Exponential Future Symposium

The main topic of the Exponential Future Symposium (http://expfuture.org/) is the development of exponential technologies (especially AI and Anti-Aging technologies), and the associated rewards and risks - including potential existential risks.

The consequences of scientific progress are unpredictable and can carry both positive and negative impact. The appearance of new technologies changes social, political and economic situation. None of us can know what is to come, but we can work together to maximize the odds of a future that is beneficial for humans and other sentient beings.

Meet the doctor who is convinced he will live to 150

Medical advancements mean that life expectancy is now far greater than we believe, an ageing expert has claimed 

An anti-ageing expert is convinced he will live until he is 150 and claims healthy Brits will live far longer than they expect.

Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, director of the UK-based Biogerontology Research Foundation think-tank, argues that medical advancements and the widespread use of antibiotics mean that life expectancy is now much greater than we believe.

And to test the theory he has committed himself to living a life that should give him the best chance of living to a ripe old age. He takes 100 different drugs and supplements each day, exercises regularly, goes for frequent check ups and monitors his own blood biochemistry and cell counts. He also vaccinates as soon as vaccines become available and claims to have ‘suppressed cravings’ for marriage, children and material assets to concentrate on anti-ageing research.

His comments come just weeks after Austrian researchers declared that old age now does not begin until 74 because of advances in health and medicine.

• Middle age now lasts until 74 as baby boomers refuse to grow old

Dr Alex Zhavoronkov, 37, said: “I think that even people past their 70s, who are in good health, have a fighting chance to live past 150. All of the supercentenarians alive today lived through tough times, when no antibiotics were available and our understanding of human biology was not that far from the stone age. Longevity of these people is attributed mostly to luck and stress resistance attributed to multiple factors including genetics. But people alive today will soon see the fruits of biomedical research come to market and gradually reduce mortality from many diseases and extend healthy longevity. I think that in two-three years we will have effective pharmacological solutions based on already approved drugs that will help people remain younger and healthier until other advances in regenerative medicine and gene therapy become available to further extend their longevity."

• Ageing does not have to bring poor health and frailty, say King's College scientists

Dr Zhavoronkov believes the biggest ageing culprits are not biological, but economic, social and behavioural and that much of the battle still lies in people’s heads.

“The toughest level of ageing to address is psychological aging,” he added.

“People are evolved to accept their certain decline and demise and human behavior and attitude to life changes throughout life and events like child birth or retirement trigger many processes that are very difficult to reverse. People form their longevity expectations primarily using their family history and country averages and are not prepared to change their expectations quickly.”

A baby girl born today is now expected to life to an average age of 82.8 years and a boy to 78.8 years, according to the Office for National Statistics.

But many health experts believe that if people embraced all the known anti-ageing interventions that are now documented, most could live far longer.

Simple lifestyle changes such as walking regularly, cutting down on sugar, salt and fat, and taking advantage of drugs that already exist, like statins, could all extend life.

However trying to persuade people to do what is good for them has proved tricky, as Cardiff University found. In 1979, 2,500 men were asked to follow five simple rules – eat well, work out, drink less, keep their weight down and never smoke.Four decades on, just 25 pensioners managed to stick to the plan. But they are all far fitter and healthier than those who gave up.

• Secret of healthy ageing discovered in ground-breaking 35-year study

Dr Peter Ellwood, who carried out the study said: “We found that we could make read reductions in areas like cancer and dementia. People weren’t just living longer, they were healthier. “Living a healthy lifestyle is better than any pill and have proved that it is possible to fit and active after the age of 65.”

Dr Zhavoronkov believes that rapid advances in medicines and technology will make it possible to extend human lives well beyond what was evolutionary necessary; to survive long enough to reproduce.
“Even if you look at the previous century, life expectancies in developed countries doubled even without major technological interventions,” he said. “So unless our civilization suffers a major blow from one of the catastrophic events like a global economic crisis, rise of militant religions or bioterrorism, many people alive today will be living extraordinarily long lives and take an active role in further human evolution.”

Dr Zhavoronkov is also a professor at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and heads the laboratory of regenerative medicine at the Federal Clinical Research Centre for Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology in Moscow. He is the co-founder and CEO of Insilico Medicine, a biotech company dedicated to drug discovery for cancer and aging located at Johns Hopkins University.

