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Short abstract:

This paper examines the role of entrepreneurial scientists and investors in shaping the priorities and goals of longevity and anti-aging biotechnology. Aiming to bring forward a revolution in medicine, the involvement of private actors is posed to reconfigure between science, society and healthcare.

Long abstract:

Scientists and biotechnology investors have been making headlines in recent years, for the desire to “live forever” and defeating death. Recently, XPRIZE launched a $101 million competition for innovations that combat aging and restore a decade of life. Efforts are being made by private actors for longevity biotechnology to be taken seriously, as they claim that aging is a biological mechanism that can be manipulated with molecular and cellular tools. Novel biomarkers, genomic profiles, and approaches to clinical experimentation are being developed. Backed by some of the wealthiest persons in the world, some institutions have signed declarations and are advocating for more funding for this field. While much of the hype is associated with investors from Silicon Valley, in this paper I examine the ways in which private actors aim to shape research priorities and goals of longevity biotechnology, making promises of living longer and promoting a “revolution” in medicine. This presents profound implications for the meaning of disease, the boundary between individualized (or personalized) medicine and public health, and between treatment versus enhancement. I examine whether there is a role for a revolution in healthcare that makes room for social policy and non-medicalized approaches, accounting for social determinants of health and exacerbation of inequalities. This research is based on participant observation in longevity conferences, and analysis of secondary sources like articles, videoclips and podcasts. This work reflects shifts in society’s relationship with time, aging, the self, and the limits of the body.