A longevity expert who studied people who live to 110 on how humanity and AI will master aging
As a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University, Kristen Fortney used bioinformatics to study the genetics of supercentenarians — people who live to the age of 110 and beyond. Now she is at the forefront of biotech efforts to turn longevity science knowledge into medicine. As CEO and co-founder of BioAge, a clinical stage biotech developing a pipeline of treatments to extend healthy lifespan by targeting molecular causes of aging, Fortney is working directly on a biological challenge that has attracted some of the biggest minds, and deepest pockets, in the world.
There’s a long history of wealthy people directing their financial resources where they can make the greatest positive impact on human health, she noted in a recent interview with CNBC ahead of its upcoming Healthy Returns virtual conference. Examples include the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, the Broad Institute, the Paul Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the many philanthropic efforts devoted to cancer research. BioAge investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Redpoint, AARP Foundation, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and Khosla Ventures.
Fortney says to address the greatest number of people through medical innovation, aging is a good target. What’s more, aging biology is a unique lever point to delay the incidence of multiple diseases at once, and longevity science has arrived at the point where it is ready to start translating knowledge into therapies.
