Key points from article :
At the Genii Longevity 2025 conference held in Geneva, scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers gathered to discuss how cutting-edge research and innovative strategies can extend healthspan and address global aging. Dr. Dmitry Bulavin, Director of IRCAN (Institut de Recherche sur le Cancer et le Vieillissement de Nice), was a keynote speaker, highlighting his team's work on cellular senescence—the process where cells stop dividing but don’t die. Rather than eliminating all senescent cells, IRCAN proposes reprogramming or targeting only harmful ones, preserving their potential benefits in healing and immune defence. Their recent studies even suggest that immune cells affected by the Pfizer COVID vaccine may help guard against severe disease and inflammation, revealing new therapeutic possibilities for cancer, sepsis, and wound healing.
The conference, hosted by the International Longevity Alliance (ILA) and chaired by Dr. Ilia Stambler, emphasized the global push to democratize longevity. Speakers such as Dr. Dominik Thor of the Geneva College of Longevity Science and Dr. Anna Erat from the University of St. Gallen underlined the role of healthy lifestyles and the promise of therapies like NAD+ supplements, DHEA hormones, stem cell-based treatments, and wearables. However, access and affordability remain hurdles—most longevity care remains out-of-pocket and poorly supported by public health systems.
Dr. Alejandro Bonilla Garcia, a UN aging policy expert, addressed the social dimensions of longevity, calling for a "new social equation" to adapt to longer lifespans. He advocated for updated retirement models, better economic efficiency, and stronger social protections. Importantly, the UN is now working on a legally binding international convention on the rights of older persons to ensure that longer life is accompanied by dignity and equality.
Joshua Herring of the Longevity Science Foundation highlighted the urgent need for increased funding in fundamental research over hype-driven commercial ventures. Despite the boom in longevity investment, too little goes into understanding what truly works. The IRCAN team is at the forefront of closing these gaps, exploring how some long-lived animals like bats may use unique immune mechanisms to avoid aging—and whether similar strategies can be safely applied to humans.
