Lifespan Research Institute

Lifespan Research Institute
Formation2009, SENS Research Foundation

2014, LEAF (Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation) aka Lifespan.io

2024, Lifespan Research Institute (formed by a merger between SENS & LEAF)
Founded2009, 2014, 2024
FoundersKeith Comito, Stephanie Dainow, Lisa Fabiny, Bill Liao
Type501(c)(3)
HeadquartersSilicon Valley
Region served
Global
MethodNews outlet, advocacy, intramural research, public education, crowdfunding, investor network, training of next-gen scientists
Websitewww.lifespan.io

The Lifespan Research Institute (LRI) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent, slow-down and reverse age-related diseases by revolutionizing the science of aging and regenerative medicine with cutting-edge research and education.

LRI was formed in October 2024 as the result of a merger between 2 non-profit industry pioneers: LEAF (Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation, also known as Lifespan.io) founded in 2014 and based in New York City, and SENS Research Foundation founded in 2009 and based in Silicon Valley, CA. Co-Founders include Bill Liao, Keith Comito, Lisa Fabiny-Kiser and Stephanie Dainow.

The Institute accelerates the field of longevity biotech research through several programs housed under the new organization:

News outlet

LEAF established its news outlet in 2016 with the goal of educating the public on the progress in aging and longevity research. In 2018, LEAF interviewed the Russian geriatrician Valery Novoselov on the questionable case of Jeanne Calment's exceptional longevity. As of 2022, the outlet has published over 1000 news articles, including more than 90 interviews with leading aging and rejuvenation researchers, such as Matt Kaeberlein, Aubrey de Grey, Judith Campisi, Brian Kennedy, Steve Horvath, David Sinclair, and Gregory Fahy.

Scientific conference

Ending Age-Related Diseases: Investment Prospects and Advances in Research (EARD) is an annual scientific conference hosted by LEAF in New York City in the summer. It is focused on biomarkers of aging, fundamental studies on aging, the development of rejuvenation therapies for humans, and investment and regulatory aspects of the longevity industry. In 2023 they hosted their 6th annual and largest conference titled "Longevity + DeSci Summit".

Crowdfunding platform

LEAF's non-profit crowdfunding platform Lifespan.io is dedicated to supporting fundamental and early-stage studies on aging. As of 2022, it helped to collect over $750,000 in support of eight research projects, including three projects by SENS Research Foundation - OncoSENS, MitoSENS and MitoMouse.

Outreach and advocacy

LEAF maintains a variety of outreach activities. Members of the organizations give talks at scientific and public events, appear on television, and give press interviews. In 2017 and 2018, as a part of its outreach activities, LEAF provided scientific advice to help the YouTube channels Kurzgesagt, Life Noggin, and CGP Grey create educational popular science videos about biological aging and the potential of regenerative medicine. In 2023, they launched a public education partnership with Chris Hemsworth's Centr.

SENS Research Foundation

The SENS Research Foundation is a non-profit organization that does research programs and public relations work for the application of regenerative medicine to aging. It was founded in 2009, located in Mountain View, California, US. The organization publishes its reports annually.

In October 2024, SENS Research Foundation and Lifespan.io (Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation) announced completion of a merger into the Lifespan Research Institute.

Research

Research programs

The SENS Research Foundation (SRF) pursues research projects that correspond to the seven categories of cellular damage due to aging:

