Health and Happiness at Davos 2020
It was -10 centigrade when I arrived with two colleagues in Davos for the 2020 WEF forum — our team’s first time attending the world-renowned conference. I didn’t really know what to expect. What did transpire is like nothing I could have imagined.
I had been given the opportunity to speak at Davos about a topic that I care about and that our funds invest in: longevity.
Our Longevity forum, co-sponsored with Apollo Ventures, was the highlight of the week for me, justifying the freezing temperatures and dodging the seemingly infinite security forces and their casually slung automatic weapons. The mission of the World Economic Forum states they are ‘Committed to improving the state of the world’. So are we. It felt appropriate to be supporting and participating in a debate that impacts almost everyone: Longevity and a healthier lifespan.
The event opened with a Keynote from Nir Barzilai, Director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Nir discussed the impact of genetics on a long healthy lifespan. As a result of a study he conducted with over 1000 centenarians, he believes that while genetics does indeed play a role somewhat in keeping one healthy, their attitude, happiness, and perspective on life also has a huge impact. He posits that there is much more to longevity than simply being healthy, which is difficult to define. Taking life less seriously, with less stress, and being able to let the small things go also factors in. This is what we promote as a fund.
Nir went on to speak in detail about the biology of aging and the areas that are undergoing tremendous amounts of research all across the globe; cellular dysfunction, tissue degeneration, and molecular alterations. Some molecular pathways and receptors have been known for decades, but the strength of their impact has not been known until now. An example of this is the benefit of Metformin on delaying aging at the cellular level by reducing insulin resistance and therefore improving the health of cells at this level. Diabetics have been benefiting from this effect for years.
The first panel, entitled ‘The status quo of health extension — Scientific progress and emerging interventions for healthy aging’, brought in experts in life sciences, including Brian Kennedy, Director of Centre for Healthy Ageing at the National University of Singapore; Adam Antebi, former President and CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and Professor and former Managing Director at Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing; Peter Hamley, CSO of Samsara Therapeutics Inc, former Global Head of External Innovation and Sourcing at Sanofi; and Joao Pedro De Magalhaes, Associate Professor at University of Liverpool. The discussion went deep into the research and development regarding this space at a molecular level. Global pre-clinical studies of epigenetic modifications to mitochondrial dysfunction show increased the lifespan of cells in animal models. An example of this is from Samsara therapeutics, which has the world’s largest platform for the discovery and development of drugs to activate autophagy, a clean-up process within cells that breaks down damaged molecules. Autophagy is considered one of the central mechanisms controlling the aging process. Malfunction of this process has been associated with the development of cancer, diabetes or dementia, while activation of autophagy has outstanding potential to counteract the development of several age-related diseases.
The impact of exercise and fasting on this process and the impact lifestyle factors can have on the molecular process were discussed in detail — all while an indulgent three-course lunch and wine were being served! There is clearly huge support for continued research amongst the academic community in this space, with huge strides being made to overcome age-related diseases, both as a cure as well as prevention.
I participated in the second panel, ‘Opportunities and challenges — Socioeconomic implications of an aging society.’ I was joined by Jody Holtzman, Longevity Venture Advisors LLC; Michael Ringel, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG, Strategic Advisor at Life Biosciences; Michael Hodin, CEO of Global Coalition on Aging, Managing Partner at High Lantern Group; and John Beard, Professor at Centre of Excellence on Population Ageing Research, former Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course with the World Health Organization. We addressed the question: As we as a collective population are living longer — how are governments, institutions, businesses, and communities adapting for this change?
Many panel members shared their perspectives from having to leave their roles due to ageism, when they were more than capable of remaining in post. Evidence shows that businesses are losing out on large amounts of experience and knowledge by forcing healthy 65-year-olds to resign. Contrary to common opinion that people older than 65 years old lack the ability fully function, they are valuable contributors to society. The age group of 65–75 contribute in multiple ways: financially supporting their families (children and grandchildren), becoming consumers, and continuing to show a willingness to work. We discussed the need for governments to implement systems that allow people of this age bracket to continue to work should they choose to, and provide access to adult learning to improve ever-changing requirements of skill sets. A country where this is evident is Japan and countries around the globe are looking to them to see how they are tackling this — they have already increased their national retirement age to 70 years.
The audience was full, with over 120 on the waiting list. Attendees came from Korea, Japan, New York, and Europe — from artists, to investors, to consumer goods specialists, to fashion professionals, to students, to people just generally interested in the topic. It was clear from the buzz in the room that this was a passion for all kinds of people and that is an extremely relevant issue. Whether it was for themselves, or caring for elderly parents, or concerns for their children, it was a topic that anyone could talk about and were curious about.
Partner Mike Edelhart, and Joyance Europe Principal Neha Tanna
Do you know of any companies innovating in longevity or other emerging areas of science related to individual health? If so, please contact me at neha@joyancepartners.com.
Please join my colleagues and me on this journey in making the world a healthier and happier place for everyone.
By Principal Neha Tanna
@tannaneha
