The Future of Longevity Research

Why do humans age?

Firstly, the actual ageing in humans, is to do with the physical body. Even if we refer to mental or psychological ageing, those sorts of ageing are really symptoms of physical ageing tied to the brain and its periphery components in the biological body. So, what we are really talking about, is biological ageing.

Why do humans age biologically?

Humans age biologically because of deterioration of the functions, at different levels/layers in the body, ranging from cells to whole organs. And this can occur anywhere and everywhere between the top of the scalp to the bottom of the feet.

The trouble with isolating biological ageing is the complexity of its expanse and extent. It involves everything from skin cells, to the respiratory system, to the nervous system, the heart function, blood cells, how intestines work, and so on. It really is a rather extensive and diverse list, and nothing happens in a silo, in a body. There are endless dynamics simultaneously possible, within each human body, resulting in general overall ageing. The ageing is never in part or parts. It is always a sum total, of the various outcomes of all kinds of dynamics leading to deterioration of functions at various layers and levels within the make-up of the human body.

Our bodies, or rather, the parts of our bodies, start to deteriorate, from down to our cells, of all kinds, to whole organs or functional systems that those organs may be a part of, from the time, of our births.

Generally, through childhood and teens, our bodies are developing. They go through a formative process at the initial stage of life. During that period, mostly, our bodies are “maturing”, more, than they are deteriorating. In most cases, far more significantly “maturing” than deteriorating. When I say “maturing” in this context, defying the dictionary definition for the want of a better word, term or descriptor, what I really mean, is that the functionality of the body is growing, improving, getting stronger.

What happens at the end of the formative process of childhood and teenage years though? Such as when puberty is complete, you no longer are growing taller in height generally, you are not going to get a new set of teeth and so on? That strengthening process, of what I call “maturing” stops, but the deterioration continues, and even picks up, intensifies, not because the physical “maturing” has stopped, but because it has been building up for a long time, even if most of us don’t notice any deterioration in ourselves through those early years of life.

A lot of the deterioration that intensifies in adulthood, and then accelerates, depending on body to body, at a slow subtle pace, a steady gradual pace or at a rapid pace, is attributable to predisposed conditions (one or more) in one form or another, including congenital conditions, such as differently or oddly shaped organs or parts of the organs, such as heart-valves (commonly known as Mitral Valve Prolapse), and so on. Some of us are just born with bodies more susceptible to different types of cancers, to diabetes, and so on (hereditary/genetic predispositions) and it is almost a matter of time before those things are triggered in one way or another, as much as we may exercise various cautions to avoid those triggers.

Take the Science and Medicine out for a simple explanation– What is Ageing in Lay Experience?

Simply, the body cannot do, what we expect it to do, that would be possible, at an earlier life stage. For example, a decline in immunity, makes one more prone to disease. The ability to heal declines, and one takes longer to recover from injuries or does not recover as well. The digestive system stops digesting as well, and our food intake declines, so the way that the body acquires nutrition for strength and energy changes, leading to other domino effects, leading the body to weaken on the overall level.

For a various combination of deteriorations, we can no longer run or climb as fast. We can’t stand or walk for as long as we would have been able to. We can’t do Yoga exercises anymore perhaps. And hence the common universal lamenting statements come about across the world, across every culture, along the lines of: I am too old for this.

However, ageing, in its effects, runs deeper than “I am too old for this”. It runs, internally, at levels where the organs or functional support systems of the body are no longer able to support, first optimal health, then reasonable health. It reaches further to an extent where the body’s internal systems cannot support basic health. Finally, life itself cannot be supported, because the functions of the organs or blood flow or oxygen flow, and so on, deteriorate too much to support minimal effective running of life.

Back to Science and Medicine – What are the actual implications of ageing?

Simply put, ageing is the deterioration of functional activity within the biological body, due to the inability of certain, varied or different parts of the system that the body is, composed of various multiple levels and layers of natural systems therein. For example, the inability to produce pigments for hair colour, in the hair follicles, causing greying. And that is relatively fine, because it is a matter of appearance, commonly fixed with hair dyes if so desired. Nothing serious there. There are other inabilities that occur due to functional deterioration that do far worse damage: ill health, incapacitation, disability, death ultimately.

