ACADEMIC KEYNOTES
(More speakers to be announced soon)
Nazif Alic
Professor of Ageing and Gene Regulation, UCL
Prof Nazif Alic's work aims to understand how fine-tuning gene expression can optimise animal physiology for healthy ageing. He uses the fruit fly as the model organism and his research interests span several components of the transcriptional machinery: from the basic apparatus to specialised transcription factors.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte
Founding Scientist & Director, San Diego Institute of Science, Altos Labs
Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, previously the Roger Guillemin Chair and Professor in the Gene Expression Laboratory at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, is currently Director of Altos Labs Institute of Science in San Diego. During life’s early stages cells display high levels of plasticity, regeneration and resilience against stress, disfunction and injury, which are key features of human health. Dr. Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte, has contributed towards understanding the molecular basis underlying embryogenesis and early postnatal life, as well as gained insights into how to program and rejuvenate adult and diseased cells. He is developing technologies to program cells to states similar to those observed in the early, healthy stages of life, with the objective of developing universal health therapeutics to overcome human.
Marc P. Bernegger
Founding Partner, Maximon
Longevity Investors
Marc P. Bernegger is a serial-tech entrepreneur who has been following developments in the field of longevity since 2009.
He is a founding partner of Maximon, a company builder focused on delivering healthy aging solutions today. Since its launch in 2021, Maximon has already established five companies, each with a science-backed, measurable impact on human aging. Among these ventures is the AYUN clinic in Zurich, which aims to revolutionize the longevity clinic market by offering proactive, personalized health care using cutting-edge diagnostics and treatments.
Besides co-founding the longevity company-builder Maximon and Longevity Investors, he launched the fund AltAlpha Digital and is among others in the board of CfC St. Moritz and GenTwo.
Marc started his entrepreneurial journey by founding the party platform usgang.ch right after college (acquired by Axel Springer Media). He is also a co-founder of amiando, a ticketing platform, which was purchased by Xing and named “Global Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
Marc holds a master's degree in law from the University of Zurich and is an alumni of the Singularity University.
Sebastian A Brunemeier
General Partner, Healthspan Capital
Sebastian A. Brunemeier is a biotech VC and company builder focused on longevity & regenerative medicine. He is Co-Founder and General Partner of Healthspan Capital, and CEO and Founder of ImmuneAGE Bio (stealth), focused on immune system rejuvenation. Over the last 5 years, he has co-founded 4 longevity biotech (“LongBio”) companies with a total equity value of >$600M. He was Co-Founder and Chief Investment Officer at Cambrian Biopharma, Co-Founder and COO of Samsara Therapeutics, and Principal at Apollo Health Ventures (the first and largest aging-focused venture capital fund in the world with $200M AUM). Altogether, these organizations have raised ±$400M in the last 4 years. He was a Fulbright Fellow on the biology of aging, a Skaggs-Oxford Scholar at the Scripps Research Institute, and a SENS Foundation Scholar at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. His education includes dropping out of DPhil (PhD) training in biochemistry of aging at the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar and he holds a Master’s in Life Science Business Management and Molecular Neuroscience from the University of Amsterdam as an Amsterdam Excellence Scholar. He served as trustee of the British Society for Research on Aging, a mentor at The New York Academy of Sciences, and as an advisor or board member to: VitaDAO/Molecule.to, Equator Therapeutics, Revivo Therapeutics, and McKinsey & Company.
Burcu Demiray
Group Leader, Department of Psychology & Healthy Longevity Center, University of Zurich
Dr. Demiray is a lifespan developmental psychologist by training and a research group leader at the University of Zurich, who aims to understand and promote healthy adult development and aging. She develops and uses real-life methodologies (e.g., smartphone sensing, experience sampling) to examine adults’ social and cognitive activities in the real world. She uses an interdisciplinary approach in data analytics (e.g., machine learning) and in her applied research in order to develop innovative tools and solutions for older adults (e.g., e-learning platform). She is an established scientist with entrepreneurial experience, who translates scientific findings into innovation that makes a social impact in our increasingly aging and digitized world.
Barry Halliwell
Distinguished Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore
Chairman, Biomedical Advisory Council, Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Professor Halliwell graduated from Oxford University with BA (first class honours) and D.Phil degrees and holds a Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the University of London. He was a faculty member with King’s College University of London (1974-2000) and held a prestigious Lister Institute Research fellowship. He was a Visiting Research Professor at the University of California Davis and Berkeley (1995-1999). He now holds several key positions in Singapore.
