domain.
Jaron Rabinovici
Sheba Medical Center, Israel
Prof. (MD) Jaron Rabinovici is a clinician-scientist Obstetrician and Gynecologist specialized in Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility and Menopause. He has been involved in the establishment and the current clinical and research activity of the “Healthy Longevity Center” at the Sheba Medical Center, Israel. Balanced ovarian hormonal function before menopause and adequate postmenopausal treatment are prerequisites for healthy female longevity and understanding these processes could also serve for the detection of better male longevity processes.
Thomas Rando
Stanford, USA
Thomas A. Rando is an American neurologist. Rando is best known for his research on basic mechanisms of stem cell biology and the biology of aging, as well as for contributions to the study of the muscular dystrophies and the emerging field of regenerative rehabilitation. He is a Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he is founding director of the Glenn Center for the Biology of Aging. Rando is also Chief of Neurology at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Chris Reading
PhD, Senior Vice President
Alzheimer's Disease Program, BioVie, USA
Alzheimer's Disease Program, BioVie, USA
Chris Reading received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from UC Berkeley, performed post-doctoral studies in cancer biology at UC Irvine, and joined MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Houston for 13 years, where he became Associate Professor of Medicine in the Department of Developmental Therapeutics with a joint appointment in the Department of Tumor Biology. He then accepted a position at Systemix / Novartis in Palo Alto, where he became Vice President of Product and Process Development. From there, he moved to San Diego where he has spent over 15 years on the NE3107 platform development at Harbor Therapeutics. He has over 35 years of research and drug development experience, and over 130 peer-reviewed scientific publication, and has authored numerous patents in the areas of monoclonal antibodies, cell separation technologies, stem cell transplantation, and sterol drug development.
Christopher Ren
Shanghai High School International Division
Christopher is currently a high school junior at Shanghai High School International Division. With the Insilico Medicine team, his research focused on the identification of therapeutic targets in various cancer types, such as glioblastoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, that are associated with aging and cellular senescence. His work demonstrates the potential and applicability of the novel target identification pipeline driven by artificial intelligence platforms for modern drug discovery processes.
Chris Rinsch
PhD, Co-founder and President of Timeline
Chris Rinsch is co-founder and President of Timeline. For more than two decades, he has been an innovator in the life sciences arena. Before founding Timeline in 2007, Rinsch worked in venture capital investing in pioneering life sciences companies in the nutrition space and in biotechnology developing cell-based therapies at the Swiss biotech company ISOTIS SA, formerly Modex SA. Rinsch has authored original publications in leading scientific journals, including Nature Medicine, Nature Metabolism, Jama Open, Cell Reports Medicine and others, for his research on Urolithin A, mitochondrial health, muscle function, and joint health. He is also an inventor on several internationally filed and granted patents.
Rinsch holds an MBA from INSEAD, France, a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Lausanne, a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College.
Timeline (parent company Amazentis) is a pioneering Swiss health science company committed to revolutionizing the longevity industry with its groundbreaking, clinically proven, proprietary ingredient Mitopure®. Offering a comprehensive approach to cellular health, Timeline incorporates the benefits of Mitopure inside its next generation nutritional supplements and topical skin health products. With more than a decade of expertise in aging science research, Timeline seeks to push the boundaries of human healthspan, contributing to a future where everyone can live longer, healthier lives. The company is backed by over 15 years of research by distinguished scientists, multiple clinical studies, and over 50 global patents. Nestlé Health Science and L’ORÉAL are investors in the company. www.timeline.com
Rinsch holds an MBA from INSEAD, France, a PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Lausanne, a Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering from U.T. Southwestern Medical Center, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College.
Timeline (parent company Amazentis) is a pioneering Swiss health science company committed to revolutionizing the longevity industry with its groundbreaking, clinically proven, proprietary ingredient Mitopure®. Offering a comprehensive approach to cellular health, Timeline incorporates the benefits of Mitopure inside its next generation nutritional supplements and topical skin health products. With more than a decade of expertise in aging science research, Timeline seeks to push the boundaries of human healthspan, contributing to a future where everyone can live longer, healthier lives. The company is backed by over 15 years of research by distinguished scientists, multiple clinical studies, and over 50 global patents. Nestlé Health Science and L’ORÉAL are investors in the company. www.timeline.com
Michael Ringel
Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG
Michael Ringel is a Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, and BCG's Global Topic Leader for Growth and Innovation. He is a frequent author and speaker on R&D and innovation topics. His TED talk on innovation can be viewed at TED.com. He is also Strategic Advisor to Life Biosciences, a company targeting aging biology to address multiple diseases.
Prior to BCG, Michael worked in academia, pursuing research in theoretical population dynamics and conducting field experiments in the Amazon basin near Manaus, Brazil. Michael holds a B.A. summa cum laude in biology from Princeton, a Ph.D. in biology from Imperial College, and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. He Chairs the Board of the ATOM Consortium, a public-private partnership with a mission of transforming drug development using advanced analytics.
Prior to BCG, Michael worked in academia, pursuing research in theoretical population dynamics and conducting field experiments in the Amazon basin near Manaus, Brazil. Michael holds a B.A. summa cum laude in biology from Princeton, a Ph.D. in biology from Imperial College, and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. He Chairs the Board of the ATOM Consortium, a public-private partnership with a mission of transforming drug development using advanced analytics.
Andrew Rutenberg
AC Fales Professor of Theoretical Physics, Dalhousie University, Canada
Dr. Andrew Rutenberg (PhD) is the AC Fales Professor of Theoretical Physics in the Department of Physics and Atmospheric Sciences at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a biological physicist, he has published over 80 articles and has received over $1M in operating funding from NSERC and other sources. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of complex aging systems, including developing network models of multidimensional aging dynamics and expanding our understanding of the frailty index. His research program uses a mixture of complex networks, machine learning (ML), information theory, stochastic-simulation algorithms (SSA), and other tools to gain insight into the dynamical processes that govern organismal aging and mortality.
Anders Sandberg
Institute of Futures Studies
Dr. Anders Sandberg is a researcher at the Mimir Centre for Long Term Futures at the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm. His research at the centres on management of low-probability high-impact risks, societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement, estimating the capabilities of future technologies, uncertainty, and very long-range futures. He was senior research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford 2006-2024.
Vittorio Sebastiano
Turn Biotechnologies, USA
Dr. Vittorio Sebastiano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford School of Medicine. His lab has established a new technology named ERATM, which repurposes the conceptual idea of reprogramming, with the goal to promote epigenetic rejuvenation of adult cells leaving their identity untouched. This new technology was patented and is being implemented by Turn Biotechnologies, of which Dr. Sebastiano is co-founder, Head of Research and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board.
In 2009, Dr. Sebastiano completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the laboratory of Dr. Marius Wernig at Stanford University, where he implemented the newly discovered iPSC technology and was among the first to demonstrate that iPSCs can be efficiently derived, genetically modified, and implemented for cell therapy in genetic diseases (Sebastiano et al., 2014, Science Translational Medicine).
Dr. Sebastiano completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Pavia, Italy, where he studied murine germ cells and preimplantation development and where he pioneered cellular reprogramming by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. He joined the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Hans Robert Schöler, where he continued his research on cellular reprograming, germ cells biology, and embryonic development.
In 2009, Dr. Sebastiano completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the laboratory of Dr. Marius Wernig at Stanford University, where he implemented the newly discovered iPSC technology and was among the first to demonstrate that iPSCs can be efficiently derived, genetically modified, and implemented for cell therapy in genetic diseases (Sebastiano et al., 2014, Science Translational Medicine).
