Planetary Health First • Mars Next convened a fiery, idea-dense roundtable on healthspan and longevity—spanning science, investing, policy, and clinical reality. Below is a ready recap, plus key takeaways and a full contributor roster.
The big idea: longevity ≠ immortality
Our panel drew a crisp line between hype and substance. Longevity, properly defined, means extending healthspan and lifespan together—keeping people youthful and functional for longer, not chasing immortality or quick-fix fads. That means earlier interventions, precision prevention, and humane, accessible models of care—not “elite” biohacking for the few.
What’s driving urgency
Demography is destiny. Older adults are surging as a share of the population worldwide—putting pressure on health systems, caregivers, and budgets. But the goal isn’t to bankroll more years of sickness; it’s to push disease back so people live longer healthier lives, ultimately reducing the burden on healthcare. Here, panelists sparred productively: some worried about cost curves as people live longer, while others argued the entire point of longevity medicine is to delay illness and lower long-run costs.
Where the field is moving (and the tension points)
1) Prevention vs “treatment-as-prevention.”
Traditional prevention often struggles to attract capital. A middle ground is emerging: interventions for not-yet-sick people that reverse biological aging markers—scientifically preventative, clinically therapeutic, and potentially monetizable. Everyone agreed this is coming fast; investors still need models that scale.
2) Investment theses getting traction.
Panelists highlighted excitement in:
Early cancer detection and low-toxicity therapeutics (RNA/mRNA delivery, proteomics, spatial transcriptomics).
Regenerative medicine & skin (including exosome-adjacent categories) with strong med-spa and wellness channels.
Care where people are: workflow tools, home- and community-based care, and care delivery into patient-dense settings (e.g., SNFs, memory care) to improve unit economics.
Workforce optimization given provider shortages.
3) Maternal health and femtech: undervalued, over-needed.
Maternal outcomes are a glaring U.S. vulnerability. Precision nutrition, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes prediction, doula/midwife access, and culturally sensitive care can improve healthspan starting before birth. Yet capital remains thin; femtech founders and specialist funds still face bias despite strong impact and compelling IRR claims.
4) Data plumbing vs clinical change.
EMRs hold data, but interpretation is the choke point. Clinicians are overloaded; 70%+ are specialists focused on slices of care. The panel pushed for AI-assisted, heuristic + lab-grounded interpretation at scale, linking labs, meds, supplements, lifestyle, microbiome, and risk into actionable, individualized plans. EMR copilots are coming—but precision, safety, and patient comprehension must be front and center.
5) Policy sets the pace.
From streamlined preclinical requirements to the evolving stance on diagnostics and “food as medicine,” policy can accelerate or stall innovation. The Healthspan Action Coalition exemplifies a patient-advocacy-first push for funding, modernized regulation, and workforce development—arguing that healthspan is a public good, not a luxury. Meanwhile, uncertainty around NIH/academic funding nudges more translational science into industry—opening doors for venture to become a vital early-stage funder.
6) The business model is the bottleneck.
A through-line in the debate: longevity’s hardest problems are economic, not scientific. Who pays (employers, payers, governments, consumers)? How do we measure ROI across years, not quarters? Value-based designs, employer direct contracting, and payer-aligned prevention can unlock the flywheel—if incentives are aligned.
Why AI matters (and where it really helps)
AI is already compressing timelines and cognitive load: from reading labs in context to drafting precision care plans, triaging, and coordinating longitudinal journeys. It’s also a translation layer—turning raw, multimodal data (omics, imaging, wearables, social determinants) into clear, patient-friendly guidance that clinicians can trust and patients can follow. The small-to-mid market may move fastest here, with grassroots value-based models and employer pathways testing scalable playbooks.
What this means for “longevity you can feel”
For patients: earlier answers, fewer unnecessary tests, tailored food/sleep/movement protocols, and smarter use of meds and supplements.
For clinicians: copilots that reduce burnout and help deliver whole-person, precision care.
For builders & funders: focus on measurable outcomes and unit economics—especially where patients already aggregate (SNFs, home health networks, employer clinics).
For policymakers: tie incentives to proven healthspan gains and ensure equitable access.
12 Takeaways
Longevity = healthspan + lifespan. It’s not immortality; it’s delaying disease and preserving function.
Demographics demand it. Aging populations force a shift from reactive sick-care to proactive health.
The hottest wedge: early detection + low-tox therapeutics + regenerative “feel-the-benefit” offerings.
Care where people are wins—home, workplace, SNFs—because economics matter as much as efficacy.
Prevention must pay. “Treatment-as-prevention” (turning back biological clocks before disease) may finally close the revenue gap.
Maternal health is a healthspan catalyst. Invest earlier than “early.” Outcomes echo across generations.
Femtech is under-capitalized relative to need; smart capital here is both impact and alpha.
AI is the interpreter. EMR data ≠ insight. AI translates labs + life into actions clinicians and patients can use.
Policy is leverage. Modernized pathways, patient advocacy, and “food as medicine” can unlock scale.
Academia → industry. As public funding wobbles, translational funds can become lifelines for lab breakthroughs.
Measure what matters. Tie payment to healthspan outcomes, not just service volume.
Narratives move money. Patient stories + clear ROI frameworks = bipartisan momentum.
Contributors (in speaking order where identifiable)
Dr. Aubrey de Grey — President & Chief Science Officer, LEV Foundation (Longevity Escape Velocity).
Dr. Payal Bhandari — Integrative/functional medicine physician; CMO, Advanced Health Academy; CEO & Founder, Thymus Health.
Paul Grewal — General Partner, SICK Venture Studio (pre-seed biotech; diagnostics, precision medicine, AI).
Lee Shapiro — Co-founder & Managing Partner, Seven Wire Ventures.
Sergey Polevykov — Statistician/data scientist; Founder, Well.ai; Host, Digital Health Inside Out.
Thomas Kluz — Managing Partner, Nattera Ventures (corporate venture arm of “Natera Global” as described on panel); Co-founder, Marche Health (digital health marketplaces incl. Longevity).
Bernie Siegel, — Policy advocate; longtime organizer of the World Stem Cell Summit; co-leader of the Healthspan Action Coalition (with Melissa King, former executive at CIRM), focused on policy, funding, and equitable delivery.
Host: Michael (Planetary Health First • Mars Next)
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