What if we could add 20 healthy years to human life? This episode is brought to you by AgelessRx, where aging becomes a puzzle that can be solved. The mission is to help you live longer and healthier by adding more life to your years through science-backed solutions and personalized care. Learn more at https://agelessrx.com/. That’s the ambitious challenge behind the XPRIZE Healthspan competition, where 20 finalist teams are racing to find breakthroughs that could fundamentally change how we age. Driven by the moonshot vision championed by Peter Diamandis, the goal isn’t simply to live longer, it’s to preserve muscle, cognitive, and immune function as we get older.In this episode, Jamie Justice takes us on a journey to better understand the XPRIZE competition as we take a closer look at Minicircle (Walter Patterson), Longeveron (Brian Rash), NYC Vita (Miriam Merad), Mitochondrial All Stars (David Brown), AgelessRx (Stefanie Morgan and Anar Isman), Ani.Ai (Bruno Balen), and Goqii (Vishal Gondal), exploring their very different approaches to extending healthy lifespan. From gene therapies and mitochondrial interventions to stem cells, AI-powered discoveries, and personalized health solutions, these teams are pushing longevity science into fascinating and largely uncharted territory.Dr. Jamie Justice is a geroscience researcher and Executive Vice President of Health at XPRIZE, where she leads the organization’s efforts to accelerate breakthroughs in healthy aging. ⏱ Timestamps00:00 Intro00:10 What Is the XPRIZE Competition?04:09 Why XPRIZE Isn’t a Traditional Funding Program05:37 The XPRIZE’s Approach to Innovation08:27 Peter Diamandis on the XPRIZE Winner08:54 Why the Moonshot Has to Be Daring10:31 What Makes a Breakthrough Solution?12:44 The Different XPRIZE Categories13:54 Can More Teams Still Join?15:24 Clinical Trials Must Finish by 202918:24 The Rise of AI Based Interventions19:11 Unexpected Approaches to Healthspan22:07 Minicircle: The Non Viral Plasmid DNA VectorMinicircle24:53 Why Minicircle’s Gene Therapy Approach Is Different25:42 A Simpler Gene Therapy Platform26:29 Why Plasmid Gene Therapy May Be Safer28:57 The Challenges of Gene Therapy30:39 Pushback Against Gene Therapy33:04 The Future of Gene Therapy34:18 How Teams Are Adapting36:17 What It Takes to Reach the 20 Year Goal37:17 No More New Teams in 202838:27 Why Some European Teams Are Struggling40:56 Could Teams Merge to Move Forward?42:07 Inside the Biologic CategoryLongeveron42:39 The Next Generation of Biologic Therapies46:50 What Makes This Team Unique?47:48 Engineering New Biologic Therapies53:56 Building a Super Team for HealthspanFeatured Team: Mitochondrial All Stars57:28 The Role of Mitochondria in Aging59:27 Specializing in Mitochondrial Health01:00:48 The Power of a Multi Modal TeamNYC Vita01:03:11 Combining Different Approaches to Aging01:06:37 Sharing Data Across Teams01:08:50 Why Collaboration Could Change the Game01:13:33 A Novel Drug Target for AgingAgelessRX01:14:59 A Strategic Approach to Intervention01:15:52 Can We Achieve 20 Years of Rejuvenation?01:17:18 The Chemical Combination01:22:12 The Science Behind the Approach01:22:46 The Potential of NAD+01:23:58 Why Japanese Teams Stand Out01:26:18 The $100 Million Incentive01:28:10 Inside the Drug Category01:31:57 Can We Add Healthy Life in One Year?Ani.Ai 01:32:49 Healthy Life in Just One Year01:33:22 The Antibiome Approach01:36:52 What the Future of Healthspan Could Look Like01:38:37 The Best Piece of AdviceConnect with JamieWebsite: https://www.xprize.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/j.n.justice/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-justice-ph-d-6b933146 X: https://x.com/j_n_justice The Teams:Minicircle: https://minicircle.io/Longeveron: https://longeveron.com/ NYC Vita: https://www.mountsinai.org/ AgelessRX: https://agelessrx.com/ Ani.Ai: https://www.ani.ai/ Goqii: https://goqii.com/us-en

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