Dr. Sebastiano completed his undergraduate and graduate studies at the University of Pavia, Italy, where he studied murine germ cells and preimplantation development and where he pioneered cellular reprogramming by Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer. He joined the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine as a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Hans Robert Schöler, where he continued his research on cellular reprograming, germ cells biology, and embryonic development.
Perminder Sachdev
Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry and Co-Director, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) in the School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney
Perminder Sachdev AM MBBS MD FRANZCP PhD FAHMS is Scientia Professor of Neuropsychiatry, Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA) in the School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney, and Clinical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI) at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. He is deputy chair of the Australian Dementia Network (ADNeT) and Director of the Centre of Research Excellence in Vascular Contributions to Dementia. His major areas of research are drug-induced movement disorders, brain imaging, cognitive aging and dementia.
He has published over 900 peer-reviewed journal papers and 6 books, including one for lay readers (The Yipping Tiger and other tales from the neuropsychiatric clinic) and a book of poems (A migrant’s musings). He was named NSW Scientist of the year for Biomedical Sciences in 2010. In 2011, he was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medical research. In 2018, he won the DARF-Yulgilbar Innovation Award for dementia research. In 2022, he was awarded the Ryman Prize by an international jury for the most significant contributions world-wide toward the health of older people.
He has published over 900 peer-reviewed journal papers and 6 books, including one for lay readers (The Yipping Tiger and other tales from the neuropsychiatric clinic) and a book of poems (A migrant’s musings). He was named NSW Scientist of the year for Biomedical Sciences in 2010. In 2011, he was appointed Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for services to medical research. In 2018, he won the DARF-Yulgilbar Innovation Award for dementia research. In 2022, he was awarded the Ryman Prize by an international jury for the most significant contributions world-wide toward the health of older people.
Raghav Sehgal
Healthy Longevity clinic, USA
Raghav serves as the Director of Bioinformatics at Healthy Longevity Clinic, he also provides scientific consultancy for Longevity Tech Fund and serves as a scientific advisor for TruDiagnostic. Simultaneously, he is pursuing his doctoral studies at Yale University under the mentorship of Dr. Albert Higgins-Chen and Dr. Morgan Levine. With over a decade of expertise in Computational Biomedical technologies, Raghav specializes in integrating Data Science and Artificial Intelligence into the biomedical domain. His academic pursuits focus on developing machine learning and deep learning methodologies to analyze multi-omic and multi-modal datasets. Specifically, he aims to address fundamental questions regarding aging, such as identifying the underlying biological systems, devising accurate measurement techniques, and exploring potential reversal strategies.One of Raghav's notable achievements is the development of Systems Age, a patented DNA methylation biomarker derived from a single blood draw, capable of assessing aging across 11 different organs. This innovation was successfully licensed to TruDiagnostic. Raghav's contributions have been recognized through various grants and awards, including the prestigious Gruber Research Fellowship and Impetus Grant. Currently, in his role as Director of Bioinformatics at Healthy Longevity Clinic, Raghav leverages his expertise in aging interventions and biomarkers, coupled with machine learning methodologies, to develop tools for personalized mapping of aging interventions based on individual biomarkers and treatment responses.
Nicholas Schork
MD, Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a part of the City of Hope National Medical Center, USA
Dr. Nicholas Schork is Deputy Director and Distinguished Professor of Quantitative Medicine at The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), a part of the City of Hope (COH) National Medical Center. He also holds appointments at COH, UCSD, Scripps Research, and the Providence St. Johns Health Center. His interests are in quantitative aspects of human biomedical research, particularly integrated approaches to complex biological and medical problems, including the design and analysis of precision-medicine era clinical trials. He has published 550+ scientific articles and book chapters, mentored 75+ trainees, has 12 patents on computational methods in biomedicine, sits on many different pharma and government advisory boards, and has founded or helped establish 10 companies. He is currently the Principal Investigator for the NIA-sponsored Longevity Consortium as well as the Integrated Longevity OMICS initiative. Dr. Schork is also an investigator for the NIA-funded Precision Aging Network (PAN) consortium. Dr. Schork received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
Bart van der Schueren
Associate Professor in Endocrinology, University of Leuven, Belgium
Bart Van der Schueren is an associate professor in Endocrinology at the University of Leuven, Belgium. He obtained his medical degree from the same University in 2002. In 2009 he successfully defended his PhD on the topic of drug development for migraine treatment. The emphasis of this work was on developing techniques to assess cardiovascular effects of new drugs early in their clinical development. In the same year he was recognized as a Clinical Pharmacologist by the Dutch Society of Clinical Pharmacology and Biopharmacy. Following his PhD, he finished his internship and graduated in 2010 as a Specialist in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology. Subsequently, he left for a post-doctoral scholarship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, USA to study the hormonal and metabolic effect of bariatric surgery. He returned to Belgium in September 2011 and is now responsible for the obesity and lipid clinic at the University Hospital in Leuven. He is teaching endocrinology and clinical trial management at the faculty of Medicine at the University of Leuven. He was the Belgian member of the committee for medicinal products for human use (CHMP) and a member of the cardiovascular working party (CVWP) at the European Medicines Agency (EMA) from 2011 until July 2020. He is the president elect of the Belgian Association for the Study of Obesity (BASO) since 2018. He rejoined EMA as a scientific specialist in Cardiology/Diabetes/Endocrinology for their endocrinology/cardiovascular therapeutic office in January 2024.
Anthony Schwartz
CEO of ARTAN Bio and a company builder at VitaDao, USA
Dr. Anthony Schwartz is the CEO of ARTAN Bio and a company builder at VitaDao. He is an entrepreneur with almost 20 years of experience in biotechnology-based startup companies. Dr. Schwartz has helped launch at least 20 startups primarily focused on cancer, rare diseases, and aging, leading to large financings and FDA approval. He has significant expertise in cancer immunotherapies, particularly antisense, small molecules, and CART therapeutic modalities.
During his career, Dr. Schwartz has served in executive positions in several biotechnology companies. More recently, he was an entrepreneur in residence at Hibiscus BioVentures, which facilitated financings and launched several biotechnology companies. He helped establish the Mayflower BioVentures fund, which spearheaded laboratory-stage therapeutic assets from the Mayo Clinic into companies. Additionally, he serves as an advisor to the management teams and boards of numerous small biotechnology companies, including Primera Therapeutics, Sendero Biotechnology, Abvance Therapeutics, Matrix Biosciences, Morphiex Biotherapeutics, and VitaDao.
Dr. Schwartz received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Colorado State University, with research focused on the immune system’s role in cancer, novel radiation therapies, and stem cells. He later became an NIH/NCI postdoctoral fellow, where he focused on CD47-based immunotherapies for cancer, which led to the launch of Morphiex Biotherapeutics. Dr. Schwartz has been published in multiple prestigious journals and holds patents on a class of drugs attenuating the immune system for treating cancer and diabetes. Finally, he is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, teaching a course on finance and how to launch a biotechnology company.
During his career, Dr. Schwartz has served in executive positions in several biotechnology companies. More recently, he was an entrepreneur in residence at Hibiscus BioVentures, which facilitated financings and launched several biotechnology companies. He helped establish the Mayflower BioVentures fund, which spearheaded laboratory-stage therapeutic assets from the Mayo Clinic into companies. Additionally, he serves as an advisor to the management teams and boards of numerous small biotechnology companies, including Primera Therapeutics, Sendero Biotechnology, Abvance Therapeutics, Matrix Biosciences, Morphiex Biotherapeutics, and VitaDao.