He is recognized for his pioneering work on the role of free radicals and antioxidants in biology, being one of the world’s most highly-cited scientists (Hirsch-Index of 171) and was chosen as a Citation Laureate (2021) for pioneering research in free-radical chemistry including the role of free radicals and antioxidants in human disease. The distinction is awarded by Clarivate to researchers whose work is deemed to be of “Nobel Class” as they are among the most influential, even transformative, in their fields. He was one of 16 scientists (three only in Chemistry) in the 2021 Hall of Citation Laureates.
His research focuses on the role of free radicals and antioxidants in human disease, particularly Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, identifying novel approaches to delay or prevent such diseases.
Brian Kennedy
Co-Director, Centre for Healthy Longevity, National University Health System
Dr. Brian Kennedy is internationally recognized for his research in the basic biology of aging and as a visionary committed to translating research discoveries into new ways of detecting, delaying, preventing, and treating human aging and associated diseases. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Physiology at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. He also serves as the Programme Director for the Healthy Longevity Translational Research Programme and holds the role of Co-Director at the Centre for Healthy Longevity in the National University Health System.
Terytty Yang Li
PI, Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology (IMIB), Fudan University
Dr. Terytty Yang Li acquired his PhD degree at the State Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, Xiamen University in 2015. Supervised by Prof. Sheng-Cai Lin, he revealed the regulatory mechanism of autophagy induction by the GSK3-TIP60-ULK1 signaling cascade (Science, 2012; Physiology, 2013), and a novel role of ULK1/2, the autophagy-initiating kinases, in the reprogramming of glucose metabolism during nutritional stresses (Molecular Cell, 2016). After PhD graduation, he continued working as postdoc in Prof. Sheng-Cai Lin’s lab and elucidated the physiological functions of acetyltransferase TIP60 in lipid synthesis (Nature Commun, 2018) and ULK1/2 in liver injury (Hepatology, 2018).
In 2017, he joined Prof. Johan Auwerx’s lab in École Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), where he demonstrated that transcriptional coactivator CBP/p300 is an evolutionarily conserved node that promotes longevity in response to mitochondrial stress (Nature Aging, 2021), the essential role of v-ATPase/mTORC1-mediated ATFS-1 translation/ATF4 phosphorylation in mitochondrial UPR activation (J Cell Biol, 2022; Cell Discovery, 2023), and discovered a lysosomal surveillance response (LySR) that reduces proteotoxicity and extends organismal healthspan (BioRxiv, 2022b). In 2022, he was appointed as an independent PI at Institute of Metabolism and Integrative Biology (IMIB), Fudan University.
Yu-Xuan Lyu (Lu)
Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Advanced Biotechnology, Southern University of Science and Technology, China
Guest Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing, Germany
Dual Fellow, European EMBO and Marie Curie
European Future Research Leader Award, EU
German Talent, German Foreign Office
Dr. Yu-Xuan Lyu (Lu) previously worked in Germany with internationally renowned expert Professor Linda Partridge, founding director of the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing and Vice-President of the British Royal Society. Over the past five years, he has published articles in journals such as Nature, Nature Aging (2), eLife, and PNAS. His "Rapamycin Anti-Ageing Trilogy" research was recognised as a breakthrough and selected as one of the few Research highlights in the Max Planck Society in 2022.
He serves as a reviewer for several internationally renowned journals, including eLife, EMBO reports, and Science Advances. Moreover, he led a team that won the Longhack Longevity Startup Competition in 2022. Subsequently, he co-founded and developed the #FlyScreen startup project, focusing on discovering new compounds to cure age-related diseases. These projects are now officially financially supported by the Max!mize incubator at Max Planck Innovation.
He formally returned to China at the beginning of 2024 to join the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen.
Jim Mellon
Chairman, Burnbrae Group
Deputy Chairman & Co-Founder, Juvenescence
Jim Mellon is a British entrepreneur and philanthropist with interests in a number of industries. Through his private investment company, The Burnbrae Group, he has substantial real estate investments as well as major shareholdings in private and public companies in sectors such as banking, commodities, leisure and healthcare. He is a recognised thought leader in the field of ageing research and longevity. His groundwork into the field is summarised in the book Juvenescence. Jim and his partners have set up Juvenescence, a company developing therapies for ageing and the diseases of ageing.
