Despite having very similar biology, humans live 60 times longer than mice. This suggests the biology of aging is under evolutionary control. How evolution controls aging is currently in the process of being elucidated by scientists.
Many age-related diseases appear to have a common cause: cellular senescence. Cellular senescence appears to be brought about by telomeric DNA damage, which in turn appears to be the result of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). A better understanding of the fundamental science of aging is likely to lead to treatments to delay, prevent, and cure the worst aspects of aging, and significantly extend human lifespan and healthspan.
Today probably less than one billion per year is spent on the fundamental science of aging:
This is very small, considering the number of people likely to be effected by aging. Venture capital funding of perhaps $3b/year is excluded as this largely focuses on short term opportunities, not the long term science.
See also this note from Open Philanthropy: Mechanisms of aging.
| Project | Cost | Real world outcome | Outcome estimates | Economic value in Western terms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerate aging research | $10b | 8.2b DALYs saved | 41m age 55+ deaths currently occur per year; ultimately extend healthy lifespan by 40 years; 50% global uptake; capitalize gains over 10 years due to acceleration of technological progress; save 41m x 40 x 50% x 10 = 8.2b DALYs; value placed on a year of life $90k | $740t |
70,000