In this episode, host Buck Joffrey speaks with Dr. Karl Pfleger, a former Google engineer and Stanford PhD who became a leading investor in longevity biotechnology. Together, they explore how smart capital can accelerate scientific breakthroughs that target the root causes of aging, not just individual diseases.

Key Points:

Dr. Karl Pfleger discusses how investing in the biology of aging could revolutionize medicine. He highlights the science, strategy, and optimism driving the next decade of longevity breakthroughs.

• A Paradigm Shift in Medicine – Pfleger explains the geroscience hypothesis: that aging itself drives most chronic diseases. Instead of treating illnesses separately, the longevity field aims to slow or reverse shared aging mechanisms, potentially transforming healthcare.
• Investment Strategies in Longevity – Longevity biotech offers unique opportunities, says Pfleger, because a single therapy could treat multiple age-related diseases. His portfolio spans areas like senolytics, stem cells, epigenetic reprogramming, and atherosclerosis reversal—each targeting a different “sub-pathology” of aging.
• Challenges in Measuring Progress – Proving that therapies extend lifespan is difficult due to long human lifespans. Pfleger emphasizes the need for biomarkers and aging clocks as faster, more practical indicators of biological aging, though current tools are still evolving.
• Longevity Escape Velocity – Pfleger believes that achieving “longevity escape velocity”—adding more healthy years faster than we age—is inevitable as molecular-level interventions advance. Early examples include therapies reversing atherosclerosis and telomere restoration.
• The Coming Decade of Breakthroughs – The field is approaching a major tipping point: several longevity-based drugs are already in late-stage clinical trials. Within 5–10 years, Pfleger predicts multiple FDA approvals and a surge of public and government interest as the first true anti-aging therapies reach patients.