The Beat

Live at HLTH: Extending Healthy Longevity with AI—featuring Alex Zhavoronkov

Episode Summary

On this episode of The Beat, recorded live at HLTH 2020, Alex joins Dr. Kuku and Dr. Shlain to discuss his work in the field of longevity biotechnology, describing his particular focus on extending our most productive years as opposed to the end of life. He introduces us to the new science around aging clocks and weighs in on the possibilities of using their data to reverse age-associated pathologies. Listen in for Alex’s insight around the potential for AI to influence our political systems and learn how a sole focus on rejuvenation rate would support global economic growth.

Episode Notes

Most of us would define longevity in terms of the length of our lives. But what if there’s more to it than that? What if quality matters as much as quantity? What if we could extend our healthiest, most productive years?

Alex Zhavoronkov is the Founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, a venture-backed company that seeks to extend healthy longevity through innovative AI solutions for drug discovery and aging research. Insilico has R&D labs in Belgium, the UK, Korea, Russia, Hong Kong, the US and Taiwan, and in 2017, the company was named one of NVIDIA’s Top 5 AI companies in its potential for social impact.   

On the inaugural episode of The Beat, Alex joins Dr. Kuku and Dr. Shlain to discuss his work in the field of longevity biotechnology, describing his particular focus on extending our most productive years as opposed to the end of life. He introduces us to the new science around aging clocks and weighs in on the possibilities of using their data to reverse age-associated pathologies. Listen in for Alex’s insight around the potential for AI to influence our political systems and learn how a sole focus on rejuvenation rate would support global economic growth.

Topics Covered

• Alex’s transition from information technology to biopharma
• The intersection of technology and the human element
• The concept of quality-adjusted life years or QALYs
• Alex’s focus on extending productive years vs. end of life
• How Alex sees longevity as more than just living longer
• The science around aging clocks and their notable accuracy
• Developing actionable interventions from aging clock data
• How economic forces influence which diseases we research
• Embracing MMA principles as an approach to drug discovery
• Alex’s work with triple-negative breast cancer molecules
• Alex’s insight into how AI might influence political systems
• The parallels between gain of function and economic growth
• How Peter Diamandis’ work gives Alex cause for optimism

Connect with Alex Zhavoronkov

Insilico Medicine

Alex on LinkedIn

Connect with Dr. Gulati, Dr. Shlain & Dr. Kuku

HLTH Conference

Dr. Shlain on LinkedIn

Dr. Shlain on Twitter

Dr. Kuku on LinkedIn

Dr. Kuku on Twitter

Resources

Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again by Eric Topol

The Ageless Generation: How Advances in Biomedicine Will Transform the Global Economy by Alex Zhavoronkov

Steven Horvath’s Aging Clock Research

Insilico’s Partnership with CTFH

Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think by Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler

Exponential Medicine