Category: Advocacy
The right to die and the right to live
May 17, 2018
On May 10 this year, Australian ecologist David Goodall took his own life before aging could. The scientist, aged 104, reportedly said he “regretted” having reached that age, because the
Life Extension Technology in Science Fiction
May 9, 2018
Today, we take an amusing look at how science fiction is often portrayed in a jarring way especially when dealing with the topic of life extension. Those of us who
Aging is No Laughing Matter
May 2, 2018
If you watched a TV show, or read a comic book, where the difficulties and suffering of an oncological patient were portrayed in a disrespectful, humorous way, you would likely
CGP Grey: The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant
April 27, 2018
There’s a good chance that ten or fifteen years from now, we’ll look back at this moment in history and realize that we were living through the beginning of a
Aging Looks Are Not Just a Matter of Aesthetics
April 19, 2018
Some time ago, we discussed the matter of beauty in the context of life extension; in particular, we tried to dispel the belief that the motivation behind life extension might
World Health Day 2018
April 7, 2018
Today, April 7, 2018, is World Health Day, an annual occasion to raise awareness celebrated on the anniversary of WHO’s founding. The intent is to draw attention to global health
Waking up From the Dream of Longevity
March 5, 2018
In the course of the last century, science fiction has been a harbinger of things to come. From the automatic sliding doors of Star Trek to visual communication, cyberspace, and
FDA RMAT Framework is Win-Win for Gene Therapies
February 20, 2018
Back in November 2017, the FDA announced a comprehensive policy framework for the development and oversight of regenerative medicine products, including novel cellular therapies. Both draft guidance documents had 90-day
Treating Aging as a Disease
February 6, 2018
Aging and cancer are closely linked, with the latter being, more often than not, a consequence of the former. Cancer is caused by the aging hallmark of genomic instability, and
The Misconception of the Two Deaths
February 5, 2018
When we talk about life extension, we mean people living much longer than they do now, and, more importantly, people who are healthier for longer. For example, we mean being
World Health Organization Puts the Elderly Back in the Picture
January 10, 2018
Not long ago, we wrote about some complications involving the WHO 13th programme of work. In the initial version of this document, developed by the WHO working group in November
People Support Living Longer If It Means Remaining Healthy
December 13, 2017
A number of studies in different countries show that when people are asked “how long would you like to live?”, they respond with a figure equal to or slightly higher
The Best of the SENS AMA
December 11, 2017
Dr. Aubrey de Grey from the SENS Research Foundation (SRF) did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit on December 7th, and there were many great questions and answers; we thought
Does WHO 5 Year Plan Leave Healthy Aging Out of the Picture?
November 8, 2017
When it comes to healthcare, WHO remains the global flagship in terms of setting priorities and adjusting policies in the ever-changing landscape of healthcare needs. In the past few years,
Kurzgesagt – It Is Time to Talk About Curing Aging
November 3, 2017
The level of interest and support for rejuvenation biotechnology that targets age-related diseases is growing. Over the last few years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of
The right to die and the right to live
May 17, 2018
On May 10 this year, Australian ecologist David Goodall took his own life before aging could. The scientist, aged 104, reportedly said he “regretted” having reached that age, because the quality of his life had significantly deteriorated as a consequence of his declining health. Unhappy with
Life Extension Technology in Science Fiction
May 9, 2018
Today, we take an amusing look at how science fiction is often portrayed in a jarring way especially when dealing with the topic of life extension. Those of us who fancy science fiction stories are used to all sorts of technological miracles taking place in them;
Aging is No Laughing Matter
May 2, 2018
If you watched a TV show, or read a comic book, where the difficulties and suffering of an oncological patient were portrayed in a disrespectful, humorous way, you would likely be outraged; at the very least, you would think that the show or comic book was
CGP Grey: The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant
April 27, 2018
There’s a good chance that ten or fifteen years from now, we’ll look back at this moment in history and realize that we were living through the beginning of a revolution, the first baby steps of what would eventually become a global movement. Maybe it’ll take
Aging Looks Are Not Just a Matter of Aesthetics
April 19, 2018
Some time ago, we discussed the matter of beauty in the context of life extension; in particular, we tried to dispel the belief that the motivation behind life extension might be simply vanity. The article argued that there is nothing wrong with wanting to preserve youthful
World Health Day 2018
April 7, 2018
Today, April 7, 2018, is World Health Day, an annual occasion to raise awareness celebrated on the anniversary of WHO’s founding. The intent is to draw attention to global health issues, and this year’s theme is Universal Health Coverage and how important it is to implement
Waking up From the Dream of Longevity
March 5, 2018
In the course of the last century, science fiction has been a harbinger of things to come. From the automatic sliding doors of Star Trek to visual communication, cyberspace, and even the moon landing, many of our present technological achievements were dreamed up in the futuristic
FDA RMAT Framework is Win-Win for Gene Therapies
February 20, 2018
Back in November 2017, the FDA announced a comprehensive policy framework for the development and oversight of regenerative medicine products, including novel cellular therapies. Both draft guidance documents had 90-day comment periods, and we at LEAF joined forces with the Niskanen Center to submit comments to
Treating Aging as a Disease
February 6, 2018
Aging and cancer are closely linked, with the latter being, more often than not, a consequence of the former. Cancer is caused by the aging hallmark of genomic instability, and the two are intertwined. While it is true that young people can get cancer, it is
The Misconception of the Two Deaths
February 5, 2018
When we talk about life extension, we mean people living much longer than they do now, and, more importantly, people who are healthier for longer. For example, we mean being 120 with the health of a 30-year-old. Hang on, though—hasn’t a person who is 120 years
World Health Organization Puts the Elderly Back in the Picture
January 10, 2018
Not long ago, we wrote about some complications involving the WHO 13th programme of work. In the initial version of this document, developed by the WHO working group in November 2017, the problems of the elderly were nearly completely overlooked. The joint efforts of our community
People Support Living Longer If It Means Remaining Healthy
December 13, 2017
A number of studies in different countries show that when people are asked “how long would you like to live?”, they respond with a figure equal to or slightly higher than the current life expectancy in a given country [1-4]. So, why does the public often
The Best of the SENS AMA
December 11, 2017
Dr. Aubrey de Grey from the SENS Research Foundation (SRF) did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit on December 7th, and there were many great questions and answers; we thought it would be a great time to summarize some of the best ones and offer a
Does WHO 5 Year Plan Leave Healthy Aging Out of the Picture?
November 8, 2017
When it comes to healthcare, WHO remains the global flagship in terms of setting priorities and adjusting policies in the ever-changing landscape of healthcare needs. In the past few years, WHO has been making steps towards preparing our society to handle the “silver tsunami” and the
Kurzgesagt – It Is Time to Talk About Curing Aging
November 3, 2017
The level of interest and support for rejuvenation biotechnology that targets age-related diseases is growing. Over the last few years, we have seen a significant increase in the number of popular science articles, news stories and research papers focusing on the idea that the aging processes