By Peter Diamandis: A dozen game-changing biotech and pharmaceutical solutions (currently in Phase 1, 2, or 3 clinical trials)
will reach consumers this decade, adding an additional 10+ years to the human healthspan. Aging will increasingly be categorized as a disease, thereby driving increased research towards stopping and/or reversing ageing with a goal of adding 30+ healthy years in the decade that follows. Various technologies will be developed to address the 9 hallmarks of aging.
Companies such as Vaxxinity (combating heart disease and strokes with a PCSK9 vaccine), Celularity (using placenta derived stem-cell replenishment), Immunis (delivering immune system pre-cursors and growth factors), Elevian (producing GDF-11) and a multitude of other entrepreneurial efforts. Gene therapy will be used to edit or replace defective genes as a way to correct for genetic disorders. Cell therapy (the addition of autologous and allogeneic stem cells) will be used to replace or augment a patient’s stem cells population. A combination of Senolytic medicines, natural killer cells and vaccines will be used eliminate senescent ‘zombie’ cells which cause inflammation.
Cellular reprogramming using a combination of “Yamanaka factors” will be used to reverse epigenetics of cells and thereby their biologic age. Technologies such as wnt pathway modifiers, endo-vaccines, and supplementation of NMN/ NAD+ are among other treatments that wil impact healthspan. This Metatrend is driven by the convergence of genome sequencing, CRISPR technologies, AI, quantum computing, and cellular medicines.
Demonetized, Democratized & Preventative Healthcare
The COVID-19 Pandemic began the disruption and re-invention of healthcare, a process that will continue and accelerate in the decade ahead. This re-invention is illustrated by two specific trends: First, the transition of healthcare from the hospital and doctor’s office into the home. Biometric sensors on our bodies (wearables), in our bodies (implantables and consumables) and in our environment (home and office) will feed continuous data to our medical-AIs, and through them to our physicians. Such continuous monitoring will enable medicine to transition from reactive, to preventative, allowing disease to be detected at its earliest stages. The second trend involves increased use of AI as our primary diagnostician and health coach enabling medicine to be further democratized and demonetized. In the following decade, increasing capabilities of robotics, enabled by AI, will allow for robotic surgery and democratized and demonetized point-of-care treatment.
Cellular Agriculture & Vertical Farming
This next decade we will witness the birth of the most ethical, nutritious, and environmentally sustainable protein production system devised by humankind. Referred to as Stem-cell based meat, cellular agriculture or Cell-based meat, the cost of producing a single molecule of cell-based beef burger has fallen from $1M/kg in 2000 to about $100/kg in 2020.
This cost is expected to fall below $10/kg by 2025, thus creating a mass-market cost-equivalent way of replacing beef at minimal environmental cost and reducing animal slaughter. Similar price reduction is being seen in Stemcell-based chicken and fish. This technology will allow the production of beef, chicken, and fish anywhere, on-demand, and will be more nutritious and environmentally friendly than traditional live-stock options. Companies such as OMeat and JUST are now scaling production. Vertical farms offer an innovative and flexible solution to global agricultural challenges such as volatility due to climate changes, droughts and floods. Studies show that vertical farming is not only more nutritious, but can produce up to four food-production cycles of food per year, something that is impossible in traditional agriculture. It can also reduce the transport costs of food because it is produced in close proximity to the point of consumption.
Finally, vertical farming will also reduce the need for pesticides. An example of such a company is Infarm, who has raised >$600M and achieved unicorn status in 2021. The company’s aim is to make “infarming” sustainable and impactful and has been on a major expansion push with nearly 600 sites and partners globally. This Metatrend is enabled through the convergence of biotechnology, material sciences, machine learning and AgTech.