What does longevity mean in the context of ageing explained simply as such?

Basically, given that ageing occurs because of functional deterioration in the body system, longevity would mean one of the following:

1. Slowed deterioration of functions within the body

2. Delayed deterioration of functions within the body

3. Ceased/Stopped deterioration of functions within the body

4. Prevention of the deterioration of functions within the body

5. Reversal of the deterioration of functions within the body

In practical reality, for Longevity Science and Research to meaningfully achieve anything effective, towards enhancing or increasing human longevity, all five of the above would probably need to be addressed together in a combination, that scientists and researchers will have to figure and work out, along the principle that nothing happens in a silo. The body, as is the world around it, is a dynamic place and system. And therefore, a single trajectory would probably not suffice in seeking to achieve greater longevity.

What the above five meanings of longevity may be exploited to be translated into for research directions include the following:

1. Research into enhancement of human immunity/immune system

2. Cure & Immunity against currently known common diseases that are either difficult to cure or yet incurable

3. Enhancement of human cell/gene systems to slow/delay functional deterioration

4. Exploration of possibilities of enhanced physical healing or recovery

5. New treatments to correct birth defects and congenital structural issues

6. Early interventions against pre-disposed conditions, to stop their advents

7. Reversal treatments, to reverse deterioration of internal functions already occurred or begun

The future?

Taking a position from the Futures Studies standpoint, the most fundamental and rudimentary facts that are established must be the starting point. Ageing is inevitable. Ultimately, the human body is designed as such that it must perish. Physical immortality, even virtual, beyond for a few suspect specimen species of micro-organisms is likely never going to be possible. There is

no evidence of tangible nature to disprove this yet. When there is, it can guide directions as such then. Not for now. Yet, this may not be that bad a thought to accept for those who harbour ambitions in the direction of physical immortality for human beings.

Ageing being inevitable means that it cannot be stopped. However, that we understand, or rather, that we can understand that it occurs because of deterioration of functions, points to the possibility of actions and interventions to slow or delay ageing – which ultimately translates to greater longevity.

With five possible meanings of longevity mentioned above herein to both address and exploit in combination, it is possible that the translation of research efforts could result in relatively exponential increase in longevity. So much so, that humans, thanks to such research efforts may achieve lifespans previously thought of as possible only in fantasy fiction.

The seven research directions suggested as examples above alone may eliminate most commonly known natural causes of death, thus very significantly delaying it.

Yet, the purpose of longevity research is not just about extension of life, but also the enhancement of the quality of life. It would be futile if humans lived longer but suffered the pains of ageing more greatly, for the extended period of life.

Therefore, the primary focus should not just be the delay of death, but, also the delay of ageing, for the experience of ageing, along with the extension of lifespan. This is where disease prevention, greater immunity, addressing of predisposed and congenital conditions is key. This is also where the reversal of deterioration should be paramount the goal – one that ought to draw optimal focus, attention and importance.

About Harish "The Singapore Futurist" Shah

Harish Shah is Singapore's first local born Professional Futurist and a Management Strategy Consultant. He runs Stratserv Consultancy. His areas of consulting and Keynote Topics include EmTech, Industry 4.0, HR, Digital Transformation, Product Development, X Reality, Marketing, Strategic Foresight, Systems Thinking and Organisational Future Proofing. In an Open Letter in 2019, Harish has called on his fellow Futurists around the world to raise the emphasize upon the need for Environmental Salvation, in the course of their work. He is also currently working on a series of essays which will culminate into a free eBook titled Life in Techtopia.

Motivation

Harish has written this article out of the desire to pursue work ahead, across industry lines/boundaries, at the cross-section of technology and human biology, to uncover ground-breaking solutions to address physical ageing that would allow the extension of "Physical Youth" (something deliberately omitted from this article).