Dr. Schwartz received his Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Colorado State University, with research focused on the immune system’s role in cancer, novel radiation therapies, and stem cells. He later became an NIH/NCI postdoctoral fellow, where he focused on CD47-based immunotherapies for cancer, which led to the launch of Morphiex Biotherapeutics. Dr. Schwartz has been published in multiple prestigious journals and holds patents on a class of drugs attenuating the immune system for treating cancer and diabetes. Finally, he is a professor at Johns Hopkins University, teaching a course on finance and how to launch a biotechnology company.
Björn Schumacher
Director, Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Disease
University of Cologne, Germany
University of Cologne, Germany
Since 2013, Björn Schumacher is full professor and director of the Institute for Genome Stability in Aging and Diseases (IGSAD) at the CECAD Research Centre of the University of Cologne. He received his PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Munich and conducted his postdoctoral research as EMBO and Marie Curie fellow at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam. Professor Schumacher is President of the German Society for DNA Repair (DGDR), co-Director of the Minerva Center of the Biological Mechanisms of Healthy Aging at Bar-Ilan University (IL), and between 2014 and 2020 served as President of the German Society for Aging Research (DGfA). Since 2023, Schumacher is speaker of the DFG Research Unit FOR 5504 on “Physiological causes and consequences of genome instability”. He was awarded with the Eva Luise Köhler Research Prize, the Innovation Prize of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the DFG Reinhart Koselleck and European Research Council (ERC) grants, coordinated the FP7 Marie Curie initial training network on chronic DNA damage in aging (CodeAge) and served on several editorial boards. His research interest focuses on the molecular mechanisms through which DNA damage contributes to cancer development and aging-associated diseases. Employing the C. elegans system and mammalian disease models, his group uncovered cell-autonomous and systemic responses through which the organism adapts to accumulating DNA damage with aging. Through the understanding of the basic mechanisms of genome instability-driven aging, Schumacher aims to contribute to the development of future strategies to prevent aging-associated diseases.
John Sedivy
Hermon C. Bumpus Professor of Biology, and Director of the Center for the Biology of Aging
at Brown University
at Brown University
John Sedivy is the Hermon C. Bumpus Professor of Biology, and Director of the Center for the Biology of Aging at Brown University. He has a long-standing interest in mammalian genetics, signalling and cell cycle control. His achievements include developing one of the first methods for targeted homologous recombination, generating the first viable knockout of c-Myc in rat fibroblast cells, achieving the first homozygous gene knockout (CDKN1A) in primary human cells, which led to the discovery that p21 is a key regulator of entry into cellular senescence, and showing that cellular senescence is regulated in parallel by the p53-p21 and p16-pRb pathways. In 2004 his lab developed an assay for dysfunctional telomeres as a single-cell biomarker of senescence and delineated the signalling pathway between dysfunctional telomeres and the cell cycle. This led to the first in vivo quantification of cellular senescence in ageing primates. His other discoveries include the finding that retrotransposons are activated with age in somatic cells, and that retrotransposon LINE-1 activation triggers host interferon and innate immune responses. Currently, he works on exploring the involvement of LINE-1 in neurodegenerative diseases and the lifecycles of LINE-1 elements in ageing and senescent cells. John's research has been funded by the NIH for over 30 years, including a MERIT Award from the NIA. He has been a founding member and chair of the NIH CMAD study section, Editor-in-Chief of the journal Aging Cell, chair of the 2015 Gordon Research Conference on the Biology of Aging and is the author of numerous articles. He has consulted widely for the biotech industry and fulfilled major leadership roles at Brown University, including chairing his department and founding an academic centre for Genomics and Proteomics and the Brown Center on the Biology of Aging.
Naisha Shah
BioAge, USA
Naisha leads a team of data scientists at BioAge that are developing statistical/ML/AI pipelines to identify targets for new therapeutics to increase healthspan. The team leverages proprietary human cohorts with longitudinal omics and phenotypic data for data-driven insights into mechanisms of aging and age-related diseases.
Naisha brings 10+ years of experience in computational analysis of multi-omics, clinical, imaging, EHR, and other phenotypic data to gain insights into human diseases. She has published 25 papers in the areas of biomarker discovery, genomics and systems biology, and 2 filed patents on multimodal signatures in diagnosis and prognosis of aging diseases.
Before joining BioAge Labs, Naisha was an associate professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute and led a data science team at Human Longevity Inc that identified multimodal biomarker signatures of health and built disease risk prediction models. Naisha received her Ph.D. in computational genomics from University College Dublin, followed by postdoctoral training in machine learning and systems biology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Naisha brings 10+ years of experience in computational analysis of multi-omics, clinical, imaging, EHR, and other phenotypic data to gain insights into human diseases. She has published 25 papers in the areas of biomarker discovery, genomics and systems biology, and 2 filed patents on multimodal signatures in diagnosis and prognosis of aging diseases.
Before joining BioAge Labs, Naisha was an associate professor at the J. Craig Venter Institute and led a data science team at Human Longevity Inc that identified multimodal biomarker signatures of health and built disease risk prediction models. Naisha received her Ph.D. in computational genomics from University College Dublin, followed by postdoctoral training in machine learning and systems biology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Lingyan Shi
University of California, San Diego, USA
Professor Lingyan Shi is currently an Associate Professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering at UC San Diego. Her research focuses on developing high-resolution, high-speed metabolic nanoscopy for studying aging and diseases. She discovered the "Golden Window" for deep tissue imaging and developed metabolic imaging platforms including "DO-SRS" and "STRIDE". Shi group at UC San Diego transformed SRS into a super-resolution multiplex nanoscopy using A-PoD and PRM algorithms, uncovering lipid metabolic dynamics in various organ tissues during aging processes. Dr. Shi holds 8 awarded patents. She received the Blavatnik Regional Award for Young Scientist in 2018, the Hellman Fellowship Award in 2021-2022, the "Rising Star Award" from Nature Light Science & Applications in 2021, the "Advancing Bioimaging Scialog Fellow" by RCSA and CZI, the "David L. William Lecture & Scholarship" Award from the Kern Lipid Conference, and the "Sloan Research Fellow" Award in Chemistry in 2023, and the 2024 rising star award by BMES-Cell and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) society.
Max Shokhirev
Head of Computational Biology and Data Science at Tally Health, USA
Dr. Max Shokhirev is the Head of Computational Biology and Data Science at Tally Health, where he developed the first next-generation epigenetic age test using a non-invasive cheek swab that also tracks lifestyle and health. Max also developed Tally's recommendation engine for lifestyle interventions and oversees all computational efforts and data collaborations.
Prior to joining the founding team of Tally, Max was the Sr. Director of the Bioinformatics Core at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, where he was part of the Salk Cancer Center and the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. As director, he led a team of bioinformaticians that collaborated with biologists to interpret large-scale genomics data targeting aging, tissue regeneration, cancer, immunology, and neurobiology. With over 80 scientific publications, Max has a passion for applying computational methods and high-throughput technologies toward the understanding of complex biological problems.
Prior to joining the founding team of Tally, Max was the Sr. Director of the Bioinformatics Core at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, where he was part of the Salk Cancer Center and the Nathan Shock Center of Excellence in the Basic Biology of Aging. As director, he led a team of bioinformaticians that collaborated with biologists to interpret large-scale genomics data targeting aging, tissue regeneration, cancer, immunology, and neurobiology. With over 80 scientific publications, Max has a passion for applying computational methods and high-throughput technologies toward the understanding of complex biological problems.