To see more information please go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11562492/Meet-the-doctor-who-is-convinced-he-will-live-to-150.html?fb_ref=Default

In the First Bioinformatics Hackathon, Computer Scientists Meeting in Russia Use their Computer Skills to Fight Deadly Diseases

MOSCOW, Russia, April 22, 2015 

In an intense, caffeine-fueled 48-hour brainstorming session, 100 computer programmers met in Moscow last week to compete in "GeneHack 2015", a hackathon in which competitors used their computer programming skills to organize, analyze and visualize reams of biological data. Their ultimate goal -- leverage their computer skills to unlock the genetic code of deadly diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's disease and extend the human lifespan.

The event, held at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, was the first international bioinformatics hackathon. The event underscored the amount of computer programming talent available in Russia's IT industry and the booming growth of bioinformatics, an industry in which computer technology is used to manage and analyze complex biological information. The bioinformatics industry, valued at a $4.2 billion last year is estimated to reach $13.3 billion in value by the end of 2020.

"The fight for top bioinformatics talent is heating up," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO of InSilico Medicine, Inc., a bioinformatics research company focused on drug discovery and sponsor of the Moscow hackathon. "An event like this gives us a chance to recruit the most talented computer programmers in Russia. These passionate young scientists have exciting new ideas in the field of drug repurposing and aging research."

The more than 100 young scientists who participated in "GeneHack 2015" were selected from a pool of more than 300 computer scientists. To demonstrate their skills, they competed in 12 challenges, including database development, compilation, gene expression analysis, and cross platform normalization using NVIDIA GPU.

Because of the growing need for bioinformatics researchers worldwide, Insilico Medicine, Inc. has R&D resources in the US, UK, Poland, Israel, Russia and R&D collaborations in Canada, Israel, Switzerland and China.

Until the early 1990s, biology and related fields required very little computer experience. Now, however, the vast amount of data generated from the human genome has made high-powered computer analysis of vast amounts of biological information necessary. Life scientists with an expertise in "Big Data" computer science, and statistics, have the skills needed for a successful career in bioinformatics.

Besides anti-aging research and drug discovery, other fast-growing segments of the bioinformatics industry include personalized medicine, forensic, agriculture, animal science and knowledge management.

About InSilico Medicine

InSilico Medicine, Inc. is a Baltimore-based company utilizing advances in genomics and big data analysis for in silico drug discovery and drug repurposing for aging and age-related diseases. The company utilizes the GeroScope(TM), OncoFinder(TM) , Pathway Cloud Intelligence(TM) and PharmAtlas(TM) packages for aging and cancer research, pursues internal drug discovery programs, and provides services to pharmaceutical companies.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/InSilico/Medicine/prweb12669881.htm

Venture Capitalist Promises $1M To First Person To Reach 123rd Birthday

Nice article from FORBES http://www.forbes.com/sites/sarahhedgecock/2015/04/21/venture-capitalist-promises-1m-to-first-person-to-reach-123rd-birthday/?fb_action_ids=960326357335123&fb_action_types=og.shares

The goal of the prize is twofold: to get the public interested in longevity research and to motivate people to live longer lives. While progress toward the first goal is plausible and even likely with the publicity that may surround the prize, the second is more dubious. There is some evidence for a modicum of “death elasticity” when it comes to financial decisions; a 2003 paper reported that some people seemed to live a bit longer in the face of changes to estate-tax law. But the effect, if there was one, was small, and the authors conceded that the possibility of doctored death dates could not be dismissed entirely.

Why longevity? Why not something toward which competitors can more consciously work? Kaminskiy claims it’s because aging is the biggest long-term problem humans face today, and the one with the least predictable consequences. “Everyone has heard about dangerous artificial intelligence due to Elon Musk, but the risks incurred by high life expectancy are not clear yet,” he explained via email. “I realized that investing in aging research will have the highest impact on global peace, sustainability and economic growth.”

As of this writing, the world’s oldest living person is nearly 116 years old, giving Kaminskiy at least seven years before he doles out the cash – and if past records are any indication, it’ll be a while longer. The oldest person to have ever lived was France’s Jeanne Louise Calment, who died in 1997 at 122 years, 164 days old. Calment famously outlived her lawyer, who bought her old apartment, agreeing to give her money for it each month until her death, on the assumption that she would die first and the domicile would be his.
 

Cancer-Fighting and Aging-Fighting Scientists Announce Joint Discovery in the War against Colorectal Cancer

Two innovative medical technology companies, InSilico Medicine, Inc. and Champions Oncolology, Inc., have discovered what may prove to be a "green light" tool in colon cancer treatment; a tool that helps doctors choose the most promising path to treat a patient when so many other treatment options are available. The discovery may lead to more effective treatment of colon cancer.

