The longevity business is set to boom over the coming years as more people become interested in living to ages of 120 or more. What began 10 years ago as early-stage biotech moonshots is now maturing into an industry that’s poised to deliver real results.
But what does the longevity business look like? It’s an open playing field right now, and many entrepreneurs are looking for direction.
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AI-first longevity
One of the first things that we’re likely to see over the coming years is many longevity businesses focusing on AI and not supplements. AI has a unique advantage in the longevity space because it’s able to get a handle on the complexity of the interaction between proteomics, epigenomics, genomics, microbiome blood laboratory tests and physical characteristics that people have like their voice and gait. Companies are looking at how to combine this data to provide users with personalized medicine interventions that they can use to theoretically extend their lives or their healthspan. Many companies now view such technology as a type of co-pilot that people can use to adjust their daily protocols to become healthier.
Peptide development
Running along this, we’re seeing greater support for peptide drug development. Companies than ever are looking at how to use these short chains of protein-like molecules to signal rapid shifts in body-wide health. Previously, peptides had been used primarily for injury recovery and cosmetic reasons. However, there’s no natural impediment that prevents them from being leveraged for body-wide rejuvenation. Provided that the right peptide combinations can be found, advances in AI and quantum computing will accelerate this process, allowing more companies to develop specific peptide chains that enable patients to grow younger.
Healthspan as a service subscriptions
Healthspan as a service subscriptions could also gain traction over the next few years in the longevity space. The idea here is to provide people with measurable outputs that they can use to evaluate their pace of aging. Healthspan as a service subscription models are expensive, with many running around $500/month. But they also provide detailed information on important longevity-related metrics like VO2 max, insulin sensitivity, and grip strength.
Multi-hallmark targeting
Multi-hallmark ageing is also going to develop significantly over the coming years in the longevity space. Companies are realizing that they need to target more than one of the twelve pathways of ageing in order to have a meaningful impact on patients.
Any firm that manages this is likely to experience significant market share gain in the future. It’s clear that ageing is something that needs to be tackled from multiple directions, not just one.
Vertical integration
Finally, some companies are looking at vertical integration into longevity stack hardware. The idea here is to go beyond brands and pills and create real devices that enable people to better characterise their ageing. For example, more companies are looking at developing at-home blood labs. Other companies want to combine things like glucose monitors with ketone supplements and lactate patches. The idea is to provide people with a longevity lab within their own homes.