David A. Sinclair
Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School
David A. Sinclair, Ph.D., A.O. is a Professor in the Department of Genetics, Blavatnik Insitute, and co-Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School. He is best known for his work on understanding why we age and how to slow its effects. He obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, in 1995 and did his postdoctoral research at M.I.T. with Dr. Leonard Guarente where he co discovered a cause of aging for yeast as well as the role of Sir2 in epigenetic changes driven by genome instability and aging. In 1999 he moved to Harvard Medical School and has primarily focused on understanding why we age and the role of protective enzymes called the sirtuins, which respond to changing NAD+ levels, exercise, and caloric restriction (CR). The Sinclair lab was the first to identify a role for NAD biosynthesis in the regulation of lifespan and first showed that sirtuins are involved in CR's benefits in mammals and identified the first small molecules that activate SIRT1 (STACs). His lab is alos working on epigenetic changes as a driver of aging and the use of reprogramming factors to reset the age of cells and tissues. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Lifespan (2019), has published over 200 scientific papers, is a co-inventor on over 50 patents, and has co-founded biotechnology companies in the areas of aging, vaccines, diabetes, infectious diseases, immunity and cancer. He serves as co-chief editor of the scientific journal Aging and has received 35 honors including the Australian Medical Research Medal, the Irving Wright Award, the NIH Director's Pioneer award, TIME magazine's list of the "100 most influential people in the world" and the "Top 50 people in Healthcare". In 2018, he became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
Dr. Nicole Sirotin
Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi, UAE
Nicole Sirotin, MD, is a beacon of inspiration in the field of Lifestyle Medicine, known for her vibrant approach to guiding patients toward lives brimming with health, joy, and fulfillment. As a passionate leader, she has become a renowned figure in the UAE, celebrated for her innovative health programs, dynamic team leadership, and the powerful message that our daily choices profoundly impact our health and lifespan.
Dr. Sirotin's vision in leadership is to make positive changes and redefine the future trajectory of healthcare. She is committed to fostering a healthcare environment that prioritizes scientific advancements in prevention and precision medicine. Her innovative approach and dedication are paving the way for a new era in healthcare, one where long-term health and vitality are within everyone's reach.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Sirotin has played a pivotal role at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), which has earned the distinction of being the top hospital in the UAE and GCC. Initially spearheading the Internal Medicine Department, she then established the Department of Preventive Medicine and held the position of Medical Director for the Office of Facilitated Access at CCAD. This division encompasses a concierge-style primary care practice, a comprehensive Lifestyle Medicine program, and the esteemed CCAD Executive Health program.
Dr. Sirotin's work in Lifestyle Medicine is transformative, combining a unique approach within the UAE by applying the principles of precision medicine with personalized scientific lifestyle strategies to help patients prevent and reverse diseases. One of her most significant achievements is the creation of and implementation of a groundbreaking Lifestyle Medicine program within the CCAD Cancer Center. This program ensures that every cancer patient receives precise treatment aimed at reducing side effects, minimizing recurrence, and improving overall survival rates.
Currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at the Institute of Healthy Living Abu Dhabi. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and has taught at Weill Cornell Medical College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her educational background includes a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a residency in Primary Care/General Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, focusing on Health Equities, and a research fellowship in Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. Her dedication to medicine has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 2019 “Physician of the Year” from the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Women’s Professional Staff Association and the 2008 UCSF Exceptional Physician Award.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Sirotin enjoys the vibrant lifestyle of Abu Dhabi with her husband, Joshua, and their son, Finley. She loves hiking, traveling, savoring delicious food, exploring new knowledge, and immersing herself in the soulful sounds of the blues. Dr. Sirotin’s life and career are a testament to her belief that “each day is a new opportunity to embrace health and vitality,” a philosophy she passionately imparts to her patients and community.
Dr. Sirotin's vision in leadership is to make positive changes and redefine the future trajectory of healthcare. She is committed to fostering a healthcare environment that prioritizes scientific advancements in prevention and precision medicine. Her innovative approach and dedication are paving the way for a new era in healthcare, one where long-term health and vitality are within everyone's reach.
For the past 10 years, Dr. Sirotin has played a pivotal role at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD), which has earned the distinction of being the top hospital in the UAE and GCC. Initially spearheading the Internal Medicine Department, she then established the Department of Preventive Medicine and held the position of Medical Director for the Office of Facilitated Access at CCAD. This division encompasses a concierge-style primary care practice, a comprehensive Lifestyle Medicine program, and the esteemed CCAD Executive Health program.
Dr. Sirotin's work in Lifestyle Medicine is transformative, combining a unique approach within the UAE by applying the principles of precision medicine with personalized scientific lifestyle strategies to help patients prevent and reverse diseases. One of her most significant achievements is the creation of and implementation of a groundbreaking Lifestyle Medicine program within the CCAD Cancer Center. This program ensures that every cancer patient receives precise treatment aimed at reducing side effects, minimizing recurrence, and improving overall survival rates.
Currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at the Institute of Healthy Living Abu Dhabi. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine and has taught at Weill Cornell Medical College and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Her educational background includes a medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, a residency in Primary Care/General Internal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, focusing on Health Equities, and a research fellowship in Global Public Health at the University of California, San Diego. Her dedication to medicine has been recognized with several prestigious awards, including the 2019 “Physician of the Year” from the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Women’s Professional Staff Association and the 2008 UCSF Exceptional Physician Award.
Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Sirotin enjoys the vibrant lifestyle of Abu Dhabi with her husband, Joshua, and their son, Finley. She loves hiking, traveling, savoring delicious food, exploring new knowledge, and immersing herself in the soulful sounds of the blues. Dr. Sirotin’s life and career are a testament to her belief that “each day is a new opportunity to embrace health and vitality,” a philosophy she passionately imparts to her patients and community.
Ryan Smith
Founder of TruDiagnostic, Inc., USA
Ryan Smith is founder of TruDiagnsotic. Prior to TruDiagnostic, Ryan started a compounding pharmacy in the United States that focused on pharmaceutical preparations for aging. That pharmacy, Tailor Made Compounding, became the 4th fastest growing company within healthcare in the US. Ryan exited Tailor Made in 2020 to create TruDiagnostic. TruDiagnostic is a CLIA certified lab and health data company which specializes in understanding and interpreting DNA methylation data. . Since starting in 2020, TruDiagnostic has created the largest private epigenetic database in the world with over 75,000 patients.
Petr Sramek
Healthy Longevity Clinic, USA
Petr is a founder of Longevitytech.fund, CEO of HealthyLongevity.clinic and HealthyLongevity.cafe, former Entrepreneur in Residence at Singularity University, co-founder of the LongevityForum.EU, board member at Animal Biosciences (US), AgeCurve (UK), Mitrix (USA) and interim CEO of various companies under Longevity.builders.
Petr has been a serial entrepreneur for more than 33 years who believes that science and technology can help humanity reach a new, better level of being. Petr's main focus is on the health, AI and education sectors. Petr is building science, funding, and business infrastructure to support faster adoption of health-span improving technologies. Petr is also engaged in finding solutions to major problems using brain-inspired AI and the latest advances in counterfactual learning, causal inference, and emergence at Whytics.
Petr helps innovative teams in Longevity technology and Artificial Intelligence grow into confident companies with global ambitions. He provides advice on fundraising, strategy, and product management. He advises companies as a mentor at Foresight Institute and Longevity Biotech.
Petr has been a serial entrepreneur for more than 33 years who believes that science and technology can help humanity reach a new, better level of being. Petr's main focus is on the health, AI and education sectors. Petr is building science, funding, and business infrastructure to support faster adoption of health-span improving technologies. Petr is also engaged in finding solutions to major problems using brain-inspired AI and the latest advances in counterfactual learning, causal inference, and emergence at Whytics.
