In this episode of The Optispan Podcast, Matt highlights how geroscience, the study of the biological mechanisms linking ageing to disease, forms the foundation of their discussions. Despite its increasing recognition since first appearing in 2008, the field has struggled to gain the support seen in other areas, largely due to our reactive "disease care" approach. Matt explores how geroscience shapes the way we age, the cultural barriers across industries like drug development and insurance, and his vision for driving a geroscience-inspired shift in healthcare.

Key Points:

This episode focuses on how geroscience connects ageing with diseases and disabilities, highlighting the challenges in gaining industry support due to the traditional reactive healthcare model. Matt aims to drive change by promoting a geroscience-based approach to medicine and healthcare.

• Introduction to Geroscience: Geroscience studies the biological mechanisms connecting ageing with diseases and disabilities, focusing on how ageing leads to functional decline and chronic illness​.
• Ageing as the Primary Risk Factor: ageing is the largest risk factor for major diseases like heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s, significantly outweighing traditional risk factors like obesity and smoking​.
• The Promise of Geroscience: Targeting the biological ageing process could delay or prevent the onset of multiple age-related diseases, improving both lifespan and healthspan​.
• Funding Disparities in Geroscience: Despite its potential, geroscience is significantly underfunded, with only a small fraction of the National Institute on ageing’s budget going toward studying the biology of ageing​.
• Shifting Healthcare Paradigms: The podcast advocates for transitioning from reactive, disease-focused care to proactive healthcare by integrating geroscience into medicine, policy, and industry​.