They Want to Live Forever: The Making of a Life Extension Revolution in Biomedicine

Scientists and biotechnology investors have been making headlines in recent years, for the desire to “live forever” and defeating death. The field of geroscience, or biogerentology, is going through a resurgence in the last few years. 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. In this talk I provide an overview of the resurgence of longevity biotechnology as the ultimate frontier in biotechnology, co-produced by both advances in the sciences and resistance against current paradigms of healthcare. I show the work that longevity proponents are conducting in advocacy and regulatory reforms, bringing forward a healthcare revolution, aiming to transform the meaning of disease and healthcare, and the future of the human. As non-scientists are setting the terms of deliberation and research priorities in biotechnology, this raises profound questions for bioconstitutional order. This research is based on participants 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.