Key points from article :
The $101 million XPRIZE Healthspan competition has entered its next phase, with 20 finalist teams selected to advance towards clinical trials of therapies designed to help people stay healthier as they age. The competition, launched in 2023, aims to move beyond simply extending lifespan by finding ways to preserve muscle strength, cognitive function and immune health in adults aged 50 to 90.
Ten of the 20 finalists have also been named Milestone 2 awardees and will each receive $1 million to accelerate development and clinical testing. The successful teams span the US, Japan, South Korea and China and are pursuing a wide range of approaches, including medicines and biologics, stem cell and gene therapies, extracellular vesicles, and AI-assisted precision health.
The 10 awardees are AgelessRx; Goda Lab (NanoTitan, University of Tokyo and Tokyo RELIFE Clinic); Johns Hopkins-Suninflam; Longeveron; Minicircle; Mitochondrial All Stars (Mighty Therapeutics and the University of Washington); NYC-Vita (Mount Sinai Health System); RETRO-EPIGERNA (Macau University of Science & Technology), China; RPRGAON-Progeria (PRG S&Tech), South Korea; and TIME TRAVELER – Plant-EVs. Together, they are targeting processes linked to ageing, including inflammation, metabolic decline, cellular damage and impaired energy production.
From 2026 to 2029, the finalists will conduct clinical trials lasting up to a year, testing whether their interventions can restore aspects of muscle, cognitive and immune function. The competition will culminate in 2030, when up to $81 million in prize money will be awarded. If the approaches succeed, the organisers hope the programme could help establish a new generation of treatments aimed not at individual diseases, but at preserving health and independence as people grow older.
