RAADFest speaker Naveen Jain explains why longevity needs lofty goals – and why we’re all in it together.
Founder and CEO of Viome Life Sciences Naveen Jain is an entrepreneur and philanthropist driven to solve the world’s biggest challenges through innovation. A keen interest in moonshots – he’s written a book on the subject – makes him ideally placed to discuss The moonshot to cure aging at the upcoming RAADFest conference.
Longevity.Technology: RAADFest 2022 kicks off on 6 October; featuring four days of all-new content that promises to “fuel your future” and RAADFest aims to bring attendees to the cutting edge of longevity. While much scientific progress is iterative and measured in small steps, giant leaps are needed to inspire and propel the sector, so ahead of RAADFest, we caught up with Naveen Jain for a video interview in which he shares his views on the role of the wellness industry, how longevity is growing as a sector and why we need to be mindful of our pact with microbes. Check it out below:
Use the code ‘longevity’ at checkout for 10% off on any RAADFest registration. Click here to register.
Naveen Jain on…
What longevity is… and isn’t
The problem with the longevity space is everyone is looking for this elixir of life, the fountain of youth, a silver bullet that will make everyone suddenly healthy and live longer. I really think that’s a mirage. What will actually happen is that for each person we have to be able to analyse and understand on a biochemical level what is going on in that person’s body. And to be able to work with an N of 1 and actually be able to come up with personalised, precise recommendations of whatever that person needs – supplements, early diagnostics, &c – it will all be different for everyone. That, to me, that is where the work needs to be headed. With the advent of robotics and AI, we’ll be able to have custom-made orders for each individual – nutrients, &c that are designed just for you.
Food for thought
Gut microbiome is important, but it is just one of the many pieces that needs to fit together. Most people have this idea that digestion starts once the food hits the stomach; in fact digestion starts in the mouth and the oral microbiome in the saliva is actually the first time the food starts to get pre-digested. Viome is one of the few companies that is looking at the top of the tube – the saliva – and the bottom of the tube – the stool – and then we look at the other side of the tube, fingerprinting blood and looking at mRNA, the gene expression that is happening in every part of your body.
Is the wellness industry ready for longevity?
The wellness industry is the only industry that understood the concept of lifespan and healthspan. Wellness is about preventing diseases from happening – that’s the what the healthspan is. How do you prevent something from happening in the first place? That to me is the first part. Secondly, we need to diagnose people early while they can still be cured. Next, we need to be able to cure diseases that have never been cured. For example, autoimmune diseases – it is not enough to just suppress the immune system, we need to be able to understand the root cause of what is causing the immune system to attack the body. Why do people have certain conditions – what is the root cause? Tackle the “dis ease” and bring the body back into homeostasis.
Longevity.Technology readers can get 10% off on any registration with the code ‘longevity’ at checkout. Click here to register.
Stay tuned for more RAADFest interviews coming soon and check out our chat with Elena Rusyn, PhD, the CSO of American Cell Technology.