Aging damage Research program Description and related spin-off companies
Cell loss and cell atrophy RepleniSENS
Division-obsessed cells OncoSENS
  • OncoSENS's solution is to preemptively remove the genes for the telomere-lengthening machinery.
  • OncoSenX's (spinout from Oisin Biotechnologies, which is a SENS seed-funded startup) suicide gene therapy results in 75–90% reduction in tumor in mice.
Death-resistant cells ApoptoSENS
  • Oisin Biotechnologies (SENS seed-funded startup) has a precise targeting technology, which is based on senescent cells' DNA expression.
Mitochondrial mutations MitoSENS
  • Allotopic expression of 13 proteins
  • Initial proof of concept using ATP8 and ATP6 genes was successful. Research was published in the peer-reviewed Nucleic Acids Research journal.
  • The mitochondrial transplantation project aims to take advantage of the body's natural process of mitochondrial exchange for healthy mitochondrial transfusion.
Intracellular waste products LysoSENS
  • Ichor Therapeutics is developing repair therapy for macular degeneration.
  • Underdog Pharmaceuticals received an Innovation Passport, an accelerated regulatory pathway from the UK government for promising therapies, for a small molecule drug to treat atherosclerosis by clearing arterial plaques. Underdog and SRF received a grant from the National Institutes of Health to pursue this research further.
Extracellular waste products AmyloSENS
  • The Degradation of Tau Aggregates project seeks to remove aggregated tau proteins, which are part of age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's, and other tauopathies.
Extracellular matrix stiffening GlycoSENS

Research collaboration

In addition to research undertaken in-house at the Research Center in Mountain View, SRF has also taken part in and/or selectively funded extramural research at various other institutions, including Yale University, Harvard University, Cambridge University, University of Texas, Rice University, and University of Arizona.

Research advisory board

The SENS Research Foundation's research advisory board includes Pedro J. J. Alvarez, Anthony Atala, George Church, Judith Campisi, William A. Haseltine, Brian K. Kennedy, Jeanne Loring, María Blasco Marhuenda, Bruce Rittmann, Nadia Rosenthal, Rudolph E. Tanzi, Jan Vijg, Michael D. West, and Vladimir Skulachev.

Funding source

Foundation grantsIndividual ...Corpora...Cryptocurrenc...OtherFoundation grantsIndividual donationsCorporate donationsCryptocurrency donationsOtherSENS Research Foundation Revenue
View source data.

ResearchEducationOutreachAdministrationResearchEducationOutreachAdministrationSENS Research Foundation Expenses
View source data.
SRF funding in 2021

Owing to the close relationship between SENS Foundation and Methuselah Foundation and their common activities, during reading articles and public reports there are sometimes misunderstanding about their budgets, directions and amounts of donations which can be distributed between these organizations for various purposes.

On December 9, 2010, Jason Hope, an entrepreneur based in Scottsdale, Arizona, pledged a $500,000 donation.

In 2011, Aubrey de Grey inherited $16.5 million on the death of his mother. Of this he assigned $13 million to fund SENS research, which by 2013 had the effect of roughly doubling the SRF yearly budget to $4 million.

According SRF annual reports,

The Pineapple Fund donated $2 million to SENS in 2017–18, that's in addition to $1 million donated to Methuselah Foundation.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin donated $2.4 million in 2018. Then in 2020 Vitalik Buterin together with Sam Bankman-Fried and Haseeb Qureshi donated a total of $150,000 to SENS Research Foundation to combat aging and aging-related diseases at the choice of users of Twitter as a result of open voting.

In 2020, Oculus cofounder Michael Antonov donated $1 million, of which $600,000 was a matching donation.

Goals

According to the organization site, its goal is to "help build the industry that will cure the diseases of aging". It funds research and uses outreach and education in order to expedite the various regenerative medicine research programs that go together to make the SENS project. The foundation also conducts its own student program SRF Education.

History

Before the foundation was founded in March 2009, the SENS research program was mainly pursued by the Methuselah Foundation, co-founded by Aubrey de Grey and David Gobel.