Petr helps innovative teams in Longevity technology and Artificial Intelligence grow into confident companies with global ambitions. He provides advice on fundraising, strategy, and product management. He advises companies as a mentor at Foresight Institute and Longevity Biotech.
Risa Starr
Longevity Biotechnology Association, USA
Risa Starr is the Executive Director of the Longevity Biotechnology Association and The Academy for Health and Lifespan Research. She has a background in technology marketing and sales at Apple Computer and IBM. She also worked to help launch a cytokine development unit at Sandoz Pharmaceuticals and to grow and develop the Migraine Research Foundation. She was a member of the NYC Test and Trace Team, developing policy, resources and strategic plans to combat COVID-19 in NYC. Risa holds a BS from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA and MPH from Columbia University and is based In New York City.
Brianna Stubbs
PhD, Director of Translational Science, Buck Institute for Research on Aging, USA
Andrew Steele
Scientist and writer, Germany
I am a scientist, writer and campaigner based in Berlin, and author of Ageless: The new science of getting older without getting old. After a PhD in physics from the University of Oxford, I decided that ageing was the single most important scientific challenge of our time, and switched fields to computational biology. I worked at the Francis Crick Institute, using machine learning to decode our DNA and predict heart attacks using patients’ NHS medical records.
I’m now a full-time science writer and presenter. I’ve written for the Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Guardian and WIRED magazine, and have featured on NBC’s TODAY, The Russell Howard Hour, Sunday Brunch, NBC Morning News Now and BBC News, as well as being a regular expert on Discovery’s Impossible Engineering and Strangest Things on Sky. I also produce videos on my YouTube channel, and give live talks ranging from lectures in schools to science stand-up (yes, that is a thing) at the Hammersmith Apollo. I’ve also campaigned about science funding as Chair of Science is Vital and creator of Scienceogram.
I’m now a full-time science writer and presenter. I’ve written for the Wall Street Journal, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Guardian and WIRED magazine, and have featured on NBC’s TODAY, The Russell Howard Hour, Sunday Brunch, NBC Morning News Now and BBC News, as well as being a regular expert on Discovery’s Impossible Engineering and Strangest Things on Sky. I also produce videos on my YouTube channel, and give live talks ranging from lectures in schools to science stand-up (yes, that is a thing) at the Hammersmith Apollo. I’ve also campaigned about science funding as Chair of Science is Vital and creator of Scienceogram.
Prof. Tzipora Strauss
MD, Sheba Longevity Center, Israel
Prof. Tzipi Strauss specialized in Pediatrics at the Sheba Medical Center. During her internship she spent two years in the Netherlands at the Leiden University Medical Center LUMC and conducted a research in the Department of Premature Infants. Later she specialized in neonatology and premature neonatal medicine at Sheba.
In 2010 she was appointed Deputy Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital and in 2012 was appointed Director of the Neonatology Department and NICU. She later received her MSc in Health care management from Harvard University.
Her main areas of research are hemostasis and coagulation in preterm infants
In 2010 she was appointed Deputy Director of the Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital and in 2012 was appointed Director of the Neonatology Department and NICU. She later received her MSc in Health care management from Harvard University.
Her main areas of research are hemostasis and coagulation in preterm infants
Nicholas Edward Stroustrup
Group leader, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Spain
Senior Fellow, Barcelona Collaboratorium for Modelling and Predictive Biology
Senior Fellow, Barcelona Collaboratorium for Modelling and Predictive Biology
Nicholas received an B.S.E in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University and a Ph.D in Systems Biology from Harvard University. Since 2017, Nicholas has lead a research group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona Spain, applying an interdisciplinary mix of molecular genetics, statistical physics, complexity theory, and engineering approaches to study the biology of aging. His group’s long-term goal is to understand the basic dynamical principles of aging systems—which involve coupled changes at multiple spatial scales including molecules, cells, tissues, organs and organ systems--well enough to rationally design interventions that improve healthy aging.
Katerina Stroponiati
Brilliant Minds,USA
Katerina Stroponiati is the founder of Brilliant Minds, pioneering venture capital for founders over 50 and challenging age-related stigmas. Brilliant Minds is a longevity intervention with a twist, emphasizing brain health and showcasing that older individuals can be innovative and forward-thinking. Previously, she was a founding partner at Monday Capital, leading deep-tech investments, and the ex-founder and CEO of a venture-backed environmental tech company, bringing a unique perspective to advancing longevity.
Brianna Stubbs
Director of Translational Science, Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Yousin Suh
Columbia University, USA
Yousin Suh, Ph.D., is the Charles and Marie Robertson of Reproductive Sciences in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Genetics and Development, and Director of Reproductive Aging in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. She investigates the (epi)genetic component that underlies the interface of intrinsic aging and disease. The approach she follows is based on the identification of (epi)genome sequence variants associated with age-related disease risk or its opposite, i.e., an unusual resistance to such disease. For this purpose her target populations are either cohorts of middle-aged individuals followed longitudinally for signs of all major age-related diseases, or cohorts of extremely long-lived individuals who managed to ward off such diseases. To tackle the key problem of identifying the functional impact of any observed association, she applies specific functional tests, including in silico modeling, cell culture assays and mouse models. Discoveries thus far made include novel, rare alleles associated with extreme longevity, sirtuin variants that confer risk for heart disease, functional non-coding variants in the gene desert Chr. 9p21 locus underlying multiple age-related diseases, longevity-associated miRNAs, and epigenetic signatures of cellular senescence. Her contributions in the field have been recognized by the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging. She has organized numerous international symposiums on functional genomics of aging, is on the Editorial Boards of numerous Journals including PLoS Genetics and Aging Cell as an Associate Editor, and participates in advisory committee members for several research institutions and companies.
Anu Suomalainen
Academy Professor of Clinical Molecular Medicine in the University of Helsinki and Chief Physician in the University Helsinki Hospital
Dr. Suomalainen received her MD PhD degree from University of Helsinki and has worked as a visiting scientist/ postdoc /visiting professor in Columbia University, Montreal Neurological Institute and UC Berkeley, respectively. She heads her translational Mitochondrial Medicine research group in University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, and focuses on molecular pathophysiology, metabolic reprogramming, stress responses and mechanisms of tissue-specificity in mitochondrial and degenerative disorders and aging, and uses molecular knowledge to develop tailored treatments.
Lykke Sylow
Associate Professor and group leader of the Molecular Metabolism in Cancer & Aging Group at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. Sylow received her PhD in 2014 from the University of Copenhagen and she has 15 years of experience in skeletal muscle research for which she has won multiple prizes, including the Anders Jahre Young Scientist Award for Medical Research. Her work focuses on the molecular mechanisms that control muscle mass, insulin sensitivity, and mitochondrial function. By employing cellular, murine, and human models and samples, Dr Sylow's work uncovers novel concepts and pharmacological targets to ameliorate the deterioration of muscle function in various age-related afflictions such as cancer, sarcopenia, and diabetes.
Joseph Takahashi
Professor and Chair, Department of Neuroscience
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Joseph S. Takahashi, PhD is the Loyd B. Sands Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience, Investigator in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Takahashi received a B.A. in biology from Swarthmore College in 1974 and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Oregon, Eugene, in 1981. For postdoctoral training, he was a pharmacology research associate at the National Institute of Mental Health. His research interests are the molecular mechanism of circadian clocks, neuroscience, and the genetic basis of behavior. Dr. Takahashi pioneered the use of genetics in the mouse as a tool for discovery of genes underlying neurobiology and behavior, and his discovery of the mouse and human Clock genes led to a description of a conserved circadian clock mechanism in animals. He is the author of more than 300 scientific publications and the recipient of many awards including the Honma International Prize in Biological Rhythms Research in 1986, W. Alden Spencer Award in Neuroscience from Columbia University in 2001, Outstanding Scientific Achievement Award from the Sleep Research Society in 2012, and the Gruber Neuroscience Prize in 2019. He was elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2000, Member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2003, and Member of the National Academy of Medicine in 2014.
