The Science And Technology Of Growing Young

A few years ago, Sergey Young was diagnosed with a serious condition and was told by his doctor that he would have to take pills every day for the rest of his life. While most people might get disheartened to learn something like that, Sergey actually did some research and treated his condition with the help of lifestyle and diet modifications. While researching, he got passionate about healthy longevity and exciting science and technology that will help us dramatically increase the lifespan in the future. Now, Sergey’s mission is to spread what he learnt to a billion people and help them live long, healthy, and happy lives. Sergey believes that humans can live to 150 - 200 healthy years and beat the current longevity record held by Jeanne Calment (122.5 years).

As part of his journey in achieving his mission, Sergey founded the $100 million Longevity Vision Fund that invests in longevity-focused breakthroughs in science and technology, which I covered when it launched in early 2019. He also launched a corporate Longevity @ Work initiative, which helps people adopt a longevity-promoting lifestyle all over the world. Sergey’s experiences in longevity research also inspired him to write the book “The Science and Technology of Growing Young: An Insider's Guide to the Breakthroughs That Will Dramatically Extend Our Lifespan ... and What You Can Do Right Now.”

Sergey and I both believe that helping other people live longer is one of the most significant medical challenges that we are currently facing. I believe we can solve these challenges with more investments into aging and longevity biotechnology as well as with more participation of experts in this field. We are truly on the brink of a longevity revolution.

In this book, Sergey reminds us that the advances in technological and scientifical innovation in the field of aging mean that soon it will be possible for us to imagine living to 200. Specifically, Sergey outlines certain steps that we can all take to live healthily to 100 and beyond.

He views aging as a condition that can be cured and made accessible for everyone and provides insights from health entrepreneurs, scientists, doctors and inventors to provide a sneak peek into the prospects of longevity in three horizons: Now, Near Horizon and Far Horizon of longevity.

The Now Horizon takes a look at what we know already and can adopt in our daily lives. These are diet, exercise, sleep, mental health and lifestyle hacks that can be attained by anyone.

Next, the Near Horizon highlights technological advancements that will allow us to live to 150. Some of these technologies like artificial intelligence-based diagnostics and gene editing are already in use. Sergey also identifies potential risks attributed with the use of these technologies.

Lastly, the Far Horizon of longevity provides a view of the future of age reversal as well as the technologies that will allow us to live to 200 healthily. These include internet of bodies, digital avatars and AI-brain integration. Here again Sergey identifies ethical questions raised by the use of such technologies. 

I interviewed Sergey Young and we discussed his passion for affordable and accessible health care for people to live longer and healthier lives. Together, we talked about his Longevity Vision Fund, some tips to remain younger, and the possible use of longevity technologies in the future.

The book will release on August 24, 2021.

Alex: What motivated you to get into the field of aging and longevity?  

Sergey Young: Being diagnosed with a condition by my doctor, who told me I would have to take pills every day for the rest of my life. At the time, I was at the top of my career and my wife was pregnant with our first baby girl – so I refused to accept my “lifetime” diagnosis and treatment. After doing some research, I treated my condition with the help of lifestyle and diet modifications. Fast forward to eight years later, I feel better, healthier, and more energetic than ever!

Alex: You established the Longevity Vision Fund that backs cutting edge longevity technologies. Can you describe how you built this fund and how it helped you familiarize yourself with the field?

Sergey Young: Setting up the Longevity Vision Fund came as a result of my passion for affordable and accessible health care and my desire to help people live better, longer, and healthier. I decided to use my experience as an investor with over 20 years of experience to help advance technological breakthroughs and supporting the companies that my team and I felt could disrupt the current status quo to help make health and longevity available to as many people as possible. 

I couldn’t have done this just on my own. I am grateful to my investors, who were driven by our common mission of helping people live longer and healthier lives, as well as the brilliant LVF team, including the impressive minds on the Scientific Advisory Board and the Investment team!

Alex: Looking at some of your most successful longevity friends, what do they do to stay younger?

Sergey Young: The one thing that unites my “most successful” longevity friends is their strong sense of purpose. They all have a clear understanding of their mission in life and are driven by their desire to solve the world’s problems - no matter how big or small - and help improve people’s lives.

I truly believe this is the secret to “growing up” – not only physically, but mentally and psychologically too. In addition, they all have what I call a “preventive medicine mindset,” which means that they make sure to get regular checkups done which allows them to catch, and even prevent, any potential health problems at the earliest opportunity and with the highest success outcomes.

Alex: Who would you like to read your book ‘The Science and Technology of Growing Young’? If you were to name just five people, who would these be? 

Sergey Young: I wrote this book as part of my mission to help extend healthy lifespans of at least one billion people. However, if I was limited to giving away copies to just five people in the world, I would probably choose those who are in a position to make the biggest difference to the largest number of people –the CEOs of the Big Five (Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft). Not only do these companies employ one million people collectively and practice longevity focused corporate health programs – but I believe they are about to become the biggest players in the healthcare of the future!

I would also love for each head of state and government – all over the world – to have a copy of the book to help them turn their countries into healthy, longevity-friendly environments for their people. And this is not as far-fetched, as it may first seem! For example, I was a Board Member at the Parliamentary Group for Longevity, which helped develop UK’s longevity strategy in line with the ‘HLE+5’ goal (‘extending healthy lifespans by at least 5 years by 2035’). I am also in talks with government officials about developing a National Longevity Program for their countries.

Alex: I am going to buy a few hundred of your books to give out to friends. Did anyone I know buy the book? Any celebrities?

Sergey Young: Thank you, Alex. Early support is crucial – and very impactful. In fact, it helped us reach the #1 spot on Amazon’s book pre-order list in the “Preventive Medicine” category.

A lot of longevity pioneers that I admire have read the book and provided very inspiring reviews and endorsements – including Aubrey de Grey, David Perlmutter, David Sinclair, Dave Asprey, Tony Robbins, Peter Diamandis, and others. Talking of well-known people outside the field of longevity, I am very grateful to have the endorsement and support of Peter Jackson – film director, producer, and screenwriter of ’The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and ‘The Hobbit.’ Moreover, CEOs and other C-level executives of insurance companies, high-tech enterprises, global banks and management consulting firms like my alma mater – McKinsey, have ordered the book for themselves, their clients, and their employees – which is great to see.

Ultimately, this book is for anyone who wants to live longer and get excited about the future. To learn more about the interesting field of longevity and finding out more ways to live longer, consider attending the largest conference on aging research and drug discovery organized every year by the University of Copenhagen and Columbia University – 8^th Aging Research and Drug Discovery.

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