Jim sits on the Board of Trustees of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, and the American Federation for Aging Research. He is also a trustee of Lifeboat Foundation, is an Honorary Fellow of Oriel College at the University of Oxford and sits on the Advisory Board of the Milken Institute's Centre for the Future of Aging. Jim has been honoured by the AFAR with the George E. and Marie J. Doty Award for his support of ageing research.
Richard A. Miller
Professor of Pathology, University of Michigan
Director, Paul Glenn Center for Biology of Aging
Richard A. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan, and the Director of Michigan's Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research. He received the BA degree in 1971 from Haverford College, and MD and PhD degrees from Yale University in 1976-1977. After postdoctoral studies at Harvard and Sloan-Kettering, he moved to Boston University in 1982 and then to his current position at Michigan in 1990.
Dr. Miller has served in a variety of editorial and advisory positions on behalf of the American Federation for Aging Research and the National Institute on Aging, and served as one of the Editors-in-Chief of Aging Cell. He is the recipient of the Nathan Shock Award, the AlliedSignal Award, the Irving Wright Award, an award from the Glenn Foundation, and the Kleemeier Award for aging research, and was a Senior Scholar of the Ellison Medical Foundation.
He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Member of the Association of American Physicians. At Michigan, he directs the Geriatrics Center's Biogerontology program, and the Paul F. Glenn Center for Aging Research.
His research program includes ongoing studies of the mechanisms that link stress, nutrients, and hormones to delayed aging in mice, and works to develop new approaches to slow aging and disease through drugs, early life dietary restriction, and targeted mutations. He also studies the ways in which cells from long-lived birds, rodents, and primates may differ from those of short-lived species.
Phil Newman
Founder & CEO, Longevity.Technology
Phil Newman is Founder and CEO of www.Longevity.Technology, the leading media and consumer brand supporting the longevity megatrend.
In his career he has held multiple C-level management positions; applying his marketing and business development expertise into: longevity, IoT, bionics, medical devices, biopharma, 3D manufacturing, smartgrid and sustainability.
In 2018 he saw an opportunity in the emerging longevity field to create a media platform that addressed science, business and investment activity. Launched in 2019, www.longevity.technology rapidly became the leading news service with unparalleled domain authority enabling the company to expand its reach into investment, education and ecommerce.
James Peyer
CEO, Cambrian Bio
Dr. James Peyer is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Cambrian Bio. Fascinated with the biology of aging since he was a teenager, he has spent his life pursuing his mission to develop therapeutics to treat, and ultimately prevent, some of today’s most debilitating chronic diseases. James was previously Founder and Managing Partner at Apollo Ventures, the first global longevity-focused venture capital firm, investing across the US and Europe. He earned his PhD in stem cell biology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center as a National Science Foundation Fellow and received his B.A. with special honors from the University of Chicago.
Bruno Ribeiro Do Couto
Head, Brain Health Optimization Units, SHA Wellness Clinics
Professor, Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, University of Murcia, Spain
Professor Bruno Ribeiro Do Couto is an expert in cognitive performance and Neuropsychology. He has a European degree of Doctor in Psychology from the University of Valencia. Since he enrolled in the Clinical Psychology program at the Higher Institute of Health Sciences in Porto, Portugal, he has dedicated himself to studying the functioning of the brain. After the doctorate he completed his training with a post-doctorate at the Institute of Molecular Biology of the University of Porto and at the Príncipe Felipe Research Center, in Valencia.
Ribeiro is a professor at the University of Murcia, in the Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, and teaches classes in several international master's and postgraduate programs. He has done research stays at various prestigious universities, including the University of Bordeaux, Kings College London, the University of California, Harvard University and Illinois University. He has published more than 35 high-impact scientific articles.
Currently, Professor Ribeiro is investigating how a healthy brain works to ensure that this organ is in its optimal shape with the help of new brain neurostimulation technologies.
He is in charge of the state-of-the-art Brain Health Optimization Units at SHA Wellness Clinic, both in Spain and in the new headquarters in Mexico.
