Jeff Bezos may be one of the richest men in history, with an estimated worth of over $200 billion, but instead prefers investing his fortune in scientific research rather than plastic surgery procedures.
Altos Labs, which he funds with his investments, reportedly works on developing biological reprogramming technology that can extend lifespan. They’ve also attracted top scientists with impressive credentials; its board includes multiple Nobel laureates.
What is it?
Jeff Bezos seems determined to meet this challenge head on by investing in Altos Labs – a startup founded by former GlaxoSmithKline Chief Scientific Officer Hal Barron who serves as CEO and Chairman. After conquering space, time will surely become his next frontier – and with his recent investment of $5 Million into the startup – bezos seems poised for action!
According to MIT Technology Review, a start-up company working on biological reprogramming technology that could extend human lifespan is developing its technology and hiring scientists from around the world, including joint Nobel Prize winner Shinya Yamanaka who serves as senior scientist and chairman of its scientific advisory board.
This technology works by reverting old cells into embryonic stem cells and then turning these back into muscle or nerve cells, with promising results from mice testing so far. But keep in mind that its implementation in human bodies remains far away.
But that doesn’t make this project any less serious – the company has already received $5 million in investment funding from investors like Yuri Milner and BlackRock, has a research facility in Silicon Valley as well as Cambridge in England, and could open up an entirely new frontier of health care if successful.
Bezos’ wealth would enable him to live for ever; for everyone else however, such a blessing would only postpone the inevitable.
That is why there are other companies searching for what Wareham refers to as the “fountain of youth.” Google-backed Calico Labs focuses on reprogramming as do other firms such as Lineage Cell Therapeutics; but perhaps the greatest push comes from tech billionaires such as Bezos who has pledged his funds toward these efforts.
Why is it important?
After spending billions on his space program, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is investing in research that could potentially extend human lifespan by decades. Reportedly he made a large investment in Altos Labs – a biotech firm working on “reprogramming” technology designed to rejuvenate cells and extend lifespan – via Altos Labs Bioscience Inc.
Science of anti-aging has long fascinated scientists worldwide, and one team at Altos Research Lab reportedly includes several Nobel laureates as its members claim they may be close to developing technology that would reverse aging.
Researchers hope they can turn back time by reprogramming adult cells into stem cells, which have the capability of becoming any cell type in the body. Their hope is that by doing this they may use stem cells to replace damaged or aged cells and potentially prevent age-related illnesses like Alzheimer’s.
Altos Labs’ team is not alone in exploring this field; other companies, including Unity Biotechnology in California, are using reprogramming technology to produce drugs that revive aging cells and prevent disease – including Bezos and billionaire Yuri Milner who have both invested in Unity.
However, it remains to be seen which of these companies will actually make it work; currently the research is in its infancy and it could take years before any such product can be tested on humans.
Bezos, worth more than $200 billion, has long sought immortality through anti-aging therapies like Grail for early cancer detection and immunotherapy; and Juno Therapeutics which reprogramms cells to treat disease. He recently put some of his money into an anti-ageing venture focused on stem cell regeneration.
Other billionaires have made similar investments, including Google’s Calico Labs and Lineage Cell Therapeutics. Although such research may prove fruitless in creating an “elixir of youth”, its dream remains worth pursuing nonetheless.
How does it work?
This company strives to rejuvenate cells to fight against aging and diseases like dementia. They hope to achieve this by reprogramming adult cells into stem cells; then turning those stem cells into any type of cell in the body. Top scientists are on board as part of this research team and institutes will open in Silicon Valley, San Diego, Cambridge United Kingdom and Japan as a result.
If successful, this technology could extend human lifespans considerably. One injection could add 20 years to an individual’s lifespan; that could potentially save billions of lives while making our world much more pleasant for living. But work needs to be done before this technology can be implemented on humans.
Humanity’s greatest wish has long been to defy death, and now some of the richest individuals on Earth are making that dream a reality. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly invested in Altos Labs, an anti-aging research lab which works on techniques such as reprogramming cells to extend longevity; Hal Barron from GlaxoSmithKline will lead this initiative as chief scientific officer of Altos Labs.
Reprogramming cells can be an arduous task, so no guarantees can be given as to whether Altos Labs’ team of experts will succeed in making it happen. Although their technology has yet to be tested on human subjects, Altos Labs is currently developing an injectable molecule which could trigger cell reprogramming within human bodies.
Unity Biotechnology of California has made significant strides towards finding an anti-ageing treatment. Their drugs target senescent cells which produce colorless and odorless proteins which infect other cells with disease, making them susceptible to senescence as well.
What are the risks?
Once you amass a net worth in the hundreds of billions, anything seems possible – from buying an irresponsibly frilly cowboy hat to piloting rockets into space – but one challenge remains unmet – reverse aging isn’t easily achievable; that is why some of the world’s richest people are investing in companies researching ways to do just that.
reports, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reported to be one of the investors in Altos Labs, a new startup which seeks to reverse aging by targeting specific cells called “senescent” ones that stop dividing after reaching certain ages and eventually cause disease and even death.
Altos Labs has reportedly been recruiting university scientists with generous salary offers so that they can focus their studies solely on reversing the process of aging. Furthermore, this company is opening institutes throughout California and England such as in Bay Area San Diego Cambridge locations.
A company has been set up in both the US and UK, and a recent securities disclosure revealed it has raised at least $270 million. Billionaires including Jeff Bezos and Russian tech investor Yuri Milner reportedly fund it, while Shinya Yamanaka shared in 2012’s Nobel Prize for his discovery of cellular reprogramming is said to have joined as unpaid senior scientist and chairman of its scientific advisory panel.
But while many of the world’s wealthiest individuals and families are investing in anti-aging research, it will still take years before any anti-ageing technologies are made widely available to the general public. Some scientists remain wary about potentially unintended effects such as unsustainable strain on Earth’s resources or even catastrophic outcomes resulting from dramatic extension of human lifespans.
But others believe it is completely reasonable to pursue longevity treatments, given the many other issues we currently face – like rising rates of dementia and other conditions that affect elderly populations. Jeff Bezos himself once asserted that “staving off death” must be achieved, though any failure would be “shocking.”
