We explore the bold scientific projects of visionary biotech startups and huge investments racing to slow or even reverse the human aging process. A journey through the science, ambition, and moral questions behind humanity’s oldest dream: living longer, and living better.
At Tekaroid, this is a topic that both intrigues and fascinates us. It would be a dream to see how science might one day extend the human life, perhaps even indefinitely. But it raises some questions: Would such a future be sustainable for our planet? Would people truly want to live for hundreds of years? And how would our minds cope with endless time?
Science and ambition
In the past, stories of immortality belonged to myths and science fiction. Today, they belong to science. Aging, once seen as a natural and irreversible decline, is being treated by scientists as a biological condition, one that might be slowed, stopped or even reversed.
Behind this transformation a powerful ecosystem of startups and labs, have investors pouring billions into what some call the longevity economy. In 2024, global investment in longevity research exceeded $40 billion, and forecasts suggest that by 2030 it could surpass $600 billion, roughly the size of today’s global pharmaceutical market. For this investors, the motivation isn’t just personal survival. It’s economics. Whoever cracks the code to extend human health could control a millionaire industry. The logic is simple, the creation of a market about therapies or solutions to live longer, we can add that if people live longer, they consume longer, invest longer, and work longer. Analysts from MarketsandMarkets estimate the anti-aging and longevity sector could reach $183 billion by 2028, growing faster than most pharmaceutical categories.
Aging is a complex biological process influenced by multiple mechanisms, but scientists have begun identifying the hallmarks of aging, those are fundamental drivers that can potentially be modified.
One of the most revolutionary breakthroughs came from Shinya Yamanaka, a Japanese stem cell biologist who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of how mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent. Yamanaka identified a specific set of four genes, now known as the Yamanaka factors, which can turn adult cells back into a youthful, stem-cell-like state. In theory, it’s like pressing “reset” on the biological clock.
Building on this idea, companies like Altos Labs (funded by Jeff Bezos and Yuri Milner) are exploring partial reprogramming: rejuvenating cells without erasing their identity. If perfected, this could reverse organ aging and extend life expectancy by decades.
Another approach focuses on senolytics, drugs that selectively eliminate senescent cells, sometimes called “zombie cells.” These damaged cells accumulate over time and release harmful molecules that trigger inflammation and disease. Clearing them out has shown remarkable effects in animal studies, restoring tissue function and improving vitality.
Firms like Unity Biotechnology and Oisín Biotechnologies are already testing senolytic therapies in humans, with early results showing potential to treat age-related conditions.
We have more examples, like Google’s Calico Labs (California Life Company), founded in 2013, aims to solve aging. It employs leading biologists and uses AI to uncover molecular signatures of longevity. On their official website, Calico describes itself not as a traditional biotech company but as a bridge between science and imagination. Their mission is to uncover the biological mechanisms that control aging. Their work moves between two worlds: deep fundamental research, studying how cells, tissues, and entire organisms change over time, and the practical side of turning those discoveries into early medical applications. Calico scientists use artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and a computing system to analyze data that most labs could barely process. When the existing tools are not enough, they build new ones. Yes, for those reading us, future is coming.
That can be a big revolution, but is not the only one: Rejuvenate Bio, co-founded by Harvard geneticist George Church, experiments with gene therapies that rejuvenate dogs. On their official website, the company explains that aging is the root cause of multiple chronic conditions, different diseases that affect various organs and gradually drive the aging process itself. Their research focuses precisely on this point: understanding how aging triggers disease, and working to reverse it by rejuvenating the body at a cellular level.
They also describe how their experimental pathway in animals mirrors human studies, with about a 90% overlap between their canine trials and the studies required for human clinical approval. In collaboration with Phibro Animal Health, they’re developing and commercializing a gene therapy for Mitral Valve Disease (MVD) in dogs: a project designed to accelerate the development of future human longevity treatments.
The ethical horizon
If these technologies succeed, society will face dilemmas unlike any before. Will only the rich have access to this kind of therapies? Will extended life worsen overpopulation and strain the environment? And what would it mean for younger generations if older ones never truly “move aside”?
Even within the scientific community, opinions diverge. Some argue that longevity research is a humanitarian goal, reducing suffering from diseases. Others warn that defeating death could destabilize societies that rely on generational renewal.
Dr. Aubrey de Grey, one of the most outspoken longevity researchers, argues that aging is a disease like any other: “We cure cancer and heart disease, but aging kills far more people. It’s time to address the root cause.” Critics counter that extending life without addressing inequality, healthcare access, or sustainability could deepen global divides.
Is society ready for it?
Beyond biology and economics lies the human mind. Would an endlessly long life make us happier or exhausted? How would be the new normality?
Psychologists have begun studying how extended lifespan might affect mental health. Some predict that humans could struggle with purpose if death loses its inevitability. Without urgency, creativity and ambition might fade. Others argue the opposite: longer lives could enable more wisdom, with a entire life full of experiences that would lead to emotional growth. In a world where people live 150 years, we might have multiple reinventions. Imagine, for example, things like career, family, education, and even the concept of “retirement” could vanish. The entire structure of human life, its rhythm and meaning, would need rewritin.
We find ourselves wondering: even if humans could live centuries, should they? Would Earth survive the weight of billions of nearly immortal beings? At Tekaroid we keep the doubt. Longer lives could increase consumption and resource use, also a carbon output, unless humanity simultaneously achieves breakthroughs in sustainability. Without it, immortality might accelerate environmental collapse. Or could this become a war for the planet’s resources? Who knows if such a wonderful scientific breakthrough might one day turn into the very thing that leads to the planet’s destruction, through conflict and hunger.
Reflection
Here at Tekaroid, we see the race for longevity as one of humanity’s most fascinating ambitions.
It embodies both our greatest strength and our greatest flaw: our refusal to accept limits.
Would it be sustainable for the planet? Probably not, unless technology evolves alongside our morality.
Would people want to live hundreds of years? Some would, like me for example, driven by curiosity, but others might long for closure and peace. And mentally, could we handle it? The weight of centuries might bring wisdom, but also weariness.
Aging connects us to nature, reminding us that everything as a cycle. To remove that rhythm might strip life of its beauty. We believe the future of longevity should not be about escaping death, but about redefining life.