 

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. More than 50,000 people die of CRC each year and almost half of all newly diagnosed patients are in an advanced stage of cancer (metastatic CRC) when they are first diagnosed.

Because of the relatively low response rates of cancer patients to different drug regimens, researchers with InSilico Medicine and Champions Oncology set out to find biological signals or biomarkers in cancerous tumors that might predict in advance whether a patient is likely to respond to a drug treatment. Researchers focused on cetuximab, which is an antibody used in the targeted treatment of CRC patients who do not have a mutation of the K-ras gene. Yet, despite its approval by the FDA for use in these patients, cetuximab is successful in 40 to 60% of these cases.

According to a joint paper just released by Champions Oncology and InSilico Medicine, the two companies have identified a biological indicator that may predict in advance the likelihood that a specific patient will respond to cetuximab. If validated through clinical trials, researchers believe this "green light" tool will help oncologists make better decisions for patients.

"We're thrilled to collaborate with Champions Oncology and Dr. David Sidransky at Johns Hopkins University. While Champions is the leader in personalized medicine, we specialize in big data analysis and signaling pathway analysis. Working together, we're the most promising competitor in personalized medicine," said Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO of InSilico Medicine, Inc.

"Utilizing our TumorGraft platform and signaling pathway analysis from InSilico Medicine, we may decipher pathway activation profiles in cancer patients that lead to a better personalized treatment," said Keren Paz, PhD, Chief Scientific Office at Champions Oncology Inc.

About InSilico Medicine

InSilico Medicine, Inc. is a Baltimore-based company utilizing advances in genomics and big data analysis for in silico drug discovery and drug repurposing for aging and age-related diseases. The company utilizes the GeroScope(TM), OncoFinder(TM) , Pathway Cloud Intelligence(TM) and PharmAtlas(TM) packages for aging and cancer research, pursues internal drug discovery programs, and provides services to pharmaceutical companies.
 

If you have any questions about the science of aging, bioinformatics, or InSilico Medicine's plan in anti-aging research and drug discovery, please call (443) 451- 7212 or visit: http://www.insilicomedicine.com.

This article was originally distributed on PRWeb. For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.prweb.com/releases/Insilico/Medicine/prweb12631447.htm

 

 Contact:

InSilico Medicine, Inc.
Qingsong Zhu, PhD
zhu@insilicomedicine.com
+1 4434517212

 

Multi-Millionaire Who Wants To Live Forever Offers $1 Million To Whoever Reaches 123 Years Old

A multi-millionaire from Moldova, who himself has aspirations of living forever, has just offered one million dollars to the first person in the world to reach the age of 123.

The senior partner of the Hong Kong-based Deep Knowledge Ventures, Dmitry Kaminskiy, hopes his offer of cash will trigger a new group of what is known as “supercenternarians.”

As Kaminskiy explained to reporters, “We live in the most exciting era of human development when technologies become exponential and transformative. They may not realize it, but some of the supercentenarians alive today may see the dawn of the next century if they live long enough for these transformative technologies to develop.”

Kaminskiy’s hope is that he will succeed in helping people to reach an older age, as he said, “I hope that my prize will help some of them desire longer lifespans and make their approaches to living longer a little more competitive.”

The oldest person who ever lived was Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 having lived to the age of 122.5. For now, the oldest living people are Jeralean Talley, at 115 years, and Susannah Mushatt Jones, also aged 115.

The well-known gerontologist, Dr. Aubrey de Grey, chief scientist at SENS Research Foundation and Anti-Aging Advisor to the U.S. Transhumanist Party, told reporters that in the near future, scientists may be able to control aging.

As he said, “I’d say we have a 50/50 chance of bringing aging under what I’d call a decisive level of medical control within the next 25 years or so.”

Back in January, Kaminskiy made a bet with Dr. Alex Zhavoronkov, Ph.D., CEO of anti-aging company Insilico Medicine Inc. for a million dollars in stock who would live beyond 100 years of age.
Dr. Zhavoronkov said at the time, “Longevity competitions may be a great way to combat both psychological and biological ageing. I hope that we will start a trend.”

It remains to be seen whether the incentive of one million dollars will actually enable someone to live to the age of 123, which would be a world record to be beaten, possibly by Mr. Kaminskiy himself.

Russian oligarch pledges 1 million prize to the first person that can live to be 123 !