When the SENS rejuvenation approach was announced in the 2000s, while some biogerontologists supported the SENS program, many contended that the ultimate goals of de Grey's programme were too speculative given the state of technology and referred to it as "fantasy rather than science". By the mid-2010s, the rejuvenation approach gained traction with multiple startup companies created from SENS research findings. In 2021, entrepreneur Michael Greve pledged another €300 million for rejuvenation biotechnology startup companies. That same year, Underdog Pharmaceuticals, a startup company spun out from a research program at SENS Research Foundation, was awarded an Innovation Passport from the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which intends to streamline the approval program of promising therapies. In August 2021, Aubrey de Grey was suspended from the foundation. The CEO of the SENS Research Foundation, Jim O’Neill left in the preceding July, at the same time de Grey was suspended.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Garth, Eleanor (October 9, 2024). "Lifespan Research Institute: SENS and Lifespan.io merge". Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
  2. ↑ "LEAF News Outlet". Archived from the original on 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  3. ↑ "Ending Age-Related Diseases: Investment Prospects & Advances in Research". Archived from the original on 2020-04-08. Retrieved 2021-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ↑ "Celebrating Our Third Conference". Lifespan.io. 2021-04-04. Archived from the original on 2021-02-11.
  5. ↑ Garth, Eleanor (2023-08-02). "Ending Age-Related Diseases conference looks to future of longevity". Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  6. ↑ Lifespan.io
  7. ↑ "The Longevity Investor Network | Lifespan Research Institute". www.lifespan.io. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  8. ↑ "Longevity Investor Network doubles in size in 2024 - LongevityOne". 2025-05-31. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  9. ↑ Milova, Elena (December 4, 2018). "Valery Novoselov: Investigating Jeanne Calment's Longevity Record". LEAF news outlet.
  10. ↑ Bahnsen, Ulrich (2019-07-12). "Forscher wollen das Altern besiegt haben" [Researchers want aging to be defeated]. Die Zeit (in German). Zeit Online.
  11. ↑ Manzocco, Roberto (2019-09-03). "L'industria biotech della longevità è pronta" [Longevity biotechnology industry is ready] (in Italian). Il Sole 24 Ore.
  12. ↑ Garth, Eleanor (2023-08-02). "Ending Age-Related Diseases conference looks to future of longevity". Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  13. ↑ Boominathan, Amutha; et al. (2016-09-04). "Stable nuclear expression of ATP8 and ATP6 genes rescues a mtDNA Complex V null mutant". pp. 9342–9357. doi:10.1093/nar/gkw756. PMC 5100594. PMID 27596602.
  14. ↑ The Science Of Extending Life. Rebel HQ. November 3, 2018 – via YouTube.
  15. ↑ Mangena, Ancillar (2018-09-06). "You Only Live Twice". Forbes Africa.
  16. ↑ Shipacheva, Daria (2019-09-06). Вечно молодой, вечно трезвый: чем занимаются люди, мечтающие обрести бессмертие [Always young, always sober: what people dreaming of immortality are doing]. Forbes (in Russian).
  17. ↑ Вечно молодой, вечно трезвый: чем занимаются люди, мечтающие обрести бессмертие. Biohacking Conference Moscow (in Russian). 2019-08-05. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  18. ↑ Why Age? Should We End Aging Forever?. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. October 20, 2017 – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ How to Cure Aging – During Your Lifetime?. Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell. November 3, 2017 – via YouTube.
  20. ↑ Live 200 Years? This Is How You Could Do It. Life Noggin. September 20, 2018 – via YouTube.
  21. ↑ Ostertag, Elizabeth (2023-07-31). "Centr, Lifespan.io Execs Talk Partnership, How To Make Aging Science Accessible". Athletech News. Retrieved 2025-07-15.
  22. 1 2 "SENS Research Foundation 2011 Annual Report" (PDF).
  23. 1 2 3 "SENS Research Foundation 2018 Annual Report" (PDF).
  24. 1 2 "SENS Research Foundation 2019 Annual Report" (PDF).
  25. 1 2 "SENS Research Foundation 2020 Annual Report" (PDF).
