At the Longevity Summit Dublin 2024, Michael Ringel, Managing Director and Senior Partner at Boston Consulting Group, delivered a keynote on the surging investment in longevity and geroscience. He discussed the economic value of extending healthspan, the role of biotech companies in driving innovation, and the importance of public awareness in advancing the field. Ringel's talk underscored the massive potential for geroscience to reshape healthcare and improve human life expectancy.

Key Points:

• Economic Value of Longevity: Michael Ringel emphasized the immense economic potential of extending lifespan and healthspan, citing that even small increases in healthspan could generate trillions of dollars in economic value.
• Geroscience as the Key Solution: He pointed out that advancements in geroscience are essential for unlocking these economic benefits, as traditional methods of healthcare are reaching a plateau in extending life expectancy.
• Biotech Opportunities: Ringel highlighted the growing role of biotech companies in longevity research, noting that over 200 companies have emerged with more than $10 billion invested. He sees biotech as the key driver for future longevity breakthroughs.
• Comparison to Oncology: He compared the current state of longevity biotech to the early days of oncology drug development. Although longevity biotech is smaller, Ringel believes it has significant growth potential, similar to how the oncology field expanded.
• Public Interest and Policy: Ringel stressed that public interest in longevity science is still low, with over 90% of people unaware of the field. He emphasized the need to raise public awareness to drive funding and policy support for longevity research.
• Geroscience Hypothesis: He explained the "geroscience hypothesis," which suggests that by slowing down biological ageing, it is possible to reduce the incidence of multiple age-related diseases simultaneously, making it a powerful therapeutic approach.