The Path Forward — 7

The second great obstacle is about chasing our own tails. How can we simultaneously be hyper-innovative for extending health span but ignore all the things that are shortening it? Little to nothing has been done to address pervasive and worsening air pollution, micro and nanoplastics, the toxic PFAS forever chemicals, intake of ultra-processed foods, and so many of the components that I have included in the updated lifestyle+ category, in the air we breathe and the water we drink. The unabated mis- and disinformation anti-science movement, centered around conspiracy theories spreading in social media and digital media of all kinds, threatens the acceptance and use of momentous discoveries. Anti-science is a threat that can only be addressed through a restoration of trust in biomedical expertise.

As we move forward, we will inevitably see suppression of age-related diseases that for many is unimaginable right now. Squashing age-related diseases is such an exciting prospect, but it reminds me of what we saw in the first year of the COVID pandemic. There was no vaccine, and deaths were rapidly mounting throughout the world, especially among older adults. Those who could hang in to get vaccinated achieved a far greater immune protection from a safe exposure to the spike protein and substantially enhanced survival. Now the analogy is that we need to maintain our healthy aging, predominantly by focusing on lifestyle+ means, so that we can get to the next phase of digital biology deliverables.

It will take years to accomplish the far bolder objective of slowing the aging process itself. But when we do, Wellderly folks, super agers like Mrs. L. R. and Mr. R. P., will seem like an ordinarily vibrant group of people making valuable contributions to society. I recently turned seventy, and I am hopeful that you and I will be among them.