Lifespan.io President and co-founder Keith Comito was into longevity earlier than longevity was cool.
“We began our nonprofit again in 2014,” Comito mentioned. “Again then, few credible researchers could be caught lifeless saying they have been engaged on ageing. It was nonetheless type of a scientific backwater. So, we needed to emulate what the most cancers analysis advocates did, beginning within the ‘40s.”
He mentioned these early advocates recognized essentially the most credible analysis on the time and used “old-school” fundraising approaches like telethons to crowdfund for his or her work. They constructed a grassroots motion and grew their scientific experience. By means of their efforts, defeating most cancers is now a world precedence with communities of tens of millions of individuals crusading within the battle towards this devastating illness that’s carefully linked to ageing.
Comito mentioned Lifespan.io is taking an analogous method however for all aging-related illnesses. They’ve constructed a big group of individuals by sharing verified information about breaking developments in longevity, crowdfunding analysis utilizing blockchain know-how, and creating a few of “essentially the most profitable YouTube collaborations within the house.”
“In 2017, I helped write the scripts for a preferred collection of ageing movies that have been the highest-viewed movies the week they got here out, with 14 million views inside days. That was enormous to hit these numbers six years in the past, and the like ratio was overwhelmingly optimistic.” This illustrated to the sector, Keith mentioned, that it was okay for longevity researchers to come back out into the open and never be ashamed of their revolutionary and life-saving work.
Comito leverages numerous abilities honed from a various background, together with pc programming, biology, and arithmetic. He has invented a number of metaverse-adjacent applied sciences, developed software program that has been adopted in widely-used providers like HBO Now, MLB at Bat and Disney+, and even unintentionally created a top-charting Chuck Norris Joke Generator as a joke again within the early days of cellular purposes. At the moment, he’s methods to carry our world into the metaverse that not solely excite us but in addition heal our minds and our bodies as effectively. Keith sees the way forward for Web3 overlapping and supporting the way forward for longevity whereas tying in different sizzling sectors like gaming and VR.
Shaking up science
Comito mentioned that one space he’s spent the previous few years exploring is the pure fundraising capabilities of cryptocurrency, working with organizations comparable to Gitcoin and Angel Protocol to brainstorm new fashions of crypto philanthropy to fund scientific breakthroughs. After all, various “crypto heavyweights are already supporting life extension analysis,” he says. Vitalik Buterin, for instance, has supported a number of longevity initiatives, donating crypto to causes just like the SENS Analysis Basis. This connection goes all the way in which again to the beginning of cryptocurrency – by way of the assist of early cypherpunks like Hal Finney, says Comito, who theorizes the frequent thread is transcending boundaries, whether or not monetary or organic, to guide humanity to a brighter future.
The potential of blockchain know-how to drive longevity analysis goes far past elevating cash, notably with respect to decentralized science, or “DeSci.” “There are promising potential therapies for Alzheimer’s which lack conventional revenue motives, for instance, ones that may be developed with blockchain-based crowdsourcing,” he mentioned.
Therapies like flickering lights and sounds at sure frequencies may remediate dementia. Comito himself is engaged on such an method along with his colleagues at Lifespan.io – aiming to launch a first-in-kind decentralized scientific trial to check non-drug interventions for Alzheimer’s illness, with the blessing of presidency organizations just like the Nationwide Institute of Well being.
“There have been very public failures on the remedy of Alzheimer’s with conventional approaches,” Comito mentioned. “Over a trillion {dollars} has been spent on analysis, with strikingly little progress.”
He mentioned a non-drug resolution found by a decentralized group of individuals on the web could be a “full earthquake.” Decentralized science, powered by teams like decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), may also overcome points related to conventional analysis institutes. DAO governance promotes transparency and rewards productiveness, facets which could be instrumental in advancing longevity analysis.
“I believe we are likely to view organizations just like the FDA and the NIH as being calcified and anti-crypto,” Comito mentioned. “However my expertise has been that leaders of such organizations truly need us to shake issues up. With the assistance of blockchain know-how, we will obtain medical advances so highly effective and plain that present programs may have no selection however to alter.”
Crypto will energy additional innovation within the house
Comito acknowledges that crypto has some notion points to beat within the wake of the FTX collapse. Nonetheless, he sees that as extra of a product of the general market. Whereas it’s true that it’s exhausting proper now for charities to boost cash, Comito is optimistic that we are going to see a future crammed with exponential progress.
“Final yr, various charities began dipping into crypto as a result of the market was sizzling,” he mentioned. “They’ve drunk the Kool-Support, and now’s the time to construct and discover out who’s really getting one thing attention-grabbing finished. When the market recovers, these initiatives will likely be in nice form. We’re constructing instruments to do one thing wonderful within the subsequent a number of years.”
Organizations like Endaoment and The Giving Block are laying the muse for a philanthropic shift. Within the longevity house, VitaDAO and the Longevity Science Basis proceed to fund cutting-edge analysis within the quest to assist prolong our lifespans and enrich our well being. This might additionally seem like crypto and blockchain know-how ultimately taking part in a job in streamlining information interactions which may have a job in facilitating longevity.
We’re quick approaching a world the place everybody can personal their information, carrying it of their healthcare pockets. This may help remove bloated business structure that depends on paper information in a lot of the world. In flip, this may speed up alternatives for folks to take part in scientific trials, cut back prices, facilitate funds to contributors, restrict emission-heavy journey, obtain range targets, and result in extra standardized information.
“Considerations should be managed, however that’s one thing we will do collectively as a crowd, which we think about a DAO of humanity,” Comito mentioned. “Blockchain know-how just isn’t going away, and may have a key half to play in a future the place all folks may have sovereignty – not solely over their forex and information however over their wholesome lifespans as effectively.”
