A new frontier of science is emerging – longevity research, also referred to as geroscience – that is helping us understand the underlying biological mechanisms of how and why we age, with the potential to develop treatments that delay, prevent or even reverse the onset of aging and multimorbidity. In short, the nature and speed of the aging process, and the aches and pains that accompany it, may not be inevitable. If we can successfully intervene to ensure aging is healthy for as long as possible, then the potential gains in personal, public and economic health would be enormous.

In this paper, we examine the public-health and economic imperative to act, look at some of the most promising areas of innovation in longevity research across academia and industry, and propose practical actions that governments should take to invigorate this critical but under-resourced area of science.

Given the profound implications, we believe governments should set ambitious targets: the UK and other advanced economies should aim for '30 in 30' – to increase HLE by 30 years (to approximately 95 years) by 2050.