In this episode, Chris Patil speaks with Dr. Mehmood Khan, CEO of Hevolution Foundation, about the organization's mission to extend healthy human lifespan and better understand the aging process. Dr. Khan discusses Hevolution's unique approach to funding global scientific discovery and investing in private companies dedicated to advancing aging science. He shares insights into the challenges and opportunities in the field of longevity research, the importance of global collaboration, and the potential impact of extending healthspan on societies worldwide.

The Finer Details:

• Hevolution Foundation's origin and mission
• The importance of aging research in the context of global challenges
• Hevolution's collaborative approach and funding strategies
• Challenges in translating aging research into accessible interventions
• The need for validated biomarkers in aging research
• Global perspectives on aging, including challenges in developing countries
• The importance of policy engagement and public awareness in advancing the field

https://www.hevolution.com/

Hans Keirstead, PhD, is the Chairman of the Board at Immunis, a biotechnology company researching and developing immune secretome products to address age-driven immune deficits. In this episode, Chris and Hans discuss Immunis' approach to targeting the aging immune system as a key driver of age-related disease. They explore the potential of immune secretome factors to restore youthful immune function, the promising results from Immunis' preclinical and early clinical studies, and the future of immune-modulating therapeutics to extend healthspan.

THE FINER DETAILS

• The critical role of the immune system in the aging process and age-related disease
• Immunis' focus on immune precursor cell secretome factors to restore youthful immune function
• Preclinical studies demonstrating the effects of Immunis' secretome product on muscle growth, metabolism, and inflammation in aged mice
• Early results from Immunis' Phase 1/2a clinical trial in older adults with muscle atrophy and knee osteoarthritis
• The potential for immune secretome therapeutics to treat a wide range of age-related conditions and enhance healthspan
• The importance of developing affordable and accessible therapies to maximize impact

QUOTES

• "Every manifestation of aging is immunologically mediated. It's phenomenal. When one ages, your immune system in 100% of humans gets angry, so becomes highly pro-inflammatory."
• "Our drug is not a stem cell. It's not an immune cell. It is the secretion set, that same secretion set that you and I have, and everyone on this earth has, that precipitously declines with age, and now we're able to restore it."
• "We showed that IMMUNA fundamentally changes gene expression in order to promote the expression of genes for growth and regeneration. And then it inhibits the expression of genes that inhibit growth and regeneration."
• "I believe that this [secretome therapeutic] is going to be taken prophylactically by most humans, every quarter or so, to keep their immune system young, keep their immune system in a prophylactically competent state."
• "I want this thing to be available to everyone who wants it at an extremely low price, so that we can keep people alive, so that we can keep them disease free, so they can have productive years in their golden times, in their older age."

LINK TO PAPER

Stem cell secretome treatment improves whole-body metabolism, reduces adiposity, and promotes skeletal muscle function in aged mice

Dr. Daisy Robinton, co-founder and CEO of Oviva Therapeutics, discusses the company's innovative approach to improving women's healthspan by targeting the biology of ovarian aging. Motivated by her personal experiences and the realization that female physiology is underserved by research and medicine, Daisy outlines how menopause is a key inflection point in the acceleration of aging in women. She explains the central role of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in regulating ovarian function and fertility. Oviva's lead program, a recombinant enhanced AMH protein, aims to improve IVF outcomes by synchronizing follicle growth. Excitingly, this approach could also preserve ovarian reserve to delay menopause onset, thereby extending female healthspan.

Key Topics Covered:

• Pivoting from developmental biology to found a women's health startup
• Ovaries as central regulators of female healthspan beyond reproduction
• AMH as a brake on follicle activation and loss of ovarian reserve
• Using enhanced AMH to improve egg yield in poor-responding IVF patients
• Potential of AMH-based therapy to delay menopause and slow aging
• Menopause as the single greatest known accelerator of aging
• Economic and societal impact of extending female healthspan
• Distinguishing reproductive longevity from overall women's health
• Viewing fertility as a marker of overall health and wellbeing