Vakil Takhaveev
Laboratory of Toxicology at ETH Zurich, Switzerland
Vakil Takhaveev is a postdoctoral researcher in the Laboratory of Toxicology at ETH Zurich, Switzerland. He specializes in developing methods to map DNA modifications (DNA damage) at single-nucleotide resolution in large genomes, investigating their biological impacts, and creating biomarkers, with a focus on carcinogenesis, anticancer therapeutics, aging, stress response, and toxicology testing. Vakil earned his PhD in Systems Biology from the University of Groningen, Netherlands, where he identified the cause of cell-cycle-coupled metabolic oscillations and developed glycolytic-flux biosensors. He also holds an honors MSc degree in Bioengineering and Bioinformatics from Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia. CV: https://bit.ly/3WnhMPW
Pakpilai Thavisin
Dr.med., First Lady of Thailand, VitalLife ScientificWellness Center
Sebastien Thuault
Editor-in-Chief, Nature Aging
Mourad Topors
Chief Scientific Officer of Repair Biotechnologies, USA
Mourad Topors is the Chief Scientific Officer of Repair Biotechnologies. He has deep experience in leading and managing multi-disciplinary teams in translational medical research with a strong focus in cardiovascular disease. Formerly, Dr. Topors was Principal Investigator and Faculty at Harvard Medical School and served as Team Leader of a drug development program at Pfizer’s Center for Therapeutic Innovations. He holds a PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Immunology at the University of Toronto.
Ala Trusina
Associate Professor in Biophysics
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Maximilian Unfried
National University of Singapore, VitaDAO
Matias Fuentealba Valenzuela
Computational Biologist and holds a PhD in Aging from University College London (UCL), UK
Matias is a Computational Biologist and holds a PhD in Aging from University College London (UCL). In his doctoral thesis at UCL, he worked with Professor Linda Partridge on predicting novel genetic and pharmacological interventions to modulate aging and improve healthy lifespan. He developed several computational methods for this purpose, which were validated by experiments and existing literature. Matias has demonstrated to be very prolific, in addition to being highly motivated and independent, leading several initiatives and collaborations. In 2022, he joined the Furman Lab at the Buck Institute, where he is working on determining if astronauts can serve as a model for accelerated human aging and evaluating the effects of interventions in humans, such as plasmapheresis, using new methods to assess biological age.
Eric Verdin
Buck Institute, USA
Dr. Eric Verdin is the president and chief executive officer of the Buck Institute. A native of Belgium, Dr. Verdin received his Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Liege and completed additional clinical and research training at Harvard Medical School. He has held faculty positions at the University of Brussels, the National Institutes of Health, the Picower Institute for Medical Research, and the Gladstone Institutes. Dr. Verdin is also currently a professor of medicine at University of California, San Francisco.
In 2016, Dr. Verdin established his lab at the Buck to study the relationship between aging and the immune system. He is an elected member of several scientific organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians. He has published more than 270 scientific papers and holds 18 patents.
Dr. Verdin, in conversation with Buck Senior Director of Communications Kris Rebillot, will provide suggestions and tips for how you can live your healthiest life today. Please join in the conversation by writing your questions on the card provided as you entered the auditorium. They will be collected throughout the discussion period.
In 2016, Dr. Verdin established his lab at the Buck to study the relationship between aging and the immune system. He is an elected member of several scientific organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Society for Clinical Investigation, and the Association of American Physicians. He has published more than 270 scientific papers and holds 18 patents.
Dr. Verdin, in conversation with Buck Senior Director of Communications Kris Rebillot, will provide suggestions and tips for how you can live your healthiest life today. Please join in the conversation by writing your questions on the card provided as you entered the auditorium. They will be collected throughout the discussion period.
Jan Vijg
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, USA
Jan Vijg is currently the Director, Center for Single-Cell Omics, School of Public Health, Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai. Prior to this he served as an Adjunct Professor, Department of New Biology, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea. His research has long been focused on genomic instability and its relationship with aging, mainly using transgenic mouse and Drosophila models harboring mutational reporter genes. Dr, Vijg is a graduate of the State University of Leiden, The Netherlands with a BA in Biology, MSc in Molecular Biology and a PhD in Molecular Biology.
Saul Villeda
Associate Director, Bakar Aging Research Institute
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy
Endowed Professor of Biomedical Sciences
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, USA
Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy
Endowed Professor of Biomedical Sciences
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, USA
Dr. Saul Villeda is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Endowed Chair in Biomedical Science at the University of California San Francisco and serves as Associate Director of the Bakar Aging Research Institute. He obtained his B.S. degree from the University of California Los Angeles, his PhD degree in Neuroscience from Stanford University, and started his independent career at the University of California San Francisco as a Sandler Fellow. Dr. Villeda has made the exciting discovery that the aging process in the brain can be reversed by altering levels of circulating factors in blood. Dr. Villeda’s research is best known for the use of innovative heterochronic parabiosis and blood plasma administration approaches to investigate the influence that exposure to young blood-derived or exercise-induced circulating factors has in promoting molecular and cellular changes underlying cognitive rejuvenation. His work has garnered accolades that include a National Institutes of Health Director’s Independence Award, the W.M. Keck Foundation Medical Research Award, the Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging, and the McKnight Innovator Award in Cognitive Aging.
Prof. Dr. WANG Chunming (Michael)
Director of Smart Hospital Development Department
Renji Hospital, Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai
Renji Hospital, Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai
Professor，PHD
Director of Smart Hospital Development DepartmentRenji Hospital, Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai
Guest professor, School of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Member of the Medical Course Management Committee & Director of the Integrated Medical Humanities Curriculum, Ottawa-Shanghai Joint School of Medicine
Director of Medical Management Branch of China Operations Research Society
Leader of the Scientific Research Group of the Internet Hospital Branch of the First China Research Hospital Association
Member of the Medical Artificial Intelligence Management Professional Committee & Outpatient Management Professional Committee of Shanghai Hospital Association
Advisor of Medical Service Professional Committee & Big Data Center of Shanghai Modern Service Industry Federation
Young Editor of BMJ Quality & Safety Chinese Edition
Prof. Dr. Wang has held and led in multiple positions, spanning over medical service management, research and teaching management of large-scale comprehensive public hospital, with focus on research on applicable innovations in management of large scale multi-district hospital, multi- and interdisciplinary collaborations, international medical service, intelligent healthcare, digitalization and most importantly, establishment and operability of a leading internet hospital.
He receives multiple awards such as the 8th "Top Ten in Management" of Shanghai Medical Youth and the 2021 Shanghai Education Commission Meritorious Record. He leads over 20 management research projects including one under the National Natural Science Foundation of China, published more than 40 papers at home and abroad, and won 3 software copyrights.
Henrik Wegener
Rector of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Xingli Wang
M.D., Ph.D., Executive President of Fosun Pharma, China
Dr. Xingli Wang joined Fosun Pharma Group in January 2023, and is currently the Executive President of Fosun Pharma, Co-Chief Executive Officer (Co-CEO) of Innovative Medicines Division and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Global R&D center of Fosun Pharma.
Before joining Fosun Pharma Group, Dr. Wang held various leadership and management positions with increasing responsibilities in Schering-Plough, Merck and Novartis and has extensive experience in global drug R&D, including leading large-scale global clinical trials and successfully submitting multiple IND/NDA applications.
