Rewriting Ageing: The Rise of Longevity Science

As people around the world are living longer than ever before, attention is turning from just extending lifespan to enhancing the quality of those additional years. But longer lives are now putting more pressure on health systems, driving up demand, costs, and workforce shortages. If we really want to keep up and give people the care they deserve, we need more than just manpower, we need smarter solutions. 

Among the most exciting tools in assisting us to rethink health in later life is Artificial Intelligence (AI). With swift innovations, AI is revealing new opportunities for ageing to be better comprehended, and timely interventions to be offered, driving a wave of innovation and investment in the longevity sector.  

The New Gold Rush  

An instance of this level of momentum was OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's own $180 million investment in Retro, a biotech firm that intends to increase the average human lifespan by a decade or more. To achieve this, Retro will study Yamanaka factors that transform an adult cell into induced pluripotent stem cells, for longevity research. Pluripotent stem cells are those cells who has the ability to transform themselves into any cells in the body. This shows just how seriously tech leaders are betting on the potential of longevity research.  

AI is increasingly transforming the pace of decision-making in medical science by means of advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms. AI is already transforming the way we approach age-related diseases and conditions. By combining AI’s insights with rapid technological innovation, researchers are now better equipped to develop new treatments. This is especially crucial as longer human lifespans are often linked to a higher risk of chronic illnesses and age-related diseases such as cardiovascular conditions, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. In drug discovery, for example, machine learning algorithms are being trained to find new compounds that exclusively target the biology of ageing. Not only is this quickening research but also sharpening it, making way for better longevity-oriented therapies.  

Consider mitochondrial dysfunction—a well-documented indicator of ageing and cause of most neurodegenerative diseases. AI and ML are being applied to create therapies that correct mitochondrial function or allow the body to clear dysfunctional mitochondria. The same technologies are being employed to clear senescent cells, which build up with age and are responsible for functional decline. Today, several companies are leveraging AI and advanced algorithms to develop novel therapies in what is being called "Life Extending Medicine." One notable example is Dorian Therapeutics, which has introduced a new class of therapeutics known as "senoblockers." Rather than simply removing senescent cells, senoblockers aim to restore more youthful and functional activity at the genetic level. 

AI is increasingly being seen as more than just a tool to find new molecules, top executives at major pharmaceutical companies like GSK believe it can also help uncover entirely new biological targets. What makes this possible is AI’s ability to connect huge amounts of complex information, like genetic data and protein maps, and spot patterns that humans might miss. This capability could be one of the most disruptive advances in drug discovery, opening doors to faster, more precise breakthroughs that were previously out of reach.  

Spectrum of AI in Healthcare  

According to a report by Deep Knowledge Analytics titled AI for Drug Discovery, Biomarker Development and Advanced R&D, AI has the potential to have a huge impact on healthcare. Today, deep learning techniques like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and data mining are playing a powerful role in healthcare. These technologies are brilliant at picking up hidden patterns from huge datasets, helping doctors diagnose, predict, and classify diseases more accurately than ever before. A study in South Korea compared how well AI and radiologists could detect breast cancer. AI came out ahead, identifying breast cancer masses with 90% accuracy compared to 78% for radiologists.   

AI has demonstrated superior performance in early-stage breast cancer detection, outperformed dermatologists in diagnosing melanoma and suggesting treatments, and is increasingly being used to identify diabetic retinopathy, predict EKG abnormalities, and assess cardiovascular disease risk.  

One of the biggest advantages of AI in healthcare is its ability to minimize human error and deliver faster, more accurate results. Looking ahead, AI could play an even bigger role by offering real-time support and insights to clinicians, helping them make better, quicker decisions at the point of care. Several companies are leveraging AI to advance ageing research—BioAge and Insilico Medicine use ML and DL to identify biomarkers and discover treatments, while Atomwise focuses on AI-driven drug development for age-related diseases like Alzheimer’s. 

Renaissance in Ageing 

Advances in biotechnologies such as biological age tests and ageing biomarkers are coming into wider use. Research shows that certain blood-based biomarkers can reveal differences in biological age even in young, healthy people long before any signs of illness show up. These insights are now being put into practice at what we call “longevity clinics.” 

Longevity clinics are flipping the traditional medical model. Instead of waiting for illness to show up, they focus on seemingly healthy individuals identifying what could go wrong down the line if nothing changes. Some are calling this shift “Medicine 3.0,” where the goal is proactive, personalized care long before symptoms ever surface. 

Human Longevity, the world’s first longevity clinic, was founded in San Diego nearly a decade ago by J. Craig Venter—a renowned biochemist who played a pivotal role in mapping the human genome. 

"You can exercise, you can eat a healthy diet, but I contend you could eat 10 pounds of kale a day and still have a tumor.” J. Craig Venter told Business Insider.  

Lately, longevity clinics have been emerging worldwide, blending traditional medical tools like blood tests and imaging- with newer, more experimental approaches. In a recent survey by Phil Newman, founder of Longevity.Technology and his team, on longevity clinics showed that around the world many clinics are still offering unproven treatments and claiming to help people boost their health and extend their years of vitality.  

Longevity clinics are placing big bets on the future, especially as fast-moving fields like biotechnology and longevity continue to gain momentum. Back in 2022, the global biotech industry was already worth over $1 trillion. Experts expect it to grow by about 14% each year, potentially reaching nearly $3.7 trillion by 2032.  

Ultimately, ageing is something that touches all living organisms. But now, because of deep learning and modern AI, we are closer than ever to predicting, preventing, and even reversing some aspects of it helping people not just live longer, but live better.