G. V. Shivashankar
Professor, ETH Zurich & Paul Scherrer Institute
G.V. Shivashankar is currently a Full Professor of Mechano-Genomics at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich jointly with the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland. He carried out his PhD at the Rockefeller University (1994-1999) and Postdoctoral research at NEC Research Institute, Princeton USA (1999-2000). He was a tenured faculty at the National Center for Biological Sciences, NCBS-TIFR-Bangalore, India (2000-2009) before relocating to the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2010. He was the Deputy Director of the Mechanobiology Institute at NUS (2011-2019) and was the IFOM-NUS Chair Professor (2014-2019) before joining ETH. His scientific awards include the Birla Science Prize in 2006, the Swarnajayanthi Fellowship in 2007, and he was elected to the Indian Academy of Sciences in 2010 and to the EMBO membership in 2019.
Vincenzo Sorrentino
Assistant Professor, National University of Singapore
Vincenzo Sorrentino is an Italian-born scientist in the fields of aging, mitochondrial biology and neuromuscular degeneration. He obtained his PhD Cum Laude at the University of Amsterdam, in the lab of Prof. Noam Zelcer, on LDL-cholesterol regulation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, with publications including in European Heart Journal and Circulation Research. Subsequently, he moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, for his postdoctoral research in Prof. Johan Auwerx's lab at the EPFL. His work there focused on the understanding of mitochondria and NAD+ metabolism in neurodegeneration and muscle aging, with his research discoveries on Alzheimer's disease and muscle aging published in Nature (2017) and Cell Reports (2021). He then obtained a position as Group Leader at the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences in Lausanne, to lead research focused on integrating basic discoveries on nutraceuticals and their effects on mitochondria and protein homeostasis with their translation into novel clinical applications. Since December 2022, he is an Assistant Professor at the NUS with the Dept. of Biochemistry and the Healthy Longevity TRP, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, to continue to develop his research on how metabolism, nutrition and proteostasis are linked and impact on health and aging.
Zhao Wang
Senior Professor, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tsinghua University
Prof. Zhao Wang is currently a Senior Professor in the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Tsinghua University, a member of the Scientific Committee of Aging and Anti-aging of the Chinese Gerontological Society, a Standing Member of Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine Branch, and a reviewer of the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Besides, he serves as a member of editorial board of Journal of Pharmacological Sciences and Food Science and Human Wellness. He has worked on studying of aging and aging related diseases as well as their biological mechanisms, with a focus on neuropharmacology and metabolic pharmacology, especially the pharmacology related with brain aging, bone aging and degenerative diseases such as AD and osteoporosis. Prof. Wang has published over 200 research articles, reviews and book chapters, and made many academic presentations in related conferences.
Hongbing Zhang
Tenured Professor, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College
Distinguished Professor, China Medical Board
Dr. Hongbing Zhang is a distinguished scientist with a notable academic and research career. He earned the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his postdoctoral training at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Harvard Medical School, where he also served as a lecturer. Currently, he is a tenured professor at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, a Distinguished Professor of the China Medical Board, a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and a member of the State Key Laboratory of Common Mechanisms for Major Diseases. From 2014 to 2023, he has been recognized as one of China's Highly Cited Researchers and is currently ranked among the World's Top 2% Scientists.
His research primarily focuses on the dysregulation of the mTOR signaling pathway and its role in the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases such as cancer. His work encompasses a wide range of conditions from rare diseases, such as hereditary breast cancer and tuberous sclerosis complex, to common cancers like liver, pancreatic, and lung cancer. By simulating human gene mutations in animal models and constructing disease models, Dr. Zhang explores the mechanisms underlying tumor development and other diseases, aiming to identify effective therapeutic strategies. His research efforts have led to the advancement of clinical trials and provided a foundation for the translation of basic medical research into clinical practice, promoting precision medicine. Notably, his work has made significant strides in making tuberous sclerosis complex and similar conditions preventable and treatable, thus alleviating the lack of medical care and treatments for some patients.
BIOHACKING KEYNOTES
Boyang
Founder, Project Twelve
Boyang studied Computer Science at the National University of Singapore and Yale University. He is the founder of Project Twelve and currently resides in Singapore. Boyang is interested in investing in longevity technology companies. As a pioneer biohacker, he underwent the same genetic therapy as Bryan Johnson on Vitalia, the longevity island in Honduras, becoming the first Asian to receive this treatment.
