Wired UK – September 2019

According to Orbis Research, consumers spent $43 billion (£33 billion) on

anti-ageing products in 2018 – from lactic-acid-based anti-wrinkle creams

to collagen peptide tablets and anti-oxidant co-enzyme Q10 pills. Research

from Pitchbook estimates that $559 million in venture capital was invested

in US anti-ageing companies in 2017. These include California-based BioTime,

which is developing treatments using embryonic stem cells to rebuild cell

and tissue function; CohBar, working on editing the mitochondrial genome to

regulate metabolism and cell death; and Google sister company Calico, which

has a $2.5 billion budget for research into solutions for age-related diseases.

“Everyone is searching for a magic pill that will cure ageing,” explains Richard Siow,

who heads up ageing research at King’s College London. “The truth is, lifestyle and

diet changes are the most realistic way to extend your life. You can’t just adopt these

as you get older. You need to start young – we’re ageing from the moment we’re born.”

Of course, diet and exercise alone won’t enable humans to achieve

immortality. We profile the scientists and startups trying to hold back time.

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