Sixth annual EARD conference brings the science of aging research into the future – time to reach for DeSci.
Next week, on 10-11 August 2023, Lifespan.io will be holding its sixth annual Ending Age-Related Diseases (EARD) conference. Bringing entrepreneurs, investors, pharma and biotech companies, researchers, and government organizations together, the conference will foster the exchange of information and encourage cooperation between the various parts of the longevity industry – an ethos that lies at the very heart to this non-profit organization.
The event will be held at the Capitale building in New York City, with the doors opening at 9am Eastern time, in time for an event start of 10am. However, there is also the option to join online, so if you are unable to journey to the Big Apple, you can still enjoy the fruits of the conference.
This year, not only is the conference bringing leaders in longevity research together, but with an eye firmly fixed on the future, it is also including experts from the decentralized science (DeSci) movement. DeSci is an open science movement that aims to break down silos and shake up the traditional science and research infrastructure, accelerating progress and enhancing scientific funding and knowledge sharing. DeSci enthusiasts want to leverage its capabilities to create new public infrastructures for funding, creating, reviewing, crediting, storing and disseminating scientific knowledge fairly and equitably.
Longevity.Technology: DeSci is seen by many as the next evolution of crowdfunding, and because most of it is rooted in blockchain, it has attracted support from members of the cryptocurrency community who also want longer and healthier lives. Solving aging is going to take large-scale funding and the DeSci movement makes raising those funds more likely using blockchain technology that is free from the constraints of the traditional grant system. It also democratizes longevity funding as anyone can get involved, helping to fund and direct research into the areas they find most promising or exciting.
Democratization of longevity is a core value that sits right at the heart of Lifespan.io and it is exciting to see a conference on the calendar that values the accessibility of the therapies it is discussing.
We reached out to Keith Comito, Cofounder and President of Lifespan Extension Advocacy Foundation, who told us that one of the organization’s goals is to not only promote the development of therapies which address aging, but also to ensure that such therapies get into the hands of everyone who wants them.
“Decentralized Science (DeSci) has a key role to play in this, having the power to directly engage the public in research itself, solve systemic issues which inhibit progress such as reproducibility and lack of coordination, and facilitate entirely new types of clinical trials,” he says.
“At the Longevity + DeSci Summit NYC – the 6th incarnation of our Ending Age-Related Disease Conference – we’ve created a program that highlights the specific areas where decentralized science and the field of longevity can work together,” Comito explains.
“This includes new communication structures such as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), as well as new technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and dynamic NFTs – some of which invented by Lifespan.io team members ourselves – able to create new outreach and fundraising mechanisms for longevity research, as well as improving how such research is conducted. We hope you’ll join us to learn how these worlds truly come together in the service of extending healthy lifespan for as many people as possible.”
Speakers will include many top names in both fields, comprising researchers, investors, advocates, members of government agencies and more. Just a quick glance at the line-up confirms a roster of longevity A-listers – Vadim Gladyshev, Oki O’Connor, Steve Horvath, Aubrey de Grey, Nathan Cheng, Joanna Bensz, Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Peter Fedichev, Yuri Deigin, Brian Kennedy…
The packed program includes plenty on DeSci and also includes talks on lifespan control, cellular reprogramming, women’s reproductive health and whether aging is reversible.
Longevity.Technology is a proud Media Partner of Lifespan.io’s Longevity+DeSci Summit NYC, where leaders in longevity biotech and decentralized science meet to drive breakthroughs in aging science. Join us on Aug 10-11 and use code LT2023 for 10% off your ticket! If you can’t attend in person, consider getting a virtual ticket as all of the talks will be livestreamed and available to watch online.