  26. ↑ "RepleniSENS:Replacing Lost Cells". SENS Research Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  27. ↑ "Functional Neuron Replacement to Rejuvenate the Neocortex". 25 March 2019.
  28. 1 2 "Plasmid based senolytics from Oisín Biotechnologies". Lifespan.io. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  29. ↑ "Systemic Senolysis in Naturally Aged Mice". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-01-18. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  30. ↑ Dr. John Lewis (2018-10-11). "Selective Ablation of Senescent and Malignant Cells using Apoptotic Gene Therapy" (lecture). University of Alberta.
  31. ↑ "MitoSENS: Preventing Damage from Mitochondrial Mutations". SENS Research Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-31.
  32. ↑ Boominathan, Amutha; et al. (2016-09-04). "Stable nuclear expression of ATP8 and ATP6 genes rescues a mtDNA Complex V null mutant". Nucleic Acids Research. 44 (19): 9342–9357. doi:10.1093/nar/gkw756. PMC 5100594. PMID 27596602.
  33. ↑ "Engineering New Mitochondrial Genes to Restore Mitochondrial Function (MitoSENS)". 15 June 2021.
  34. ↑ "Fight Aging! Invests in Ichor Therapeutics to Support Development of a SENS Damage Repair Therapy for Macular Degeneration". Fight Aging!. 2016-08-15.
  35. ↑ "Kizoo portfolio company Underdog awarded 'Innovation Passport' by UK Regulators". Kizoo. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08.
  36. ↑ "SENS Research Foundation & Underdog Pharmaceuticals jointly awarded $252,000 NIA research grant". 9 December 2021.
  37. ↑ "Catalyzing Degradation of Tau Aggregates". 16 June 2021.
  38. ↑ "Revel Pharmaceuticals Finally Seed Funded to Develop Glucosepane Cross-Link Breakers". Fight Aging!. 2020-01-07.
  39. ↑ SENS Research Foundation Research Advisory Board
  40. ↑ "SENS Research Foundation 2022 Annual Report" (PDF).
  41. ↑ "Internet Entrepreneur Jason Hope Pledges A Donation To SENS Foundation". December 9, 2010. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  42. ↑ Ben Best (2013) "Interview with Aubrey de Grey, PhD". Life Extension Magazine.
  43. ↑ Bitcoin Transaction 10dd3b4bb1…
  44. ↑ Bitcoin Transaction f0aa1cc5bc…
  45. ↑ "The Pineapple Fund Donates Millions to the Organ Preservation Alliance and Methuselah Foundation". Fight Aging!. 2018-01-29.
  46. ↑ "SENS Research Foundation Receives $2.4 Million Ethereum Donation From Vitalik Buterin" (Press release). SENS Research Foundation. 2018-02-02.
  47. ↑ Elena, Milova (March 20, 2018). "Vitalik Buterin: The Best Thing to Donate Money to is The Fight Against Aging". LIFE EXTENSION ADVOCACY FOUNDATION. Archived from the original on 2018-03-22. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  48. ↑ Анна ДОБРЮХА (2018-03-20). ""Король Эфириума" Виталик Бутерин: лучшее, на что стоит жертвовать деньги — это борьба со старением" [«King of Ethereum» Vitalik Buterin: the best thing to donate money for is the fight against aging]. Kp.ru - (in Russian). Komsomolskaya Pravda.
  49. ↑ "Effective Altruism: Giving in Crypto". 2020-12-17.
  50. ↑ 2020 End of Year Fundraiser
  51. ↑ Michael Antonov Foundation: SENS Research Foundation
  52. ↑ "About SENS Research Foundation". Official SENS site. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  53. ↑ Warner H; Anderson J; Austad S; et al. (November 2005). "Science fact and the SENS agenda. What can we reasonably expect from ageing research?". EMBO Reports. 6 (11): 1006–8. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400555. PMC 1371037. PMID 16264422.
  54. ↑ Holliday R (April 2009). "The extreme arrogance of anti-aging medicine". Biogerontology. 10 (2): 223–8. doi:10.1007/s10522-008-9170-6. PMID 18726707. S2CID 764136.
  55. ↑ Michael Greve Announces a New €300 Million Fund for Investment in Rejuvenation Biotechnology Startups
  56. ↑ Michael Greve, founder of Forever Healthy, commits €300 million to advance rejuvenation startups
  57. ↑ "Kizoo portfolio company Underdog awarded 'Innovation Passport' by UK Regulators". Kizoo. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-09-08.
  58. 1 2 "Anti-aging foundation's CEO left amid probe of Aubrey de Grey". STAT. 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2021-08-15.