Dr. Wang was tenured Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and awarded the Distinguished Scientist Award by the American Heart Association, Chang Jiang Scholar of Shandong University and the national distinguished professorship.
Dr. Wang is also a registered medical practitioner in Australia.
His academic research fields include clinical cardiovascular disease, population genetics, molecular cell biology, etc., and he has more than 220 publications in SCI journals (including Nature Medicine, JCI, Circulation, Circulation Research, PNAS, Diabetes, ATVB and JBC, etc.).
Before joining Fosun Pharma Group, Dr. Wang held various leadership and management positions with increasing responsibilities in Schering-Plough, Merck and Novartis and has extensive experience in global drug R&D, including leading large-scale global clinical trials and successfully submitting multiple IND/NDA applications.
Dr. Wang was tenured Professor at Baylor College of Medicine and awarded the Distinguished Scientist Award by the American Heart Association, Chang Jiang Scholar of Shandong University and the national distinguished professorship.
Dr. Wang is also a registered medical practitioner in Australia.
His academic research fields include clinical cardiovascular disease, population genetics, molecular cell biology, etc., and he has more than 220 publications in SCI journals (including Nature Medicine, JCI, Circulation, Circulation Research, PNAS, Diabetes, ATVB and JBC, etc.).
Dominika Wilczok
Duke University, USA
Dominika Wilczok is a researcher focusing on AI-driven approaches to combat aging. Her current projects include using Large Language Models (LLMs) to prioritize geroprotectors and developing autonomous agents for hypothesis testing in longevity science.Dominika has presented her work at international conferences' poster sessions, including the International Society on Aging and Disease 2023 and Nature's "Advancing Health with AI" symposium. She is a coordinator at the Longevity Education Hub, an analyst at Longevity.Technology and Biopharma.Trend, and a member of the scientific communication team at Haut.AI.Dominika is pursuing a dual degree at Duke University and Duke Kunshan University, furthering her expertise in longevity research.
Chip Wilson
CEO and Founder of SOLVE FSHD, Canada
Chip Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, philanthropist, devoted husband, and dedicated father to five sons. He creates possibilities for people to live longer, healthier, more fun lives in his pursuit to elevate the world from mediocrity to greatness.
Chip is an innovator and loves to disrupt usual patterns of thinking. His entrepreneurial and apparel career began on the West Coast in 1979 as Founder & CEO of Westbeach Snowboarding Ltd. He sold Westbeach in 1997, and in 1998, founded lululemon athletica inc., creating an entirely new category of technical apparel now called “athleisure” - now a $400 billion global industry. Lululemon went public in 2007 and has a current market cap of approximately $41 billion USD.
He currently devotes his time and energy to growing the assets and entities within his family office and holding company, Hold It All Inc., all of which reflect his diverse interests, personal vision, and family’s values - apparel, real estate, private equity, passive investments, and philanthropy. Chip and his wife Summer’s passion for design, ingenuity and people development is reflected in each of these.
The Wilson family is committed to making lasting contributions to the province by supporting land conservancy, parks, and public art that encourage movement. In September 2022, their foundation, Wilson 5 Foundation donated $100M to BC Parks Foundation to preserve and protect British Columbia’s natural spaces.
Chip is steadfast in his pursuit to facilitate a cure for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). In March 2022, he launched SOLVE FSHD, committing $100M to find a cure for FSHD.
Chip’s strong belief in leadership development has created not just employees who lead, but strong leaders. Through his various companies, he has created tens of thousands of jobs - not just in British Columbia – but worldwide.
Chip is an innovator and loves to disrupt usual patterns of thinking. His entrepreneurial and apparel career began on the West Coast in 1979 as Founder & CEO of Westbeach Snowboarding Ltd. He sold Westbeach in 1997, and in 1998, founded lululemon athletica inc., creating an entirely new category of technical apparel now called “athleisure” - now a $400 billion global industry. Lululemon went public in 2007 and has a current market cap of approximately $41 billion USD.
He currently devotes his time and energy to growing the assets and entities within his family office and holding company, Hold It All Inc., all of which reflect his diverse interests, personal vision, and family’s values - apparel, real estate, private equity, passive investments, and philanthropy. Chip and his wife Summer’s passion for design, ingenuity and people development is reflected in each of these.
The Wilson family is committed to making lasting contributions to the province by supporting land conservancy, parks, and public art that encourage movement. In September 2022, their foundation, Wilson 5 Foundation donated $100M to BC Parks Foundation to preserve and protect British Columbia’s natural spaces.
Chip is steadfast in his pursuit to facilitate a cure for Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD). In March 2022, he launched SOLVE FSHD, committing $100M to find a cure for FSHD.
Chip’s strong belief in leadership development has created not just employees who lead, but strong leaders. Through his various companies, he has created tens of thousands of jobs - not just in British Columbia – but worldwide.
Wei-Wu He
MBA Executive Chairman and CEO of Human Longevity, USA
Dr. Wei-Wu He is currently the Chairman and CEO of Human Longevity Inc. Prior to HLI, Dr. He was the CEO of OriGene Technologies, Inc.(merged with VcanBio. China A share:600645). He also is the founder and General Partner of Emerging Technology Partners, LLC (ETP), a life sciences focused venture fund established since 2000. Dr. He has been involved in founding or funding over 100 biotech companies throughout his career, many of them have been acquired or listed on public market. Dr. He was the founder and served as Chairman of many biotechnology companies such as Genetron Health, Juventas Cell Therapy, etc.In the earlier part of his career, Dr. He was one of the first few scientists at Human Genome Sciences ($4 Billion acquisition by GSK), and prior to that, was a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mayo Clinic. Dr. He is an author to more than 30 research publications and inventor of over 30 issued patents. Dr. He received his PhD in Molecular Biology from Baylor College of Medicine and received an MBA degree from the Wharton School.
Anissa Anindya Widjaja
Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
Dr Widjaja grew up in Indonesia and completed her study in molecular biology in Singapore. She is currently a research group leader and Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore. Her research in Interleukin-11 biology has initiated the development programs for IL11 inhibition in fibrotic diseases that have been licensed to Boehringer Ingelheim. With extensive expertise in proof-of concept models of human diseases and molecular biology techniques, her team focuses on unravelling the complexities of ageing and kidney diseases to develop new targeted therapies. She serves as a Faculty-Industry Liaison, facilitating researchers to bridge the gap and translating translation scientific discoveries into practical applications.
Jonathan Matthew Wilson
Eli Lilly and Company, USA
Benjamin Yaden
PhD is VP-External Innovation, Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiometabolic Diseases, Eli Lilly and Company, USA
Benjamin Yaden, PhD is VP-External Innovation, Diabetes, Obesity and Cardiometabolic Diseases for Eli Lilly and Company. In his present role, he identifies, novel preclinical and clinical assets along with innovative modalities to seed the Lilly Diabetes and Complications portfolio. He works jointly with the therapeutic area R&D and Lilly’s Corporate Business Development partners to help define and execute strategy for External Innovation. In addition to his primary role, he serves on scientific advisory boards and as a board observer in the biotech space. Ben has 20 years of drug discovery experience in a multitude of disease areas (men’s health/urology, skeletal muscle wasting, diabetes, fibrosis and metabolism) including both external and internal partnering. He received his MS and PhD from Purdue University. He currently serves as an adjunct professor in the Biology Department at Purdue University (Indianapolis), where he continues to investigate and collaborate with world leaders in hepatology to delineate TGFβ superfamily mechanisms
around chronic liver/skeletal muscle injury and fibrosis.