Brian M. Delane
President, Age Reversal Network
Brian M. Delaney has helped found and has run a number of research organizations focused on healthy longevity, including the Calorie Restriction Society International and Vitality in Aging (VIA) Research Group. He is a co-founder of the venture capital company Emergency Longevity Ventures, and is on the Industry Advisory Board of Life Extension Advocacy Foundation. He sits on the board of several longevity-focused groups including Mind First Foundation, and is clinical trials coordinator for RaDVaC (Rapid Deployment Vaccine Collaborative), which designed an open-source nasal SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in early 2020. He has published a book and numerous articles about healthy longevity.
His current work is focused on brain health, particularly the unique health challenges faced by carriers of the ε4 allele of APOE.
David Ishee
Head, Research and Development, Open Discovery Institute
David Ishee is a pioneering biohacker and geneticist, known for his innovative work in the field of genetic engineering. With over a decade of experience, David has been at the forefront of biohacking, exploring the boundaries of biotechnology to create novel organisms and solutions. He is particularly renowned for his efforts in developing affordable, open-source genetic modification techniques that empower individuals and small labs to participate in cutting-edge science.
David’s work includes significant advancements in animal genetic engineering, where he focuses on creating ethical and practical applications that challenge conventional approaches. He is a strong advocate for democratizing science, believing that access to genetic modification should not be limited to large corporations or governments.
In addition to his hands-on work in the lab, David is an influential voice in the biohacking community. He has been featured in prominent documentaries, including Unnatural Selection on Netflix and Citizen Bio on Showtime, and continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in genetic engineering.
Adeel Khan
Founder & CEO, Eterna Health
Co-founder & CMO, Minicircle
Dr. Adeel Khan is a globally recognized leader in the field of regenerative medicine, specializing in the clinical application of cell and gene therapies combined with tissue engineering. His groundbreaking work has positioned him at the forefront of translating advanced scientific discoveries into practical, life-changing medical treatments. With a focus on enhancing tissue repair and regeneration, Dr. Khan's innovative approaches leverage the potential of stem cells and genetic modifications to treat a variety of complex conditions.
Dr. Khan's expertise is not limited to theoretical research; he is deeply involved in clinical practice, where he has successfully applied these cutting-edge therapies to improve patient outcomes. His contributions to regenerative medicine extend beyond the clinic, as he is a sought-after speaker and educator, sharing his knowledge and insights with peers and students worldwide. Through his pioneering work, Dr. Khan continues to push the boundaries of what is possible in medicine, aiming to provide more effective and personalized treatments for patients globally.
Stanislav Skakun
Co-founder & CEO, Biodata
Stanislav Skakun is the CEO and founder of Biodata, a platform specializing in medical and biological data storage and bioinformatics. Simultaneously, he is a self-quantification enthusiast. Since 2014, Skakun has been conducting self-measurement experiments, assessing 300-400 biochemical parameters in his body each month. Consequently, this experiment has collected data from over 15,000 medical measurements, making it one of the largest experiments of its kind. Skakun believes that the key to success lies in foundational health—sufficient nutrition, balanced hormones, and a healthy nervous system.
James Strole
Co-Founder & Director, People Unlimited
Executive Director, Coalition for Radical Life Extension
James Strole is a futurist dedicated to helping bring about a world in which vibrant unlimited human lifespans are the norm. He is Executive Director of the Science-based not-for-profit Coalition for Radical Life Extension, which is the producer of RAADfest, the largest global longevity event for a general audience.
James is also the Director of People Unlimited, an international organization that supports people pursuing unlimited lifespans. Co-author of the book Just Getting Started: Fifty Years of Living Forever, James is a visionary anti-death activist and community builder who has spoken and written on radical life extension and physical immortality for over Five decades.
James has dedicated his life to challenging death-oriented beliefs and practices and has coached thousands of people in living an ageless lifestyle to achieve healthier, fuller, more satisfying lives. He has appeared on numerous TV shows both domestically and abroad and has spoken to audiences in 26 countries on four continents.
As an emotional and spiritual platform for immortal living, James teaches the concept of the immortal lineage, an experience of abundance and unbridled enjoyment of life. This goes beyond positive thinking to a new strength and resilience that is innate in the human body. James says: “We were all born into a mortal world and have operated from that mortal consciousness that rejects immortality. But there is also within us an immortal seed for us to tap into that calls us out of survival into a future of creativity and unlimited life.”