Catalysing the shift from lifespan to healthspan: transforming public health on a global scale

Hevolution Foundation is dedicated to extending healthspan – the years lived in good health – by advancing ageing biology research. Hevolution supports innovative, preventive therapies aimed at improving global health for the benefit of all

One in ten people is aged 65 or older in our world today. By 2050, this age group will account for one in six people worldwide¹ – 80% of whom will live in developing countries.² While our longer lifespans are a testament to incredible progress in public health, medicine and society, these gains come with a price: on average, we lose a decade of our lives to age-related diseases such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, kidney failure and osteoporosis. The tools that have been so effective at helping us live longer must evolve to help us live more vibrantly and free of chronic disease.

As an endocrinologist, I spent many years in academic and medical settings, where I became all too familiar with the increasing prevalence and impact of rising chronic diseases. There have been too many intermediary ʻsolutionsʼ over the years and not enough actions focused on the root causes. Currently, countries spend $47 trillion treating the symptoms of heart disease, cancer and dementia, which predominantly impact those 65 years and older.³

A NEW OBJECTIVE: HEALTHSPAN SCIENCE

However, the United States’ National Institutes of Health spends less than 1% of its $45 billion research budget on ageing research.⁴ Yet, we have an incredible opportunity to transform health on a global scale. A slowdown in ageing that increases life expectancy by one year is worth almost $40 trillion per year in healthcare costs and productivity increases. Those savings are crucial, as the majority of health professionals (63%) surveyed by Hevolution Foundation believe health systems will not be financially viable by 2030 without a breakthrough in healthy longevity science.⁵ Just as we seek to address chronic disease with preventive measures, we must apply preventive measures to avoid a health system collapse.

Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom and other countries across the world have declared healthspan science a priority. To see all the savings come to fruition – from individual lives to livelihoods to economies – requires the convening and collaboration of bright minds and able organisations. It requires putting attention and funding in the right place. This is where significant breakthroughs will occur.

Critically, we must take steps to invest in geroscience to understand the root causes of ageing biology. In 2023, 2,000 global leaders convened for the inaugural Global Healthspan Summit, unveiling nearly $100 million in grants and partnerships to drive breakthroughs in ageing research.

A NEW APPROACH TO HEALTH

This year, we accelerated our impact investments in early stage biotech start-ups, including Aeovian, Vandria and Rubedo, to help advance research for safe, effective therapeutics and treatments to address age-related diseases, totalling over $29 million. Hevolution also funded over $400 million in grants and investments supporting research institutions in this emerging field. We did this in Saudi Arabia by investing $2.7 million to create the first cohort of ageing researchers – these 11 grantees included the next generation of scientists from the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and other leading institutions to explore areas such as the microbiome, ageing biomarkers and senescence.

In the US, we gave $20 million of funding to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine for research on senescence and ageing led by Dr Ana Maria Cuervo of the National Academy of Sciences. We also invested $32.4 million in Northwestern University, supporting research focused on defining a healthy proteostasis and maintaining proteostasis in a robust, resilient state. And our $21 million novel, multiyear partnership with the Buck Institute is working to accelerate discoveries towards therapeutic interventions specifically targeting ageing.

However, we must collectively do more on a global scale. A healthier lifespan for all is achievable, so long as we point our efforts and resources at the root issue. Let’s catalyse the shift from lifespan to healthspan – you can play a role by joining the world’s brightest minds, forward-thinking entrepreneurs and influential stakeholders at the Global Healthspan Summit 2025, taking place this February 4–5 in Riyadh.

References

¹ United Nations World Social Report 2023 ² Ageing and health (who.int) ³ The Burden of Chronic Disease – PMC (nih.gov) ⁴ Fiscal Year 2021 Budget | National Institute on Aging (nih.gov) ⁵ Global Healthspan Report (hevolution.com)