The fountain of youth, eternal youth, immortality – most people associate these terms with longevity. At its core, longevity is about something else: the goal of longevity is not to maximize the quantitative lifespan, but to achieve the highest possible quality of life. Healthspan instead of Lifespan is at the center of Longevity research and development. Once this misunderstanding has been cleared up, there is nothing to be said against longevity – everyone wants to enjoy a healthy and active life for as long as possible: LongevityLifestyle: Living healthier for longer.
When Harvard University research biologist and epigeneticist David Sinclair titled his 2019 debut work and subsequent bestseller Lifespan – Why We Age, and Why We Don’t Have To, he probably anticipated a corresponding contradiction. However, his research, like that of most scientists in this field, is primarily aimed at keeping the human organism healthy for as long as possible. A lifestyle that can be influenced by many epigenetic factors strengthens the body’s own immune system, thereby reducing the risk of illnesses and slowing down the ageing process. This epigenetic influence subsequently leads to a longer life expectancy, which, however, is the result of a lifestyle optimized through research findings, and not the primary goal. People’s greatest asset is their health – and maintaining this for as long as possible is the aim of longevity research.
The longevity trend
The term longevity has been on everyone’s lips for several years now: alternating with quantum computing and AI, longevity takes the lion’s share of the media’s technology and innovation categories. Billionaires are founding and promoting start-ups and research centers, pharmaceutical companies are opening longevity divisions, doctors’ surgeries are turning into “Well Aging” centers and an already unmanageable variety of longevity supplements are courting the inclined consumer. There is no shortage of longevity offers – just choosing the right product, the best possible treatment or the most sensible lifestyle change is a challenge for the individual. People interested in longevity who want to positively influence their healthspan sooner rather than later currently have to either delve deep into the relevant research literature and become a longevity expert, or follow general advice from the media or their circle of friends.
The data problem
What is missing is individualization, i.e. personalized advice on adjusting lifestyle, taking supplements or further longevity applications, such as blood plasma cleansing or reprogramming body cells. In order to achieve such individualization, a large amount of health data needs to be collected and processed – provided by as many genetically and epigenetically different people as possible, including the effects of the epigenetic lifestyle adaptations to be investigated. Without this data, it is not possible to make sufficiently accurate statements about the effectiveness of Longevity products, treatments and lifestyles. Today, such data are only available in isolated cases, measured in small, non-representative groups of humans or – in larger numbers – animals (mostly mice). As long as this data gap exists, only cautious and general statements can be made about the effectiveness of longevity approaches, but by no means precise statements tailored to the individual.
Longevity Lifestyle – Living healthier for longer
The data described must therefore first be obtained. Procurement takes a long time and is typically very time-consuming and expensive. In our biotech company NOMIX, we are tackling precisely this Herculean task: we are convinced that we have developed a suitable method for collecting and analyzing data on the current health status of as many different people as possible and how it changes in response to longevity measures. The data is collected via our BIOCOACH app and supplemented with additional measures such as blood samples, etc. Interested BIOCOACH users take part in regular studies and tests in which longevity measures and their effects on the participants are recorded. All data flows into CODIS, the collective digital immune system. Here, the data is analyzed on the basis of current longevity research with the help of artificial intelligence. The results are presented to the users of the BIOCOACH app as individualized longevity advice. The BIOCOACH offers each user her personal longevity lifestyle and supports her in optimizing her longevity strategy.
Longevity lifestyle based on AI-supported health recommendations
The CODIS database is being built up and will provide a higher quality of evaluation with regard to the resulting longevity factors as the amount of data increases. At the start of the BIOCOACH app, therefore, only general advice can be given – BIOCOACH does not yet operate at an individualized level. The more people use the BIOCOACH app and the more actively individual users participate in studies and tests, the faster this level will be reached. In addition, many users can also significantly improve their lifestyles with more general advice, so that the NOMIX team assumes that the BIOCOACH app will have individually perceptible successes for the individual right from the start.