Yifan Yang
Weizmann Institute of Science, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Israel
Dr. Yifan Yang is currently a postdoctoral research fellow with Prof. Uri Alon at the Weizmann Institute of Science, studying the systems biology of aging. He received his Ph.D. from Paris Descartes University, under the supervision of François Taddei and Ariel Lindner. He attended Peking University, Yuanpei college where he studies mathematics and biology. In 2025, he will start his own research group at the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) at Westlake University.
Jessica Yoon
Prize Manager, XPRIZE Healthspan, USA
Jessica Yoon joins the XPRIZE Healthspan Prize Operations Team with 7 years of experience at the XPRIZE Foundation working in prize design and operations. As Prize Manager, Ms. Yoon oversees the day-to-day project management of XPRIZE Healthspan throughout the duration and key milestones of the competition.
Previously, Ms. Yoon was a Prize Associate in the $7M Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, and has supported research and project management for over a dozen prizes in development at the Foundation. Her most recent role prior to joining XPRIZE Healthspan was Prize Design Project Manager.
Prior to joining XPRIZE, Ms. Yoon comes with a background in community-based services. Ms. Yoon has worked extensively with at-risk older adults in affordable housing communities throughout Southern California, and has managed multiple pilot projects in testing innovative technologies and programming for their potential to enhance wellbeing in aging populations.
Previously, Ms. Yoon was a Prize Associate in the $7M Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE, and has supported research and project management for over a dozen prizes in development at the Foundation. Her most recent role prior to joining XPRIZE Healthspan was Prize Design Project Manager.
Prior to joining XPRIZE, Ms. Yoon comes with a background in community-based services. Ms. Yoon has worked extensively with at-risk older adults in affordable housing communities throughout Southern California, and has managed multiple pilot projects in testing innovative technologies and programming for their potential to enhance wellbeing in aging populations.
Ms. Yoon holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, International Relations from UC San Diego and a Master in Public Administration from the University of Southern California.
Alex Zhavoronkov
Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, USA
Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine (insilico.com), a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation generative artificial intelligence and robotics platforms for drug discovery. Since 2014, he has invented critical technologies in the field of generative artificial intelligence and reinforcement learning (RL) for the generation of novel molecular structures with the desired properties and the generation of synthetic biological and patient data. He also pioneered the applications of transformers and other deep learning technologies for the prediction of human biological age using multiple data types, transfer learning from aging into disease, target identification, and signaling pathway modeling. Under his leadership, Insilico raised over $400 million in multiple rounds from expert biotechnology, healthcare, and financial investors, opened R&D centers in 6 countries and regions, and partnered with multiple pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic institutions. Since 2021, the company nominated 18 preclinical candidates, started 6 human clinical trials, and entered Phase II with an AI-discovered novel target and AI-designed novel molecule. By 2023, 11 out of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies used a part of the Pharma.AI software suite, and the IND-stage cancer program was sold in a deal with $80 million upfront as a testament to the quality and novelty of the AI-generated molecule.
Prior to founding Insilico, he worked in senior roles at ATI Technologies (GPU company acquired by AMD). Since 2012, he has published over 200 peer-reviewed research papers with over 30 papers in the field of generative adversarial networks, generative reinforcement learning, and multi-modal transformers, and 3 books, including "The Ageless Generation: How Biomedical Advances Will Transform the Global Economy" (Macmillan, 2013). He serves on the advisory or editorial boards of Trends in Molecular Medicine, Aging Research Reviews, Aging, and Frontiers in Genetics, and founded and co-chairs the Annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery (10th Annual in 2023), the world's largest event on aging research in the biotechnology industry. He is the adjunct professor of artificial intelligence at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Prior to founding Insilico, he worked in senior roles at ATI Technologies (GPU company acquired by AMD). Since 2012, he has published over 200 peer-reviewed research papers with over 30 papers in the field of generative adversarial networks, generative reinforcement learning, and multi-modal transformers, and 3 books, including "The Ageless Generation: How Biomedical Advances Will Transform the Global Economy" (Macmillan, 2013). He serves on the advisory or editorial boards of Trends in Molecular Medicine, Aging Research Reviews, Aging, and Frontiers in Genetics, and founded and co-chairs the Annual Aging Research and Drug Discovery (10th Annual in 2023), the world's largest event on aging research in the biotechnology industry. He is the adjunct professor of artificial intelligence at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.
Alex Zagrebelny
Founder and CEO of R.Evolution Group, UAE
Alex Zagrebelny, the founder and CEO of R · Evolution Group, is the driving force behind one of the most innovative companies in the luxury real estate market. So far operating in the UAE, Latvia, Spain and Germany, the group owes its success to Alex’s ingenuity, leadership, and strategic vision and he was recently acknowledged by Arabian Business as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the UAE.
With extensive expertise in real estate development for the last 25 years, Alex, who celebrated his 50th birthday in 2024, brings a pioneering perspective to R · Evolution Group. His meticulous attention to detail is paired with a visionary approach incorporating the latest advancements in architecture, construction, sales, marketing, and company philosophy. R · Evolution’s portfolio now boasts over 20 completed luxurious properties that have received prestigious local and international awards.
Some of the latests are - World’s Best Property 2024 for Eywa, Dubai, and European Best Office Development 2024 for 22Palms, Barcelona.
With extensive expertise in real estate development for the last 25 years, Alex, who celebrated his 50th birthday in 2024, brings a pioneering perspective to R · Evolution Group. His meticulous attention to detail is paired with a visionary approach incorporating the latest advancements in architecture, construction, sales, marketing, and company philosophy. R · Evolution’s portfolio now boasts over 20 completed luxurious properties that have received prestigious local and international awards.
Some of the latests are - World’s Best Property 2024 for Eywa, Dubai, and European Best Office Development 2024 for 22Palms, Barcelona.
Garri Zmudze
Founding board member of the Longevity Science Foundation, Co-founder and managing partner of LongeVC, Switzerland
Garri Zmudze is a founding partner of LongeVC, a venture capital company supporting early-stage biotech and longevity-focused founders that are changing the world.
Garri is an investor and advisor for deeptech companies developing life-changing solutions across biotech, medicine, longevity and more.
Garri is committed to building a world where everyone has more healthy years with their loved ones. He co-founded the Longevity Science Foundation, a global nonprofit funding early-stage research on extending the healthy human lifespan, in 2021. Garri is also co-founder and managing partner at LongeVC, a venture capital firm investing in visionary biotech and longevity.
Outside of his work with LongeVC, Garri is one of longevity's top angel investors. He has several successful exits across biotech and emerging tech companies, including Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity and Basepaws.
Garri is a trusted advisor for top companies across web3 and biotech, like Cointelegraph, IoTEX, PsyMed Ventures, Longenesis, Insilico Medicine and the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society. He is a member of the Longevity Biotechnology Association.
Garri is an investor and advisor for deeptech companies developing life-changing solutions across biotech, medicine, longevity and more.
Garri is committed to building a world where everyone has more healthy years with their loved ones. He co-founded the Longevity Science Foundation, a global nonprofit funding early-stage research on extending the healthy human lifespan, in 2021. Garri is also co-founder and managing partner at LongeVC, a venture capital firm investing in visionary biotech and longevity.
Outside of his work with LongeVC, Garri is one of longevity's top angel investors. He has several successful exits across biotech and emerging tech companies, including Insilico Medicine, Deep Longevity and Basepaws.
Garri is a trusted advisor for top companies across web3 and biotech, like Cointelegraph, IoTEX, PsyMed Ventures, Longenesis, Insilico Medicine and the Healthy Longevity Medicine Society. He is a member of the Longevity Biotechnology Association.