Second Century Foundation Launches to Advocate for Longevity Research
It is always good to see a diversification in non-profit efforts to advance the state of research and development in the matter of treating aging as a medical condition. Given the vast costs imposed by aging, humanitarian and fiscal, we stand a long way removed from the deployment of an adequate amount of funding for aging research. New advocates and new organizations are very welcome, to add to existing efforts to induce more funding for necessary research, and more capital into the longevity industry.
We started Second Century Foundation to fulfill our childhood dream of a world where no one has to suffer or die from aging. Second Century Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private operating foundation focused on accelerating breakthroughs in human longevity. Much of the work needed to achieve these breakthroughs isn't fundable today. If it doesn't lead to a publication, the NIH won't fund it. If it doesn't enable an exit in ten years, venture capital can't fund it. We exist to fill those gaps.
Among present projects, we're writing a memo targeting for-profit investors and operators laying out the financial case for longevity biotech: the path to a successful IPO or M&A exit; top funding sources and messaging to Wall Street; a rigorous framework to project the expected NPV (net present value) of a therapeutic product; areas that we believe are overfunded relative to their financial (and lifespan) return; areas where we believe the potential return is highest. Additionally, We're creating a comprehensive map on the flow of capital in the longevity space, across academia, industry, and the government. Our goals are to: quantify and catalogue spending by organization and approach; spotlight research areas that we believe to be underfunded relative to their promise; identify top talent in the field and connect them with funding opportunities.
Which will give you a longer, healthier life: curing cancer, or slowing aging by 20%? (It's the second one, by a huge margin.) The longevity simulator is a free, open-source, browser-based tool that shows how the medicine of the future could change healthspan and lifespan. The tool is meant to demonstrate the enormous benefit of targeting aging itself, rather than playing whack-a-mole with individual diseases of aging.
Have an idea, want to collaborate, or want to help solve aging? We'd love to hear from you, especially students looking to start something: a longevity club, a research project, or a startup.