      

The large prize is being offered by businessman, Dmitry Kaminskiy 

He hopes money will help create a new group of 'supercenternarians'

Jeanne Calment holds the record of oldest person, dying aged 122.5

He has made a $1m bet with Dr Alex Zhavoronkov on who will die first

A Russian multi-millionaire whose dream it is to live forever has promised to give $1 million to the first person to reach the age of 123.

Dmitry Kaminskiy, a senior partner of Hong Kong-based firm, Deep Knowledge Ventures, is hoping his million dollar gift will trigger a new group of 'supercenternarians'.

He says research into stem cells, tissue rejuvenation and regenerative medicine will allow people to live beyond 120 - an age that has been quoted as the 'real absolute limit to human lifespan'.

'We live in the most exciting era of human development when technologies become exponential and transformative,' Kaminskiy told DailyMail.com. 

'They may not realise it, but some of the supercentenarians alive today may see the dawn of the next century if they live long enough for these transformative technologies to develop. I hope that my prize will help some of them desire longer lifespans and make their approaches to living longer a little more competitive.'

French born Jeanne Calment currently holds the record, having lived to age 122.5. She died in 1997. Already, a number of supercentenarians are candidates to best Calment's record.  The oldest verifiable supercentenarians living now are Jeralean Talley, at 115 years, and Susannah Mushatt Jones, also at 115 years. Both are Americans, and Talley is older by 44 days. 

In the last few years, major anti-aging companies, such as Google's Calico and J. Craig Venture's new San Diego-based genome sequencing start-up Human Longevity Inc, have launched. Along side this, Billionaires like Larry Ellison, Sergey Brin, Peter Thiel, Paul F. Glenn, and Dmitry Itskov are also funding research into longevity science.

Itskov is the founder of the 2045 Initiative with the goal of helping humans achieve physical immortality within the next three decades.

Reuters reported that gerontologist Dr Aubrey de Grey, chief scientist at SENS Research Foundation and Anti-Aging Advisor to the US Transhumanist Party, thinks scientists may be able to control aging in the near future.

'I'd say we have a 50/50 chance of bringing aging under what I'd call a decisive level of medical control within the next 25 years or so,' he said. 

Kaminskiy is hopeful people will soon start living to 150 years of age with longevity science improving.

Studies in stopping and reversing aging in mice have already shown some success, and people around the world are generally living longer all the time.

For example, life expectancy hit an all time high of nearly 79 years-old in 2014 in America according to a report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Additionally, Britain's oldest person, Ethel Lang, just died at the age of 114. She was believed to be the last person living in the UK who was born in the reign of Queen Victoria.

Whether Kaminskiy's million dollar prize will encourage people to live longer is still to be seen. But this isn't the first time Kaminskiy has made news with in the longevity field using his resources. 

At January's JPMorgan Health Care Conference in San Francisco, he recently bet Dr Alex  Zhavoronkov, PhD, CEO of anti-aging company Insilico Medicine Inc. for a million dollars in stock who would live beyond 100 years of age.

'Longevity competitions may be a great way to combat both psychological and biological aging,' Dr. Zhavoronkov said. 'I hope that we will start a trend.' Zhavorokov thinks longevity science today resembles the computer industry in the 70s or networking in mid-90s. 'Most of the pieces are there,' he said. 'We just need a product or a service to transform the way we live. The revolution in longevity is just around the corner and it is time to seriously engage in the field.'

Historically speaking, prizes have made a difference in the way science and culture has evolved, and also in the way people look at the world. The Nobel Prizes, given out in Stockholm, Sweden every year, are perhaps the most famous and coveted of all awards on the planet. Scientists and peace activists careers can change overnight by winning the prestigious prize. It's possible the million dollar prize for the longest living person ever on the planet will also evolve into a well-known award. Perhaps other wealthy enthusiasts will step forward to offer new longevity awards after a supercentenarian reaches age 123. Maybe a trend will be set, and new awards for age 135, or even age 150 will be established. 

About Deep Knowledge Ventures

Deep Knowledge Ventures is a Hong Kong-based venture fund management company focused on deploying machine learning to accelerate progress in high-impact fields. DKV’s investment portfolio spans biotechnology, regenerative medicine, oncology, drug discovery, bioinformatics and personalized medicine. For more information, please visit http://www.deepknowledgeventures.com

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3034300/Russian-oligarch-pledges-1-million-prize-person-live-123.html#ixzz3Wyj9lR56