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Ending Age-Related Diseases 2020 August Update

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With exactly one week to go before the Ending Age-Related Diseases 2020 conference begins, we have just enough time for one last update to show you what has been going on and some of the exciting things that we have planned for you to enjoy.

August 20-21st will see the leading experts in aging research and biotechnology investment come together for a virtual conference that will set the standard for future events of this kind. There will be live talks, discussion panels, exclusive interviews, and a wealth of on-demand content along with access to a recording of a 3-hour workshop on launching your own company in the rejuvenation biotechnology field, which was hosted by Dr. Kelsey Moody, CEO of Ichor Therapeutics, last year.

Exciting panel discussions

To move forward more quickly, not only should we support the researchers of aging directly, by crowdfunding and enticing the government to allocate more funds towards this field, we also need to engage the public more deeply. Back in 2013, before Lifespan.io was founded, very few people were aware of research on aging – only around 7% of the population in the United States had indicated that they were well-informed. Building a culture of healthy longevity and a rejuvenation market requires lots of effort from advocates. At our conference, we are hosting several panel discussions to help longevity ambassadors understand the bottlenecks and how to deal with them as well as to better navigate public communication.

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The panel discussion Role of media in engaging early adopters of healthy life extension, chaired by Lifespan.io’s President Keith Comito, will happen in the morning of the second day of the conference. The panelists include famous writer, investor and biotech advocate Sonia Arrison of 100 Plus Capital; the creative director and designer of the science show Life Noggin, Pat Graziosi; Greg Grinberg of ActualFood and project leader of the movie Life+, which discusses the promise of life extension technologies; and film producer Tim Maupin of TWOCOATS Film Production, who collaborates with Lifespan.io on short movies and documentaries promoting science. The panelists will share their extensive experience in building the longevity community with the help of art and media. This panel discussion will be available for premium ticket holders only.

Another panel will be focused on the bottlenecks holding back the dissemination of healthy life extension technologies. Acceleration of human rejuvenation trials: The path from research to application, chaired by Michael Geer (Humanity), will bring together Aubrey de Grey (SENS Research Foundation), Gregory Fahy (Intervene Immune), Kevin Perrott (OpenCures), and Sajad Zalzala (AgelessRx) to discuss out-of-the-box ways to help society adopt the treatments that exist right now. This discussion will be available for regular and premium ticket holders and will happen in the evening of the first day.

Investment matters will be covered during the panel discussion How to Overcome the Valley of Death?, which will be chaired by Lifespan.io’s Javier Noris in the afternoon on the second day of the conference, August 21. Panelists include Patrick Burgermeister (Kizoo Ventures), Reason (Repair Biotechnologies), Sergio Ruiz (Methuselah Fund), and Ronjon Nag (Institute R42). The valley of death, the early stage of a biotech startup’s development, is not specific to the rejuvenation field but for most biotech companies. It is hard to fundraise for a company before a reliable proof-of-concept is obtained. The panelists will share their views and ideas on how to mitigate this issue when it comes to longevity-focused companies. This panel will be available to all regular and premium ticket holders.

Two more panel discussions will be held on the first day:

Biomarkers of aging: Significance for R&D and therapeutic application will be led by Dr. Vadim Gladyshev (Harvard), who is joined by Dr. Steve Horvath (UCLA), Dr. Kristen Fortney (BioAge Labs), Stanislav Skakun (BioData), and Dr. Peter Fedichev (GERO). The participants will conduct an overview of the current understanding of the most reliable biomarkers of aging for clinical trials and what can we expect in terms of using various biomarkers and biomarker profiles in clinical practice. This panel will only be available to premium ticket holders.

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Last but not least, there will be a panel discussion, Public perception of research on aging, chaired by Lifespan.io’s Elena Milova. The panelists will be Dr. Daria Khaltourina (International Longevity Alliance), Dr. Roey Tzezana (XPRIZE), and Maria Entraigues Abramson (SENS Research Foundation). It is important to know the factors that affect public perception of research on aging and how to present the idea of healthy life extension to the public in a productive way. Each of the panelists has significant experience in communicating this idea to the public and will share tips that can help rejuvenation companies explain their missions and acquire the trust of their customers. This panel will also be only available to premium ticket holders.

Even more speakers will be joining us

Dr. Jonathan Clark from the Babraham Institute will be speaking at the conference this year. Dr. Clark has been focused on studying the aging of collagen with the aim of understanding the functional impact of chemical changes that occur in collagen with age.

The formation of collagen crosslinks, which accumulate with age, is a real concern, but thanks to the work of Dr. Clark and financial support for his research by the SENS Research Foundation, we are one step closer to understanding how these crosslinks form and what we can do about them.

Dr. Evan Snyder, from the National Institute of Health, will be joining us for the conference this year. Dr. Snyder is an M.D. and Ph.D. and is regarded as one of the pioneers of the stem cell and regenerative medicine fields.

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He has had a long and illustrious career, including two terms as Chair of the FDA’s Cell, Tissue, & Gene Therapy Advisory Committee and is now Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Genetic Disease Biobank of the National Institute of General Medical Science at the National Institute of Health. It is great to have representatives from the NIH with us this year, and we look forward to the valuable insights that Dr. Snyder will no doubt bring.

Time is running out to join us!

With only a few more days to go before the big event, you need to act fast to guarantee your place!

Remember, if you have already registered for a free ticket with limited access, there is still time to upgrade to the full conference experience, where you will get access to all the talks, panels, and on demand content on offer. Simply visit the ticket kiosk and choose one of the paid options below:

  • A $500 premium ticket that will allow you to have access to all of the main event content and recordings, participate in Q&A, and join the open chats and open video discussions. On top of that, it will allow you to watch additional panels and interact with the researchers over breakout sessions as part of the premium networking program.
  • A $300 regular ticket that will give you access to all of the main event content and recordings. It will allow you to participate in open chats and discussions.

All tickets include exclusive free access to the 3-hour workshop, Developing a Biotechnology Startup, by Dr. Kelsey Moody.

Our monthly supporters, the Lifespan Heroes, have a 20% discount off premium and regular tickets. If you are a Lifespan Hero, please contact Steve Hill for your special discount code. If you are a member of the press, please contact Steve Hill to request a press pass.

Don’t delay; get your ticket today, and we will see you in cyberspace August 20-21!